So sorry for my delay in posting my endoscopy results. I know I left you on a cliffhanger with the potential of cancer (once again).
I realized something, this was the second time in six months I was told I may have cancer. Good news is I am cancer negative. Bad news is we still have no explanation as to what is wrong with me. I wish I couldn't say this, but I wish they had found a stomach tumor. I so so wish that the doctor had gone down into my stomach with his scope and found a huge tumor. Then I would finally have a reason for all the issues I have been having. I would have a justification.
If it would have been cancerous then my friends and family would finally take me serious. The C word is a magical word for creating kinds and compassion in people. People will go out of their way to show how much they care. Instead I was told I have a little pre-ulcer, H.Pylori and celiac biopsies were negative. The doc didn't say if this pre ulcer could be causing all of my issues. As of today Ill be taking omeprazole twice daily, against my wishes but if it works....ill be a happy camper.
Its been so frustrating. So frustrating. I have no idea what path I need to pursue. Im tired of feeling dramatic and Im tired of feeling like i am starving. I want to look at food and think good things, not gag before I ever even take a bite.
I had a nice week the week before last. My family and I went out of town, away from all forms of communication and into the land of buffets and weight gain.
I ate whatever I wanted, I decided to not worry about it. I was fine (more less, not normal but miles better than before). I ate all sorts of junk food, no worries. I ate healthy food, again no worries. I drank things besides water like lemonade, fine.
I burped a lot, water even makes me burp. But other than that no stomach pain of any significance.
I couldn't believe it, but I was extremely grateful. When I got home I weighed myself, no weight gained. Oh well I thought.
I figured maybe the de-stressing allowed my body to get out of fight or flight mode and relax, plus i was taking sucralfate so i thought maybe it was finally kicking in.
A few days after getting home everything returned, it hasn't reached the severity it was at before the trip but the potential is there. I don't get it. I wasn't stressed. I have nothing to be stressed about, work has been great, school is out, all is well at home. I don't know what could be causing the stress.
I did have some stressful things happen this weekend which did make it worse, but my issues had already started coming back long before anything stressful happened.
So here I am. Frustrated, me and my pre ulcer. I don't know what ill do next. I have no idea what I even want to do, I keep pushing myself to see the school therapist. Maybe this week will be the week I can get myself to do that.
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer. Show all posts
Saturday, May 19, 2018
Sunday, October 29, 2017
A Search for Prayer and Response
Hello all, I have yet another roller coaster post of the ups and downs as of late.
Today(technically yesterday the 28th) marks the 10nth anniversary of my best friends moms death from stage four breast cancer, which metastasized to her liver, and bones.
My friend invited me over for dinner tonight to be with his family, we had a nice time of remembrance and fellowship. You see, I did not know my friend during the time of his moms illness, so it was a bit shocking and different for me to be there for this time. Honored to say the least.
At the dinner table his second mom mentioned that she's been watching the celebration of life video, which I have never heard mentioned before. So when I got home this evening, I searched for it and found it. Then I searched the internet for the Obit, which I also found. In the Obit I found a link to a blog, written by my friends mom during her treatment. I never knew it existed. As of yet, no one else knows I have found it, I don't know if I was supposed to find it or not seeing as I have never been told about it. Maybe it was just old news and it never crossed my friends mind because it was ten years ago...
Ive read several pages of the blog thus far, learning tons of information I never knew. It is also very encouraging, even though I know how the blog will end... there are all kinds of positives laced in the posts. Positives that I can understand as a sick person, such as getting better results on blood tests-some of which were barely short of a miracle. One that stands out to me was upon diagnoses her blood test for tumor markers was just short of 3,000 points. after weeks of treatment it was down in the low triple digits, and did drop into normal range. Her liver went from a major issue, blood was going in the reverse direction in the main artery-to normal and functional. Completely healed with a minor side of scaring. I think all of us with a chronic illness pray for test improvements as quick and remarkable as this.
