thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
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I just returned from my 3-month appointment with my onc and I wanted to send some positive news for those who are struggling with a Stage IV dx. My onc told me I am doing as well as anyone possibly can with Stage IV. There is no evidence of any cancer activity (I had extensive bone and liver mets) other than 1 lymph node which is still enlarged at 2 cm. She said she won't use the word "remission" or NEAD as it can have multiple meanings and I still have lymph involvement, but she is extremely happy with my progress. She is keeping me on the same ibrance regimen because of my history and it is working for me, but we are treating it as a chronic disease that we can manage for now. It is still tough, and I have the fatigue and the other ses, but it gives me promise that I have much more life to live. So hang in there as it is possible. I am also a great believer in the power of a mighty God who still heals.
Chris
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Faith I am praying the Lord will grant you an easy prep for your lung rests (EIGHT hours!), that your veins will cooperate even if you're dehydrated, and that the results are GOOD ones!
Nancy I thank the Lord you were out during the neighborhood altercation and the Lord protected you. Our daughter lives two blocks from a neighborhood where gunshots are routinely heard - and her little ones play outside everyday. We have "bad guys" migrating through our glen from South America - some gang members - and the Border patrol sets up watches not far from here. It is a beautiful place to live but we are cautious still and lock doors. I guess this caution is called for about everywhere and we trust our God to keep us all safe in these days. I am so glad you're out shooting today (playing hookie is a good thing sometimes!) and I hope you find God's serenity in His nature today. May your visit with your mom go well and your travels be safe. Jame went off the statins as he got very sick - but sometimes the damage they cause is irreparable. He has pain in his chest muscles now on the side where his shoulder muscle has atrophied so badly. It seems like a long time until January when the Medicare pat D kicks in and the application process for the shots he needs so badly really starts.
Chris, what a wonderful encouragement to all of us - the ones who ARE stage 4 and the ones who fear it. That gives us more hope for sure. Praise the Lord!
Paulette may the Lord give you strength, encouragement, and hope for your next go-round and may He use it to His glory to heal you completely!
Lisa, the photo of Wiley is GORGEOUS! In EVERY way! WOW!. I pray the Lord will lift you up and give you peace and strength and comfort to know that you are in His loving hands and He is in complete control which you can trust in. May His love surround you and lift you up now. Someone on one of the threads mentioned L-Theanine and I found it to be a great help for me and take it everyday. I think the Lord uses it for me to lighten the depression, sadness and anxiety I have experienced in this battle we are all fighting. It has made a difference for me. Just a thought.
Jean, I'm happy to hear things are going well. I pray the Lord will make a way for your son-in-law and grant him wisdom with the finances.
I don't know if I shared my Maggie with you or not, but here she is. She is such a blessing and comfort to me and knows just when I need a dose of love. My photographer daughter, Emily took the photo when she was here in July.
Blessings,
Ade
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Maggie is ADORABLE!
I will look into that medication..It is funny but just before this dx, I had just weaned off Paxil which made me feel like I was always stuck in neutral. Now. facing this, I know I should try something else.
Thanks, Ade
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The L-Theanine is over the counter & natural (which I like!) Here is what I buy - https://www.puritan.com/amino-acid-supplements-082/l-theanine-100-mg-012881
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Ladies, I got emotional just reading your posts, I’m speechless because I don’t know what to say. I know God is always be with us, also I know we are not ready to let go of what we have. During this journey I know God sent me a friend from my past, she was my brother old girlfriend who I haven’t seen for 50years. She was my cheerleader during my chemo and she was a retired chemo nurse.
Dear Father please take Lisa under your wings, give her doctors visions to find her the best care and keep her SE minimal.
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Jean, praying for your son in laws financial situation.
Chris, that is awesome news. Praying you can stay in this state or be completely healed. That news has to be encouraging to everyone here.
Ade, I sure hope James issues from these statin drugs will be reversible. I am glad you have found something over the counter to help you. Your Maggie is adorable. Emily did a great job with that photo. I understand how our pets are part of our family. My Cammie is so much a part of my life that she enriches it so much.
Paulette, praying the days ahead will get better for you.
