Children say it as they see it

In the 5 weeks I have been in bed, I have been blessed by a constant flow of family and friends. What amazes me is the transformation that has happened to my body in that time. I have lost so much weight and because of the distended stomach, I find difficulty in standing upright or even sitting up normally. I have noticed the changes in the mirror on my way to the bathroom and photos taken in this time frame have shown me just how pronounced the changes have been. 

Last Sabbath afternoon, one group from the church family came to fellowship with me and to also close the Sabbath. Little beautiful Rhanisha comes up to me after the programme and says; "Aunty Lou, you have gone very skinny". The other 6 year old, Tumuteka, did not voice her thoughts but I saw them in how she reacted towards me, showing she was scared and unlike the past was not very willing to be hugged or kissed.

However, I sit here this afternoon praising God for today. I woke up at around 5 am this morning, had breakfast on my bedroom porch, sat up and did some internet banking, responded to messages sent to me from late July on FB, caught up with my beautiful niece, Tanya and sister in law, Rosie and am now writing another blog entry. I have not had any rest as required previously. I can only say, "thank You Lord for answered prayers and for this opportunity to get back into doing some of the routinal things I took for granted previously".

I may be down in the valley where my faith has been tested but the God of the Mountains has been there through it all.

God is GREAT!

I just realised this morning having gained a little strength that the last time I wrote an entry was in early July and today is the 29th August.

After that last entry I was stuck in bed quite sick with little or no energy to do anything. I found myself in bed most of the day and only getting up for worship, to go to the bathroom, or to eat. These last few weeks have been quite busy at home despite my condition. We had family visit from Australia and Canada, we had Eli's 1st birthday and of course the constant flow of visitors from around Suva and from Lautoka. The house was a constant hive of activity, there was laughter flowing into my bedroom from the living area of the house and I felt so warm to be surrounded by so much love. 

I just realised when Waisea started going over his list of people who visited me that in the first couple of weeks of my time in bed that I did not have any recollection of their visit even if I had sat up to talk to them. I am however grateful to EVERYONE who visited me for their love expressed through their visits.

In the time I have been in bed, I have noticed an increase in pains, and difficulty breathing and even sleeping. Medications have increased in frequency with me taking panadeine forte on a 4 - 6 hourly basis and the occasional morphine when the pains were intense. The hot water bottle provided some relief and  became a friend.

The best part of all of this is that all my family have been able to share in my worship experience and have basically returned to their homes with a renewed desire to worship and to go to church. Oh, what joy that brings and the pains were worth it all!!!

Yesterday after weeks in bed I returned to hospital and was able to have the fluids drained. This is why I am able to sit up and post this entry. I must admit the hospital experience was not all that pleasant. The oncology nurse was on leave and support for the cancer patients was non-existent. When I was wheeled into the ward, the replacement nurse shouted from down the corridor that my bed was ready and pointed me to the room. I looked in and saw a covered bed, no pillow, or top sheet. I was asked to be there at 8am but did not get the tap done until after 3 pm. Luckily my sister in law, Moira was persistent and I was able to get attention and to get out of the hospital just after 5.30pm. As I looked around the room I spent hours in I wished for energy to get up and clean it, paint it and to de-clutter it. That is really no environment to spend hours of the day when in pain... the outer Lancaster Ward is a lot more appealing with fresh air and a more vibrant atmosphere. 

When I returned home Staff Nurse Marica was sent a text informing her that her presence was missed and am glad I sent it because when she went on leave she was considering moving out of oncology but the number of calls and texts from cancer patients were enough to make her reconsider her decision. Yesterday's experience proves that one person can change the atmosphere of a full ward just by their interest and care for people. I really think Staff Nurse Marica deserves a promotion as her work has much impact on cancer patients who go to hospital for treatment.