The chemotherapy with radiation therapy began in mid-December, 2022, and was completed in January, 2023 ... two chemo infusions, given over 5 days each, along with 20 radiation treatments.
Interestingly, the chemotherapy with radiation turned out to be easier for me, not harder, than the initial chemo administered.
I had no serious problems, mostly just fatigue. But even the fatigue wasn't as much as with the first chemo. And radiation was no problem at all.
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Not only did God show me the best treatment for me, but throughout all the cancer treatments, HE led me in how best to get through the treatments. These things were very helpful to me.
I felt strongly led by God to get plenty of rest, to not feel pressure to do the things I had done previously.
If the litter boxes didn't get cleaned for a day, that was fine.
If I didn't vacuum for a week or two, no problem.
The dogs no longer went for walks, but they rode in the car with me to short medical appointments, which they enjoyed.
If I didn't have enough energy to do something, I didn't do it, or I asked someone else to do it, if it needed to be done.
And I kept a blanket and pillow near the recliner I typically use during the day so I could comfortably rest throughout the day as needed.
It was very strongly in my heart that rest was important.
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While having chemotherapy, I found that seemingly "little" physical problems needed to be dealt with more strongly than usual, and God led me in how to do this.
One of the first problems I had was constipation. I had been warned that some of the chemo drugs I was given could cause this and had been given some steps to take to try to deal with it. But the problem did not go away. In talking with God about this, I was reminded of the oncology department's triage number and felt I should call. Over the telephone, a nurse gave me further steps to take, and the problem was resolved.
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At another time, one of my thumbs became red and quite sore. I didn't recall having done anything to cause this soreness and asked God what, if anything, I could do about it. I didn't hear anything to do right then. But shortly after this, I had an appointment with a physician assistant to make sure I was doing OK after the previous chemo infusion.
During that appointment I kept being reminded of my thumb. So, I told the physician assistant about my thumb being sore.
Upon examination, she found that I had a rather serious infection from a very small cut which could barely be seen and I had completely forgotten about.
With the chemotherapy, what ordinarily would have just healed on its own, had become infected. Antibiotics were prescribed and my thumb was back to normal in about a week.
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An example of getting help from others when needed ... I was going through chemotherapy and radiation therapy during months in which it typically snows here. One thing I needed was to keep the driveway cleared of snow so I could get to medical appointments and also to run errands. Shoveling snow is something I had previously enjoyed doing, but I felt it was too strenuous to do during treatments.
I prayed about who could do this for me.
One day my neighbor and his teen-aged son were trimming some trees for me. After they finished, they said if I needed any other help, to just let them know.
The need for snow shoveling was brought to my mind, so I asked if they might help with this. The dad was about to have surgery himself, but his son was very willing to shovel snow from my driveway whenever needed. I could simply send a text message to him and he would come take care of clearing the snow. It was wonderful to have this taken care of so easily, and very well, by this young man.
He also helped me move heavy items when needed.
And he did all of this with a very pleasant attitude.
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A common problem when we face health issues is that various fearful thoughts come to our minds. As I turned to God with the thoughts that came to me, and focused on whatever HE gave me (often a scripture or a dream), I was always helped.
I found it helpful to write down what God gave me so I could review these things frequently, which strengthened me in God’s view of whatever troubled me.
Also, I was reminded of Joan sharing many years ago that when she was going through a very difficult time, she recorded the scriptures given her by God, then played the recording as she went to sleep at night and throughout the night.
When I was reminded of this, I felt I was being led by God to do this as well. This was a great help to me.
The scriptures and dreams went deeply into my heart as I focused on them throughout the day and played a recording of them at night, strengthening me in things of God and overcoming fearful thoughts.
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These are just a few examples of how I lacked no help of any kind. All I needed was provided by God (and still is).
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