Faith, I am praying that your prep will go quickly and that your test will have good results.
I had a good time out with my camera today. This photo contest has themes for each month which makes things very challenging. It is like a scavenger hunt in unknown territory but it is good for me. Other than getting stuck in interstate rush hour traffic in the dark it was a nice afternoon.
Praying for all of us to get a good night's rest tonight.
Love,
Nancy
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I wish I could say these are the deer in my backyard. LOL I do love this photo. "He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul. " This part of the 23rd Psalm seems appropriate for this photo and I pray that each of you can experience that refreshing today or very soon.
Faith, as you are already in the midst of your prep I pray that the Lord will help you get through this day and procedure with flying colors. Praying against the enemy that would love to bring fear and anxiety into your mind and heart.
Have a great day dear sisters.
Love,
Nancy
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Is that a Thomas Kincaide painting? I've always loved that one also.
Praying in agreement for peace for Faith, and a good report!~In Jesus~Amen
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That IS a beautiful painting and appropriate scripture! It MAY be a Dave Barnhouse painting.
Looking forward to an Amy Shreve harpist concert tonight at church.
Blessings upon your day!
Adrienne
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CT scan done. Results on Friday. Tumor markers on the rise so CT scan will confirm progression or not. If progression switching treatments . I’m at peace either way. Prayers welcome.
Aurora
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Aurora, praying for your results and that the markers mean nothing.
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Good evening dear ladies.
It has been a very busy day and I am finally catching up with things tonight. I have no idea about that photo or painting. It does look like it could be a Kincaid. I just grab pics off the internet and why I copied this one with no verse on it I am not sure why. Maybe because I thought how beautiful it was. So your guess is as good as mine.
Ade, hope you enjoyed the harp music concert. I love harp music. There used to be this harpist who looked like he could have been a football player. He was the last person you would guess was a harpest but he played the harp like no one I have ever heard before or since. His name was Greg and I can't remember his last name. It has been quite a few years ago. He played Christian music.
Faith, I have prayed for you off and on today. I pray that it was not too horrible and definitely praying that they find no more concerning things I hope you can find out asap but I know how this works.
Aurora, I am glad you have peace about your situation. If you do have to change treatments I pray that you can be one a plan that you can manage and that it would be effective.
Today I am thankful for my cat Cammie who is by my side or following me around most of the time. She will be sedated tomorrow. She gets her shots and since she will not tolerate me brushing her much and she is very long haired they will shave part of her off to manage easier. She gets so terrified she turns into a wild animal at the vet so hence the sedation. I hate that this has to be done but it is just one of those things.
Have a good night dear sisters.
Love
Nancy
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Praying for you Aurora, hope your result will be good.
Beautiful painting ;Nancy,
Ace how’s the concert?
Dear Father , praying for all the pink sisters who are suffering from the cancer, please give all of us strength and ease our pains.
In Jesus name Amen.
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Just prayed as I read your posts. Today I am grateful for the opportunity to help take care of the Pre-K kids at church while the moms attend a meeting. My son-in-law still needs prayer for serious financial situation. I'm going to need the Lord strength today because I'm also babysitting my almost three-year-old great-granddaughter Valentina tonight. So much fun! Love, Jean
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Aurora, praying for the best results for you! (I get markers done next month) I'm sorry yours warranted another test. Thankful the Lord grants you His peace. He has done that for me from the time I was diagnosed.
Nancy - POOR kitty! We have to do these things for their benefit but it IS hard. Maggie HATES to have her nails clipped AND she has an anal glad problem & needs them expressed about every 2 months. (THAT has to hurt!) We've never had a dog have this problem - ever. Anyway, when we take her to the vet for nails & glands she SCREAMS during the process and you can hear her clear out in the waiting room! Oh how I hate for her to endure that. We bought a new chewable pill that is supposed to help with that problem (glands) and I pray it works!
Jean, I'm praying for strength for you! We recently had our just-turned-3 grandaughter for 3 days & 2 nights (and she's very busy AND strong willed!) Whew! We love them dearly - but we're not the young healthy chicks we once were! May the Lord grant you an extra dose of love and endurance.
