Hello loved ones,
Lloyd took me down to see Dr. Baker yesterday. We did a 1/2 fill up----50 ccs instead of the 100. I'm hanging in there....with new pain meds...Lortab and ice bag.
This is a long journey....but to you gals that might be reading this and having chemo or radiation....my heart hurts for you and my prayers go with you!! I keep reminding myself that I'm blessed not having to endure that along with reconstruction.
A dear guest Phyllis Heideman from Neb. sent me this note that Rick Waren sent about his wife's cancer....although I'd read it before...it was a great reminder for me to focus on praise to our Lord in thanksgiving for His grace and mercy. Maybe it will also help you through a tough day. Here it is....Thanks Phyllis:
Subject: A True Purpose Driven Life
(Rick Warren, author of "A Purpose driven life") You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has with his wife now having cancer and him having "wealth" from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, "Purpose Driven Life" author, and pastor of Saddleback Church in California. In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said: People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body--but not the end of me. I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal of God wants us to practice on ear th what we will do forever in eternity. We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense. Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one. The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort. God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy. We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness. This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer. I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe >that anymore. Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it' s kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life. No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good for which you can thank God. You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems. If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, "which is my problem, my issues, my pain." But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others. We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her. It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her <>closer to Him and to people. You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy. It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego >or for you to live a life of ease. So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72. First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases. Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church. Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call Th e Peac e Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation. Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free. We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity? Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)? When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings. Happy moments, PRAISE GOD. Difficult moments, SEEK GOD. Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD. Pain ful mo ments, TRUST GOD. Every moment, THANK GOD.
So as you can see.....I'M TRUSTING AND THANKING GOD as Rick suggests.
Again....thanks for the prayers for me and my family!!
He is Able,
Donna
Friday, July 28, 2006
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Our God is Faithful!!
Dear Family & Friends,
I just want to share and "OH WOW" moment that I just realized a few minutes ago!! On Monday God sent THREE people into my life when I really needed it!! I've really been struggling with pain since the last 'fill-up' last Thursday.
1st person: Jo Porter, is a really special friend from K.C., who works part time for a plastic surgeon. She called me because she said God had placed me on her mind! I'm so glad she called. She came unglued ( as only Jo can do)...when I told her I was having 100 ccs put in once a week! She said her Dr. did 50 ccs every 2 or 3 weeks....and his patients never needed pain meds other than tynold!!! I'm on Oxycod every 4 hrs plus sleeping med!! Bless her heart...Jo called me back a half hour later with a SCHEDULE of how we could still get this all done before we leave Colorado Oct. 15th and do the 50 ccs every other week!! I know because we had told Dr. Baker of our time line... he was just trying to meet that goal. When I called Dr. Baker....he agreeded it was a good idea to slow down!!
Monday, I called Angie Propst in Illinois ,who is ONE SPECIAL support friend! Angie went through the same thing last Aug. Because she did the once a week and 100 cc, I thought that was normal!! She gave me a 'distant hug' and prayed with me....what a blessing.
2nd. Barry, our oncologist friend e.mailed me. He had been to dinner with Michele and Derek and had asked about me. Michele had told him of my pain. He suggested that if I hadn't already, I might want to add anti-inflammatories...such as Motrin or Aleve that might help with the swelling and pain. Barry also assured me that I wouldn't get hooked on the other pain meds and also explained it was normal that I had to keep increasing the OxyCod as time went on to get the same pain relief level!!
3rd. Foster Propst...Angie's husband who is a pharmacist called us. Foster also suggested the anit-inflammatories and not to worry about getting hooked!!
Is our God awesome or what??? 3 people ....all on a day that was so difficult!!
I want you to know the pain is BETTER the past 2 days. Thanks Foster and Barry for your suggestion. Thanks Jo... my emotional level is better because I'm not facing another fill-up tomorrow! Thank you Lord!!
As always....I can't tell you how much your love, concern and prayers mean to us!!!
Trusting our Faithful God,
Donna
Father, Continue to bring me along so that I can also rejoice in my sufferings because I can know that suffering produces perserverance. (Romans 5:3)
I just want to share and "OH WOW" moment that I just realized a few minutes ago!! On Monday God sent THREE people into my life when I really needed it!! I've really been struggling with pain since the last 'fill-up' last Thursday.
