For some reason, standard procedure for PET scans is to only scan from above the knee to the head--they don't normally scan the lower limbs. The PET scan showed a lot of cancer in my femur which makes sense, because I have a lot of pain in my upper leg. Well, I have the exact same kind of pain in my knee and lower leg--all the way to my ankle--so I am convinced that my entire right leg has a lot of cancer in it.
One side effect I have from the hyperbaric treatments is blurred vision, which I noticed a couple weeks after starting the HBOT treatments. The doctor said that it is a common side effect, it's temporary, and it will resolve in time. It isn't severe and doesn't limit me in any way (except maybe night driving), but it is definitely noticeable. When you consider that glaucoma is a result of too much pressure in the eye, and that when preemies in the NICU are getting oxygen, the nurses have to be very careful with the infants' eyes or it could blind them, it makes sense that the pressure from the HBOT can affect vision.
How I feel varies from day to day, and there doesn't seem to be anyway to predict it. The past three Sundays in a row I have missed the evening service, but each time was for a different reason: one time I started having a lot of leg pain in the late afternoon; another time I ran a bit of a fever and was extremely tired; last night I had no pain, but I just felt gross--not exactly nauseated, just really yucky. Then this morning I felt back to normal when I woke up, and I've felt really good all day. Last Monday night I had a real rough night with pain which took its toll the next day. I skipped my early HBOT treatment Tuesday, because I just couldn't do it, but I went in for my IV at 10:30 a.m. The rest of the week went fine other than feeling tired. I do know that a lot of my symptoms are a result of "die-off". The treatments/supplements are killing parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungus, cancer cells, etc., which my body then has to eliminate. My body is working very hard through all of the die-off and detoxing, plus it is working to produce new, good cells. The body is amazing!
I was struggling with discouragement on Tuesday, and even though I knew it had a physical source (being worn out and tired from dealing with the pain the previous night), I felt that I just needed some extra help. I posted a request for prayer on Facebook, because I knew all my prayer warriors would faithfully answer the call--and they did! The response was swift and sure, and it was such a comfort and encouragement knowing so many people were lifting me up in prayer in my weakness. The Body of Christ is amazing!
We continue to be blessed regularly by thoughtful and generous people. I'd like to share a few of those blessings with you and how they evidence God's involvement. A Facebook friend who is a personal trainer, along with another trainer at her gym, decided to offer personal workout sessions for the month of October and then donate the money to us. We received the money later last week; the next day we received a medical bill, and the total amount due was just a few dollars less than the amount we received! It wasn't difficult to decide where to apply the money. :)
On Saturday I got a package in the mail from family...I was excited that it wasn't a shipment of supplements or meds! One of the things inside was a beautiful blanket made by "Hugs for Hope". It's perfect and thoughtful, because the Hyperbaric room is kept at a chilly temperature, so I can use the blanket in the chamber as well as afterward when I get IVs and am still chilled from coming out of HBOT. I also get chilly at home a lot, so it will get put to good use!The last blessing I'll share was from a wise and thoughtful friend who knows that "with lots of blessings come lots of note-writing." She whipped up a bunch of cute handmade thank you notes for me and gave them to me yesterday at church. What she didn't know was that I had run out of thank you notes the previous night and was going to have to get more. :) Don't tell me God doesn't care and control the "little things" in our lives!
Striving to walk worthy,
Kim
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