You see, over the last week or two I have been sad that I have never met this woman, so I have prayed a few times that I would get some kind of message from her. Nothing specific, this is actually unlike me...Its rather unusual to pray to God for information from someone who has passed. This blog written by his mom seems to be the answer for that, many of her posts hit home for me giving me a picture of what my friends life was like during this time period. They also shed a positive light on being sick, I mean she was told on day 1-go home and get your affairs in order you won't see Christmas. Hows that for bleak? How do you not become depressed from news such as that? You know what? She saw Christmas in good health, and then she saw it once more. Beat that depression.
I just cannot believe some of the things I have read, keep in mind these posts that I have read so far are 12 years old. Yet some things she said I feel almost like they spoke right too me. I wish I could have been there for my friend during this time, so so so badly. I can never change the fact that we weren't together then, but the writings of his mom make me feel like I was there, I feel more so like I knew her than never knowing her at all. Its not the same as being there, but just the fact that this was real, is much less foreign I guess you could say. She went through a lot and was put through a lot, but she held her faith like a rock. She lived a better quality of life than she was told, she lived much longer than she was told, and she had faith that no matter what the outcome was it would be okay. She knew there was a good chance was going to die sooner than the standard life span of a woman, but she made every bit of that time count. It wasn't wasted on feeling sad or the woe is me thoughts, thats the power of a woman who prays.
Now as I have said in the past depression has become one of my biggest enemies as of this year. I have never had to battle it significantly before. But now I battle depression, sadness, and feelings of total worthlessness daily. After my last visit to Kansas these issues have lessened, but this past week has been particularly rough. I have never stopped praying throughout this journey and I never intend too. Today was an answer to prayers, yet more proof I have no reason to stop praying.
There are many aspects about chronic illness that scare me. It is hard to believe I have been sick for almost seven years now. It is also hard to believe that I am just as afraid now as I was years ago, it seems there is almost always something around to give me a new reason to be afraid. Sometimes these reasons don't exist. Rooted in paranoia. Also a new symptom as of this year.
I often thank God for all of the wonderful people placed in my life, not everyone has this luxury. Some of these people are readers and commenters on this blog such as Rebecca Miller. She never fails to post something encouraging for me, until recently I never thought I needed that much encouragement. All of us who have been placed in a situation with chronic disease should be encouraging one another much more often than the current reality.
I would like to ask for some very specific prayer requests.
I would like for you all to pray that I can fully reconnect to reality, everything now feel dull and I feel distant even on a good day, that my depression will be banished-permanently. its hard to fight when you can't find a reason to, that my kidneys will begin to function normally, and that I will be able to eat and have an appetite like a normal teenage boy.
These are my current biggest roadblocks. I am already on a strong supplement protocol that is showing benefit but I honestly feel that these issues are more spiritual than chemical. I can't explain how, it just is what it is. I have full faith that I becoming sick was no accident and that many great things will come from it. But I do fear what my quality of life and residual damage will be like when my fight with disease is over, what will be permanently gone and what will be recovered.
In honor of my friends mom
Because of my depression, I have learned to appreciate the moments in life that are truly and timelessly special. The one of a kind, never to be repeated again moments.
Today(technically yesterday the 28th) marks the 10nth anniversary of my best friends moms death from stage four breast cancer, which metastasized to her liver, and bones.
My friend invited me over for dinner tonight to be with his family, we had a nice time of remembrance and fellowship. You see, I did not know my friend during the time of his moms illness, so it was a bit shocking and different for me to be there for this time. Honored to say the least.
At the dinner table his second mom mentioned that she's been watching the celebration of life video, which I have never heard mentioned before. So when I got home this evening, I searched for it and found it. Then I searched the internet for the Obit, which I also found. In the Obit I found a link to a blog, written by my friends mom during her treatment. I never knew it existed. As of yet, no one else knows I have found it, I don't know if I was supposed to find it or not seeing as I have never been told about it. Maybe it was just old news and it never crossed my friends mind because it was ten years ago...