1st person: Jo Porter, is a really special friend from K.C., who works part time for a plastic surgeon. She called me because she said God had placed me on her mind! I'm so glad she called. She came unglued ( as only Jo can do)...when I told her I was having 100 ccs put in once a week! She said her Dr. did 50 ccs every 2 or 3 weeks....and his patients never needed pain meds other than tynold!!! I'm on Oxycod every 4 hrs plus sleeping med!! Bless her heart...Jo called me back a half hour later with a SCHEDULE of how we could still get this all done before we leave Colorado Oct. 15th and do the 50 ccs every other week!! I know because we had told Dr. Baker of our time line... he was just trying to meet that goal. When I called Dr. Baker....he agreeded it was a good idea to slow down!!
Monday, I called Angie Propst in Illinois ,who is ONE SPECIAL support friend! Angie went through the same thing last Aug. Because she did the once a week and 100 cc, I thought that was normal!! She gave me a 'distant hug' and prayed with me....what a blessing.
2nd. Barry, our oncologist friend e.mailed me. He had been to dinner with Michele and Derek and had asked about me. Michele had told him of my pain. He suggested that if I hadn't already, I might want to add anti-inflammatories...such as Motrin or Aleve that might help with the swelling and pain. Barry also assured me that I wouldn't get hooked on the other pain meds and also explained it was normal that I had to keep increasing the OxyCod as time went on to get the same pain relief level!!
3rd. Foster Propst...Angie's husband who is a pharmacist called us. Foster also suggested the anit-inflammatories and not to worry about getting hooked!!
Is our God awesome or what??? 3 people ....all on a day that was so difficult!!
I want you to know the pain is BETTER the past 2 days. Thanks Foster and Barry for your suggestion. Thanks Jo... my emotional level is better because I'm not facing another fill-up tomorrow! Thank you Lord!!
As always....I can't tell you how much your love, concern and prayers mean to us!!!
Trusting our Faithful God,
Donna
Father, Continue to bring me along so that I can also rejoice in my sufferings because I can know that suffering produces perserverance. (Romans 5:3)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Passed the 2nd Mile Marker Today
Hello Dear Family and Friends,
What a blessing it has been to have Teresa and her family here with us this week. We will really miss them when they head back toward Texas tomorrow. Please pray for travel blessings for them. It was also great to have Michele helping last week with the office and guest!
Today, Teresa took me down the mountain for the second "blow-up"....5 or 6 more and we are DONE! I wish I could say I'm doing great.....AND I TRULY AM DOING GREAT....but the pain is really becoming a weary event in my every day! I guess I thought when the surgery was over that was the worst part....it wasn't.
I'm blessed to have Angie Propst, a friend in Il. who had the same surgery and reconstruction last Aug. I understand more now, why support groups are so important. Angie encouraged me Tuesday to take more pain pills. I got off the phone and headed for the bottle....pain pill bottle I mean!!! Don't understand why I think I should take as little as possible! The pain was really wearing me out!
Last week also I asked the Dr. for a sleeping pill prescription. I had a heart attack to see it was $134 for 40 pills. But the next morning I told Lloyd that was the best $134 dollars I had every spent and I even had 39 more pills to go!!
I'm praising the Lord that my twin sister Linda got back a GOOD report on her monogram!!! The place she has her's done has digital....which I understand is the best! Thank you Lord for the report and also knowing they will be looking extra carefully each 6 months that they now want her to have!!
Gotta share something else right quick! Teresa brought a book with her called "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. If you haven't read it, I REALLY encourage you to run out and get it.! The first several chapters are about what heaven will be like! Actually, I'm ALMOST ready to pack my bags!! The rest was about his recovery. It couldn't have been better timing for me to read it! I'm sure my pain is like a splinter compared to what he went through.
I can't close without thank you all for the prayers, e.mails and cards you are sending each day. We are blessed!
A Hug From Him,
Donna
Psalm 34:1-4 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears!!
What a blessing it has been to have Teresa and her family here with us this week. We will really miss them when they head back toward Texas tomorrow. Please pray for travel blessings for them. It was also great to have Michele helping last week with the office and guest!
Today, Teresa took me down the mountain for the second "blow-up"....5 or 6 more and we are DONE! I wish I could say I'm doing great.....AND I TRULY AM DOING GREAT....but the pain is really becoming a weary event in my every day! I guess I thought when the surgery was over that was the worst part....it wasn't.
I'm blessed to have Angie Propst, a friend in Il. who had the same surgery and reconstruction last Aug. I understand more now, why support groups are so important. Angie encouraged me Tuesday to take more pain pills. I got off the phone and headed for the bottle....pain pill bottle I mean!!! Don't understand why I think I should take as little as possible! The pain was really wearing me out!
Last week also I asked the Dr. for a sleeping pill prescription. I had a heart attack to see it was $134 for 40 pills. But the next morning I told Lloyd that was the best $134 dollars I had every spent and I even had 39 more pills to go!!
