Hello! Oh, how I just cringe when I realize that it's been several days since we've "chatted". I miss chatting with you - so many of you come to mind while I'm typing and I want to ask...Peter, how's the neck/back coming along?...Fonda - how's the pain?...and so on and so on. Things have been so "up and down" with how I'm feeling that I dislike having to keep saying "today I'm fine" or "not so good today"...but that's just how it is. Having said that, one of my desires with this blog-thing is that it be so much more than how I'm feeling. There is just way more to life than that...however, one of the things I have discovered is that when the pain and discomfort come in to roost for awhile, they sort of takeover everything. It is most difficult to lay aside the physical pain, though I will tell you I have not suffered pain like others of you have. Mine just throws me for a loop and I have a hard time getting around and through it. The drugs work for awhile, then not so much...I lay off of them, then the pain comes and we're in this predictable cycle over and over again.

I began another cycle of treatment last Friday and saw the doctor also. He is sending me on to a pain oncologist (I think that's what he's called anyway). He/she is a doctor that deals with pain in cancer patients...a little bit more focused than a pain-management doctor. Perhaps we can get things figured out through him/her. My doctor just said he's at a loss as to what other meds to try...I've run the "normal" range of meds. Problem is that while some of them help with the pain, I have a very low threshold for the side-effects and it is the side-effects that seem to swamp my boat these days.

We have decorated our home for the holidays and many of the items we put out have such fond memories of precious family and friends and good times gone by. If I could just leave you with one thought this season, it would be this...that each of us focus on what's really important and it's a "who" not a "what"...Jesus Christ. May He be honored by the lives we live and the faithfulness to His purposes this season...God bless you!

Love you, each one...
Don & Deb

Hello...and Happy Thanksgiving!
We have much to be thankful to God for...let me start with my folks. Perhaps you've heard about the tornado that came through this area yesterday? Well, it took a similar path that the tornado of January '08 took...right across Hwy. 173 and towards my folks' home. They were struck badly in '08 and have been struck again! This time Dad's workshop imploded (as it did last time), limbs are down, fascia off the house...and like Mom said, "what are the chances?"!! The good news is that they are just fine, in fact, they were here at our house when the tornado came through. Now it's a matter of cleaning up...again! They are strong people and will do just fine, but the clean up gets wearisome...and then there's the rebuilding. Thank you for the prayers on their behalf.

The pain has returned in my back/abdominal area and the Tylenol isn't working. The doctor has switched it up for morphine, but I'm having trouble keeping it down. I am concerned about the morphine...I have an image in my mind of sorts that the morphine, for the cancer patient, only comes with end-of-life care/Hospice care. I know that LOTS of folks take morphine and it helps, but that's where my mind goes. I know - I'm being ridiculous. So I'm concentrating on things to be thankful for. I go through the alphabet and remind myself, with every letter, how thankful to God I am for...answers to prayer, blessings of family & friends, church family...well, you get the idea. I even name specific people from A-Z! Wow!! What blessings!!

Blessings to you and your family this Thanksgiving and continuing holiday season. I know it's a little early, but isn't Christmas music just such a treat!! Don starts playing our Christmas music in September!!

Love you, one and all...
Don & Deb

Good morning! This is my week off from treatment. Glad for the break this week. With the exception of a day or two, the pain has subsided and we've had a really good week. It has felt good to be up and around and busy.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, here's an old but simple and delicious recipe for stuffing that we had the other night at church. Enjoy!

Bread Stuffing
3/4 c. onion, chopped
1 1/2 c. celery, chopped
1 c. butter
9 c. bread cubes
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. sage
1 tsp. thyme
Turkey stock (packaged)

Melt butter and saute onion & celery until tender. Add seasonings to mixture; pour over 1/2 of the bread cubes in large bowl. Stir to combine and add remaining bread cubes. Add turkey stock to moisten, about 1/2 to 3/4 c. (Can be made ahead and refrigerated at this point until ready to bake.) Place in crock pot (I use those nifty crock pot liners to help with clean up!!) and cook about 3-4 hours on low. Can be baked in the oven, too...cover and bake at 350* for about 1 hour.

Have a great weekend...
Love,
Deb

Ha!! What a relief!! I had a totally pain-free night last night for the first time in weeks! Amen and Amen!! The last few days have just been miserable - I paced the floor for over an hour the night before last and nothing was helping...but last night was wonderful!! Don used the electric back massager on my back, I took Tylenol regularly - such simple stuff!! We had a little bite to eat, watched a bit of TV, then went to bed, waking only in time to take more Tylenol (amazing to wake up every 4 hours, right on time!). We must just be way over-thinking this pain thing and skipped over the simpler way to go...perhaps this will take care of the problem for good.

Thank you, God, for the relief...the praise belongs to You!!

Love,
Deb

Good afternoon...up and back from Madison today. I had treatment and then a couple of x-rays for the pain in my back. Nothing showed - which is very good, but doesn't help much with the pain. Our "PA" (Physician's Assistant) said it's probably one of two things...the pain is either just a simple old backache thing or the lymph nodes are pressing on the tailbone area. Nothing much to do in either case, but hoping that the chemo will begin to shrink the lymph nodes and thus take the pressure off the tailbone (if it's the later situation...which we both think it is.)

Take care...have a great weekend...
Love,
Deb

Hello! We have rounded a corner and none too soon! I am feeling better, sleeping a bit better, and just rising up out of the "grouchies"!! I've been mindful of the things I am learning here along this journey...patience, compassion - things like that...and I must be a slow learner but some of these things take time and perseverance to grow and produce. I'm reminding myself that God's ways are NOT our ways, His thoughts are not OUR thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His ways are infinitely higher than mine...so I'm trusting in His care. Difficult at times when the pain overwhelms, but we carry on, don't we?!

Little Miss Liviana Grace came to spend some time with Grandma yesterday...and Grandpa when he came home from work. What fun! Thought I'd share one of our pictures with you...tis the season!

Have a great day...

Love,

Deb

Hello! Yesterday was "treatment" day and all went well with the treatment. I'm thankful for that. No surprises and that's a good thing!

These last 7 weeks have been quite the challenge. I have just not been feeling good. Yes, there are times when there's some relief and those have been a welcome respite. I do think, finally, we have rounded a corner, so to speak, and perhaps am on the upswing. My abdominal/back pain seems to be lightening up and I am cautiously optimistic...I only say that because I've thought several times over the past few weeks that things were improving and then we headed downhill.

I'm sorry - I'm just not feeling very chatty today and probably don't sound very positive, either. I know lots of you live with pain and discomfort on a daily basis - and have for quite some time. I don't think I have, for the most part, so when I get like this and the pain/discomfort interfere with regular life, it's a challenge. One that I don't seem to be mastering.

Tomorrow we'll worship together with precious family & friends and THAT will bring peace and comfort to my weary soul. And I hope that our worship will be a blessing to the God we worship!

Love to each one,
Deb