My husband, Al, began the chemo pills, two tablets two times a day. Three days later he began having severe muscle & joint pain. This happened on a Sunday, so I had to call the on-call oncologist. He instructed me to stop the chemo pills & come to the ER if needed. Otherwise, we were to go to the office the next day for blood work. My husband's oncologist was surprised at the side effects as they are very rare. Al has had none of the common side effects of the medication. After getting the results of the blood work, Al started back on the pills, but at half the dose - one pill two times a day. Today was his return appointment and he is now taking a dosage of two in the morning & one in the evening. If he has no recurrence of the pain in the next two weeks, he will go back to full dosage.
When Al was diagnosed with liver cancer I was half-way through a Bible study called One Minute After You Die by Erwin Lutzer. Of course, it was difficult to take these classes while waiting for my husband's diagnosis and I had not told anyone about what was suspected. Finally, I found I was just unable to complete the class after the diagnosis. However, I did complete the study at home. I found it interesting at the different reactions from class members regarding facing death. Should a Christian have only joy at the prospect of dying? We know that great things await us when we cross the veil between this world and the next. It does bring an anticipation, but God created us in such a way that life is something we fight for. When we are sick, we seek the help of a physician. When we have a serious illness, we not only turn to the our doctor, but in supplication to the Great Physician. Statements that they can hardly wait and have no apprehension towards death, make me believe there is a lack of honesty or either they are completely oblivious of things to come. If one has hypertension, they take blood pressure medication. One so ready to leave this world could speed the process by discontinuing any medications that are meant to prolong life, such as heart medication, blood pressure medication, insulin, etc. My point is, we all do what we can to live as long as possible. That does not mean we are not saved or dedicated servants of the Lord. It means we have an appreciation for the life we were given.
I know without a doubt when it comes my or my husband's time to die, that God will give us the strength to endure & remain stedfast in our trust in Him. He is sovereign. Hallelujah!!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Continued Blessings
I am so thankful that I serve a God who truly loves me. When times are hard and I just want to crumble, He is there to hold me together.
My husband is beginning to struggle with nausea from his disease. In the 43 years we have been married, he has probably been sick from nausea and what goes along with it no more than half a dozen times, if that many. So this is something he is not use to and it is very upsetting to him. It has even delayed the start of his pill chemotherapy.
That brings me to another blessing we have received. We have good insurance and normally our prescriptions are very reasonable if not almost free. However, the chemotherapy drugs are a whole different breed of medication. I had expected we would have to pay a much larger amount than we were accustomed to paying. However, I surely wasn't prepared for what I heard from the young lady who called to give us the amount we would be responsible for. The pills cost over $8,000 for a 30 day supply. After our insurance pays, we have a co-payment of $2,258. every 30 days. Perhaps there are those who would be able to pay that with no hesitation. We are not in that group. In fact I literally broke down. The young lady was so kind and told me there are sources available to help us with this. She gave me the telephone number for the Chronic Illness Fund and instructed me to call her back after speaking with them. I immediately called. Through my brokenness I gave this young lady all the information she asked for. She then told me that he will qualify for temporary assistance for the first prescription and after we complete the required forms, he should be covered for the subsequent prescriptions. I asked how much we would now have to pay & she replied $10.00. Yes, TEN DOLLARS. What a blessing!!! God supplies our every need. I did not say our every want, but our every need. As our Lord does so many times, He waits till the need is almost a desperation. I hope you don't think that is cruel, for He is never cruel to His children. If our co-payment had been $100.00 we would have said "Ouch" and then paid it. This time we had no resource of our own to meet this need. But God did. As I was inwardly crying out to Him, He already had it under control. I am so thankful for the Chronic Illness Fund. Maybe you think the funds were available and it had nothing to do with God. Then you would be sadly mistaken, my friend. No trial or event in the life of a child of God is a coincidence. There is a purpose. To use a quote I've heard and take no credit for myself, "For when we are at our lowest, He is at His highest". I see His hand in every thing we are going through, even my husband's nausea and sickness that follows. We will all face things we are not prepared to handle ourselves. It is at those times in our lives, that we learn the greatest lesson. We must depend on Jesus.
"Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow"....... Thomas Ken
My husband is beginning to struggle with nausea from his disease. In the 43 years we have been married, he has probably been sick from nausea and what goes along with it no more than half a dozen times, if that many. So this is something he is not use to and it is very upsetting to him. It has even delayed the start of his pill chemotherapy.
That brings me to another blessing we have received. We have good insurance and normally our prescriptions are very reasonable if not almost free. However, the chemotherapy drugs are a whole different breed of medication. I had expected we would have to pay a much larger amount than we were accustomed to paying. However, I surely wasn't prepared for what I heard from the young lady who called to give us the amount we would be responsible for. The pills cost over $8,000 for a 30 day supply. After our insurance pays, we have a co-payment of $2,258. every 30 days. Perhaps there are those who would be able to pay that with no hesitation. We are not in that group. In fact I literally broke down. The young lady was so kind and told me there are sources available to help us with this. She gave me the telephone number for the Chronic Illness Fund and instructed me to call her back after speaking with them. I immediately called. Through my brokenness I gave this young lady all the information she asked for. She then told me that he will qualify for temporary assistance for the first prescription and after we complete the required forms, he should be covered for the subsequent prescriptions. I asked how much we would now have to pay & she replied $10.00. Yes, TEN DOLLARS. What a blessing!!! God supplies our every need. I did not say our every want, but our every need. As our Lord does so many times, He waits till the need is almost a desperation. I hope you don't think that is cruel, for He is never cruel to His children. If our co-payment had been $100.00 we would have said "Ouch" and then paid it. This time we had no resource of our own to meet this need. But God did. As I was inwardly crying out to Him, He already had it under control. I am so thankful for the Chronic Illness Fund. Maybe you think the funds were available and it had nothing to do with God. Then you would be sadly mistaken, my friend. No trial or event in the life of a child of God is a coincidence. There is a purpose. To use a quote I've heard and take no credit for myself, "For when we are at our lowest, He is at His highest". I see His hand in every thing we are going through, even my husband's nausea and sickness that follows. We will all face things we are not prepared to handle ourselves. It is at those times in our lives, that we learn the greatest lesson. We must depend on Jesus.
"Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow"....... Thomas Ken
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