Ive read several pages of the blog thus far, learning tons of information I never knew. It is also very encouraging, even though I know how the blog will end... there are all kinds of positives laced in the posts. Positives that I can understand as a sick person, such as getting better results on blood tests-some of which were barely short of a miracle. One that stands out to me was upon diagnoses her blood test for tumor markers was just short of 3,000 points. after weeks of treatment it was down in the low triple digits, and did drop into normal range. Her liver went from a major issue, blood was going in the reverse direction in the main artery-to normal and functional. Completely healed with a minor side of scaring. I think all of us with a chronic illness pray for test improvements as quick and remarkable as this.
You see, over the last week or two I have been sad that I have never met this woman, so I have prayed a few times that I would get some kind of message from her. Nothing specific, this is actually unlike me...Its rather unusual to pray to God for information from someone who has passed. This blog written by his mom seems to be the answer for that, many of her posts hit home for me giving me a picture of what my friends life was like during this time period. They also shed a positive light on being sick, I mean she was told on day 1-go home and get your affairs in order you won't see Christmas. Hows that for bleak? How do you not become depressed from news such as that? You know what? She saw Christmas in good health, and then she saw it once more. Beat that depression.
I just cannot believe some of the things I have read, keep in mind these posts that I have read so far are 12 years old. Yet some things she said I feel almost like they spoke right too me. I wish I could have been there for my friend during this time, so so so badly. I can never change the fact that we weren't together then, but the writings of his mom make me feel like I was there, I feel more so like I knew her than never knowing her at all. Its not the same as being there, but just the fact that this was real, is much less foreign I guess you could say. She went through a lot and was put through a lot, but she held her faith like a rock. She lived a better quality of life than she was told, she lived much longer than she was told, and she had faith that no matter what the outcome was it would be okay. She knew there was a good chance was going to die sooner than the standard life span of a woman, but she made every bit of that time count. It wasn't wasted on feeling sad or the woe is me thoughts, thats the power of a woman who prays.
Now as I have said in the past depression has become one of my biggest enemies as of this year. I have never had to battle it significantly before. But now I battle depression, sadness, and feelings of total worthlessness daily. After my last visit to Kansas these issues have lessened, but this past week has been particularly rough. I have never stopped praying throughout this journey and I never intend too. Today was an answer to prayers, yet more proof I have no reason to stop praying.
There are many aspects about chronic illness that scare me. It is hard to believe I have been sick for almost seven years now. It is also hard to believe that I am just as afraid now as I was years ago, it seems there is almost always something around to give me a new reason to be afraid. Sometimes these reasons don't exist. Rooted in paranoia. Also a new symptom as of this year.
I often thank God for all of the wonderful people placed in my life, not everyone has this luxury. Some of these people are readers and commenters on this blog such as Rebecca Miller. She never fails to post something encouraging for me, until recently I never thought I needed that much encouragement. All of us who have been placed in a situation with chronic disease should be encouraging one another much more often than the current reality.
I would like to ask for some very specific prayer requests.
I would like for you all to pray that I can fully reconnect to reality, everything now feel dull and I feel distant even on a good day, that my depression will be banished-permanently. its hard to fight when you can't find a reason to, that my kidneys will begin to function normally, and that I will be able to eat and have an appetite like a normal teenage boy.
These are my current biggest roadblocks. I am already on a strong supplement protocol that is showing benefit but I honestly feel that these issues are more spiritual than chemical. I can't explain how, it just is what it is. I have full faith that I becoming sick was no accident and that many great things will come from it. But I do fear what my quality of life and residual damage will be like when my fight with disease is over, what will be permanently gone and what will be recovered.
In honor of my friends mom
Because of my depression, I have learned to appreciate the moments in life that are truly and timelessly special. The one of a kind, never to be repeated again moments.
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