)The concert was wonderful! Amy gave an amazing testimony about having been diagnosed with a form of Lymphoma that was so rare only about 5 in the world have it and they die within the first 2 years. She was given 3-6 months - and she had God's peace. She had 2 rounds of chemo then felt led to go the natural route with MUCH prayer. She went into remission - it is two years later - and her latest scan shows NO CANCER!!!! Glory to God! She talked about trusting God no matter what we go through. Whether we live or die, we have a Heavenly Home that awaits us in the very presence of our Savior. Hallelujah!
Blessings,
Ade
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Good afternoon dear ladies. I know for some it is still morning. I am thankful today that Cammie made it through her yearly ordeal at the vet. She could have no food after midnight last night because of the sedation and I knew it was already going to be a short night. She did everything under the sun (or moon) to get me up when she realized her food was gone. So I had a very short night but am glad things went well at the vet. She is in her afterwards stupor and hopefully will be okay.
Ade, that would be awful hearing your poor dog going through that. I know it is a good thing I had my blood pressure check yesterday and not today! That is an amazing testimony regarding the harpists cancer story and how she is living in a miracle now.
Jean, praying for strength in all you have to do today. I am sure you will enjoy having Valentina but also exhausting. I am praying for a breakthrough with your SIL's financial challenge.
I pray for you today that feel as if you are walking in the darkness. God is doing a work in each one of us. We each have our path that He has intended for us. I have heard it said that we each have our individual curriculum designed for the unique persons that we are. There is no two alike. We are each special in God's eyes and if we could only grasp how much He loves us it might be easier to trust him in these dark times. Remember that our emotions are fickle and can change like the direction of the wind. We cannot use our emotions to take the temperature of our faith. Faith is blind trust in a God that we serve and are believing has nothing but good for each one of us no matter what it feels like in this moment.
Have a good day dear sisters and look for the blessings that are all around us. See the blessings and be a blessing.
Love,
Nancy
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Thank you all for your prayers once again. The biopsy went okay I believe and I survived the fasting but it was longer even than expected. Surgery was delayed about another hour and a half. I still have no results and right now feel like I've been hit by a Mac truck. It probably wasn't a good idea to get my flu shot the day before the biopsy.
I've been reading and I pray for all your needs and wish I could address each of your needs but I'm exhausted right now.
Love and prayers,
Faith
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Faith, I am glad that ordeal is over for you. Now praying for a good result. Rest and feel better.
Love,
Nancy
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Dear Sisters, thank you for your prayers. I want to share something with you, and hoping I don't get in trouble for sharing it in multiple threads. I believe you will appreciate it.
The following is a bit long, but I wanted to share with you the amazingly delicate way my husband's eulogist and long time friend explained what led to his death. He is a theologian so it's a bit deep in places. It was originally written for my facebook page when DH was in a coma, and revised for his service program.
Targeted for Destruction – Downfall of a Good Fellow Soldier of Christ
While Tolkien's Elves ironically termed mortality as "the gift of men," the Apostle Paul describes death as an enemy, to eventually be destroyed in the light of eternal life and truth of divine love. Thus do Christians hate the devil, the father of lies and aboriginal murderer (John 8:44). Within this larger warfare we lament the demise of our dear friend, Christian brother, and most beloved husband David.
Although all are imperfect with many faults, David seemed in some ways too good for this dark world, which he brightened at every point he touched it. As his long-time friend and fellow labourer in the fields of the Lord, I saw him wield his ministry upon the dramatic stage where I met him as my director. In this sphere alone did David touch thousands of lives for the better. Then he strongly supported my bid to re- enter the academic arena in hopes to make contributions that will in that way build up Christ's kingdom. And many others will testify to other such fruits born from David's obedient love and selfless giving acts. Truly, he has long been a "good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).
For such reasons the enemy of our souls craftily abused even his deep and abiding love for his wife in order to ensnare him in despair– –a tactic that has reduced many a good person in the history of this present darkness in which we must abide as best we may for all too short a time. Succumbing to the subtle temptation to hopelessness, David inherited (we think) a predisposition to alcohol abuse, which was apparently the concealed weapon by which he was isolated from supporters and led, despairingly, to seek escape from this world of woe.
