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Medicine

Health Journey Life Update

Another Week Over

Another week of treatments is in the books! Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for my treatments – it’s just nice to be done.

It’s hard to believe that there have been nearly 38 weeks that have passed by since the diagnosis. That’s a lot of treatments! That’s a lot of sitting. That’s a lot of money!

But it sure has been worth it!

People ask me nearly everyday – how are you doing? My answer – today is a good day! Now obviously that’s not the case all the time, but for the most part – I would say I am doing very well. Each day I give thanks for the decision we made to head in this direction with my treatment protocol. I honestly feel like this nightmare has come to an end. Don’t ask me why – I just sense it. I am not saying I am healed (although it would be very nice to make that announcement) – I just feel like we have turned a corner the past three weeks.

Maybe it’s the way I have been feeling lately? Or maybe, just maybe – things are working? Whatever the reasons are – I will take it. Lately I haven’t been consumed with my thoughts. I have found myself thinking more about other things and people lately than myself and the situation we are faced with. To me – that’s progress.

It’s healing!

It’s a relief!

It’s a miracle!

To think more about living than dying is such a relief! I am not saying I won’t have any more bad days – I am just thankful for the past couple of months to be behind us now. As a family we were face with a lot the past couple of months – we bent, but we didn’t break! It is God’s grace carrying us through this valley of the shadow of death – oh yeah, and not to mention – all the amazing people who have leaned into our life at this time.

Thanks for loving us well!

Now get outside and enjoy! Have a great day!




Journey Life Update

de·pres·sion

dəˈpreSH(ə)n/
noun
1. 
feelings of severe despondency and dejection.”self-doubt creeps in and that swiftly turns to depression. 

Have you ever been there?

Depressed.
Alone.
Isolated.
Hopeless.

I can remember a time in my life when I actually thought I was untouchable. There was no way a guy like me would ever struggle with depression or be diagnosed with cancer. It was just not possible… or so I thought.

It’s hard to admit our weaknesses. We don’t want people to see us for who we really are:
Broken (but not in a bad way.
Messy.
Needy.
Scared.
Lonely.

Jamie has struggled in the past with depression. She talks very candidly about it, and how God has brought healing to her life. Does depression try and wrap it’s coils around her every once and a while? You’re darn right it does! But she keeps fighting! We have had many interesting, and difficult conversations on this topic throughout our marriage. In the past it was a topic I struggled to identify with as depression wasn’t something I had experienced before.

That all changed recently…

I don’t know the exact date when it started, but it was like wearing a 250 pound soaking wet wool blanket everyday. It was horrible. I had absolutely no motivation, and my outlook on life had become pretty bleak. Depression had moved into my life.

One hour would be long enough – let alone having to live with depression for a month or two. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if it was a life long battle. My heart goes out to those who constantly and consistently battle depression. No one should have to ‘do life’ alone, but that’s what depression does – it separates and isolates.

Talking about it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Thankfully it didn’t last long. I didn’t have to take any medicine for it, or didn’t see a doctor about it. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking out help. For me, it was like someone had removed the soaking wet, wool blanket from me. It feels like I can finally stand up straight. I am motivated to get back into the swing of things, and my outlook began to change. My heart is full of vision again!

It’s only been a few weeks now since I started feeling better, but I am SO thankful for His grace & mercy!










Health Journey Update

Getting Over My Fear Of Food

There once was a time in my life (only 9 months ago) when I paid absolutely no attention to what foods I was eating. I grew up in a home that taught the importance of the four major food groups, but didn’t really follow the guide to nutrition. As all parents I am sure, mine did the best they could with what they knew. It’s the same for all of us.

We only know, what we only know.

I have been married to my wife for 11 years now. Even when we were dating, Jamie would talk about the importance of eating healthy, and paying attention to what we put in our bodies. I unfortunately never listened – until now. I am thankful for all the learning we have been doing. I was such a lazy person before. I didn’t care, or have a clue where my food came from. All that mattered to me was that it tasted good. When I look back on my life – food had become an addiction – it literally became a cancer.

Since the diagnosis, we have learned, and digested an incredible amount of information. My brain still hurts from all the reading, watching we do. It’s been good though. One area we have spent a lot of time learning about is nutrition. Not the nutrition classes we had when we were in grade school, but fascinating and complex truths about the importance of nutrition in our lives. Unfortunately, myself and countless others have ignored this aspect of truth for far too long, but thankfully it is never too late to start learning.

I immediately cut everything out of my life. No meat. No diary. No sugar. Everything I knew about food crumbled before my eyes. Life was about to take a drastic change. Drastic times call for drastic measures don’t they? So, basically I lived on juice for the first 4 months after the diagnosis. Secretly, I had become afraid of food. I thought that whatever I put in my mouth could have the potential of causing more cancer. The mind plays crazy tricks on you when you filled with poison from the chemo. I wanted nothing to do with food. It had become my enemy. It was responsible for my cancer. Now this was how I used to think (kind of). Let me explain…

Opinions are like belly buttons – everyone has one.

I have no concrete evidence on the cause of my cancer. Just an opinion.

I don’t think anyone is the absolute authority on how and why certain cancers form or when, where, and in whom they do. Cancer seems to be quite mysterious to some, and to others – the cause of cancer(s) is pretty obvious. I am more of the mind set that believes many of the leading causes of cancer are found in the foods we eat, beverages we drink, and numerous everyday chemical invested household items that are stored in our cabinets. This is just one part of the problem. There are other reasons why people develop cancer. Family genetics, our living conditions, the environment, did we or do we smoke, health, nutrition – the list goes on and on. All of these, and more, are factors which contribute to the possibility of one developing cancer. We obviously don’t have the time to unpack each one of these subjects.

Hear me out… I’m not a radical. All I am saying is that I think it is important that we should spend some time educating ourselves. Start somewhere. There is so much to learn, so don’t get overwhelmed. Find trusted resources to educate yourself with. Ask questions. For me, as I became more aware of what I ate – I slowly became less afraid of what I eat. I still have my days, but they are few and far between. I have developed a desire to become more informed of my food. Where it comes from. How it is processed…which we don’t really want to eat processed food, mind you, the conditions it is grown in. For far too long I have lived with my head in the sand. I am thankful I have finally taken it out.

I want ‘food to be my medicine’ (Hippocrates), not be the cause of my death.