A friend said today that I haven't posted for a while and I guess that is a good indication of how things are going. Not a lot has changed since post #92 on May 17th, Sam's birthday, and that's a good thing. I'm happy not to have anything dramatic/traumatic to share.... and the everyday mundane things that everyone experience don't make for good blogging.
So, for the update - On Wednesday, June 10th, Sam had a follow up visit with the E/N/T, Dr. Celin and after examining his throat and lymph nodes, etc. he said, "Sam, you look perfect."
I think perfect may be an overstatement, but all things considered Sam looks great.
Since his last visit with Dr. Celin 8 weeks ago he has gained about 2 pounds (he's up to 150 1/2), which is good when you consider what he has to do to swallow food. Due to the fact that the mouth dryness has not improved, he must take small bites of food and masticate it well and then follow each bite with some fluid, unless he's eating soup. You can imagine how quickly you would feel full after consuming so much liquid. And, in order to maintain his weight, he intentionally drinks juice, milk or chocolate milk, or other things that are calorie dense.
But, even with the challenges from his cancer treatments and leg pain Sam does look and feel good so, please don't feel sorry for Sam... he feels very blessed. We were talking about that very subject today; how that six months ago we could not have imagined going out for lunch or that things might ever be routine and mundane again. Someone once said, "The only way to know strong faith is to endure great trials." God's greatest gifts sometimes come through great pain. Has there ever been any great discovery benefiting humankind or anything of value - like our freedoms - that did not require sacrifice and suffering?
Someone named Madame Guyon wrote: "I implore you to not give in to despair. It is a dangerous temptation, because our Adversary has refined it to the point that it is quite subtle. Hopelessness constricts and withers the heart, rendering it unable to sense God's blessings and grace. It also causes you to exaggerate the adversities of life and makes your burdens seem too heavy for you to bear. Yet God's plans for you, and his ways of bringing about His plans, are infinitely wise." (from Streams in the Desert)
In my next post - #94, I hope to have something fun and exciting to report. But I will settle for mundane as long as Sam is still in remission.
Blessing and peace,
Maddy
Saturday, June 13, 2009
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