Suffering general failure of major organs––liver, lungs, kidneys, heart– –David was kept alive by machinated methods in a state of induced coma, unresponsive, yet loved ones––friends, fellow-workers, family from afar, his everlasting helpmate –– all spoke to him, just in hopes he might hear. Eventually he came around enough, thankfully, before the end to bid farewell to his wife, for whom we pray unceasingly in this dark hour.
Let us all pull together in loving support of one another, trusting to "the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls" (1 Peter 2:25), and not lose the blessed hope (Titus 1:2) that we will be reunited with David in a more peaceful place. A place, as Sam sang amidst Mordor's darkness of despair, "where stars forever dwell," immune to the stormy clouds obscuring our tiny portion inside the vast reality of God's eternal love.
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Praise the Lord, Faith so glad to hear that you have good result. Restup and feel better soon.
Nancy, your post is like a good spiritual speech. That reminds me that I need to trust God, don’t let my emotions drive me away from Gods plans.
Are hallelujah what an amazing testimony from Amy!
Ladies, prayers to the sisters who suffering from cancer pains and side effects. Amen.
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Mags, what a beautiful tribute to your DH. In spite of his ensnarement by the enemy he obviously effected many people in such a positive way. I hope this eulogy brings you some comfort as his friend painted a picture of a beautiful man who loved you dearly.
I pray that in the days to come you will find strength from all those who God has placed in your life to help you through this most difficult time. I pray that God will help you to draw on your inner strength and your faith in Him as you find your way to live out each day. My sense is that you are a very strong woman who will forge ahead and find your way that God has always intended for you.
Please let us know how you are doing. Prayers for you in the upcoming days dear sister.
Love,
Nancy
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Paulette, thank you. I think we all struggle with our emotions and you are certainly not alone in that. I think for me I start to recognize the sneaky way the enemy can creep into our minds and lie to us by using our emotions against us. We have the power to transform our minds. Letting scripture that lifts us up and strengthens us soak into our minds and hearts daily is certainly a tool to use against the enemy. Hang in there and proclaim who you are in Christ when those down days hit and you are feeling discouraged. You will get through this time.
Love
Nancy
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Nancy,
I’m so blessed to meet several good hearted Christian ladies, each of you lead me to God beauty path and I will not be the lost soul anymore. Thanks God 🙏
Paulette
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Mags, that is an amazing piece of writing for what sounds like an amazing man. Thank you for sharing.
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Wow, Mags..What a wonderful eulogy! It must have brought you such comfort to know how highly thought of and loved your DH was.
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Mags, may the eulogist's beautiful words comfort you in the days and months ahead. Continued prayers for you and your family.
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I love this picture. It makes you feel as if you are walking down this beautiful golden path. I pray that each of you has some moments of pleasant distraction whether it be getting out in nature or just viewing it from the comfort of your chair. The Nature channel on TV has some wonderful pleasant distractions if that is your thing.
Today I am thankful for a great opportunity I have to learn more about photography. I am attending the CAPS (Chicago area photography school) this weekend. It is not going to be easy as I have to get up at 4am and the sessions are 7-5 both days with an hour commute one way. I am going with a photographer friend and she has offered to drive. Praise God for that. I have only been into photography passionately for about three years. I will have to share my swan photo and my swan story with you since there are so many new people on this thread now. For those who read behind the scenes and have been around for a while they have heard this more than once. Sorry.
I am not sure if I will have a chance to check in on the weekend but have a wonderful pre Thanksgiving weekend.
Maybe after I gain more skills I will be able to shoot a pic like the one below.
Love,
Nancy
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Nancy, that’s such a beautiful picture.
Here is Some words Iread on FB today and want to share with all of you.
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Paulette, those words are perfect for me right now.
Dear sisters in faith, I still have no test results and I'm not feeling well. Didn't sleep much last night. Please say a few prayers for me.
With thanks and love,
Faith ( in the future).
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Dear Father, please give Faith her comforts and strength, so she can feel peaceful and sleep better.
In Jesus name, Amen!
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