I'm praising the Lord that my twin sister Linda got back a GOOD report on her monogram!!! The place she has her's done has digital....which I understand is the best! Thank you Lord for the report and also knowing they will be looking extra carefully each 6 months that they now want her to have!!
Gotta share something else right quick! Teresa brought a book with her called "90 Minutes in Heaven" by Don Piper. If you haven't read it, I REALLY encourage you to run out and get it.! The first several chapters are about what heaven will be like! Actually, I'm ALMOST ready to pack my bags!! The rest was about his recovery. It couldn't have been better timing for me to read it! I'm sure my pain is like a splinter compared to what he went through.
I can't close without thank you all for the prayers, e.mails and cards you are sending each day. We are blessed!
A Hug From Him,
Donna
Psalm 34:1-4 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
My soul will boast in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears!!
Thursday, July 06, 2006
A New Experience on the Journey
Hello Loved One,
Will make this short tonight....heading to bed!
My hubby was my rock as he held my hand today for the first "blow up". It wasn't bad once the lidocane (sp) took effect. It's amazing that the Dr. used a magnet to find the opening into the expander to put the saline solution in without making a hole in the expander.....isn't modern medicine amazing!!
The expander was placed UNDER THE CHEST MUSCLE....so I'm feeling really TIGHT tonight....but guess that's the goal to expand that muscle. Guess it's easier than what all those folks do in the gym to get muscles!! Tee Hee! Well... we have the start of 2 small mounds...100 cc in each side today!! Will do this once a week now for another 6 or 7 weeks!!
Prayer request tonight would be for both my sisters, Linda and Jeanette and husbands as they drive home tomorrow to Cape Girardeau, Mo. and Little Rock, Ar. Also for our daughter Teresa and her family as they leave in the morning at 3:00 a.m. to come here for a week's vacation. Also for Lloyd....who has already and will continue to do such an awesome job here at the resort to meet the needs of the guests each day. He's such an awesome soul mate to me.....truly one of my greatest blessings! And then that I can get some sleep tonight and function in the office taking these pain pills. Pray I don't double book....one of my greatest fears. I think we have maybe a total of 4 spots...all one nights... in separate cabins during the next 6 weeks! We are sooooo blessed.
He is able,
Donna
Even to old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 (Oh dear ones....what an awesome promise that we can each claim as a child of God.)
Oh my...gray hairs...only He would know :}!!
Will make this short tonight....heading to bed!
My hubby was my rock as he held my hand today for the first "blow up". It wasn't bad once the lidocane (sp) took effect. It's amazing that the Dr. used a magnet to find the opening into the expander to put the saline solution in without making a hole in the expander.....isn't modern medicine amazing!!
The expander was placed UNDER THE CHEST MUSCLE....so I'm feeling really TIGHT tonight....but guess that's the goal to expand that muscle. Guess it's easier than what all those folks do in the gym to get muscles!! Tee Hee! Well... we have the start of 2 small mounds...100 cc in each side today!! Will do this once a week now for another 6 or 7 weeks!!
Prayer request tonight would be for both my sisters, Linda and Jeanette and husbands as they drive home tomorrow to Cape Girardeau, Mo. and Little Rock, Ar. Also for our daughter Teresa and her family as they leave in the morning at 3:00 a.m. to come here for a week's vacation. Also for Lloyd....who has already and will continue to do such an awesome job here at the resort to meet the needs of the guests each day. He's such an awesome soul mate to me.....truly one of my greatest blessings! And then that I can get some sleep tonight and function in the office taking these pain pills. Pray I don't double book....one of my greatest fears. I think we have maybe a total of 4 spots...all one nights... in separate cabins during the next 6 weeks! We are sooooo blessed.
He is able,
Donna
Even to old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 (Oh dear ones....what an awesome promise that we can each claim as a child of God.)
Oh my...gray hairs...only He would know :}!!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Thank You Lord For the Freedoms We All Have in America
Hello Family and Friends,
I can't believe it's almost a week since I posted to the blog!
I have to admit it seems like a long one with some frustrations for me! I just HATE to take pain pills.....yes I know nurse Cathy Mallow....said your body heals faster when you aren't in pain!!
So I keep taking them!! I have been able to back off the last couple of days with 1/2 pill at 10 a.m. and the other half at 4 p.m. and a whole one when I go to bed. So I know I'm gaining on them!! Thursday morning a special friend, Juanice Ward, will take me down the mountain for my first session of "blowing them up"!! Lloyd says he could use a compressor lot faster than the next 6 wks. will take....RIGHT!!.....NO....WRONG!! Oh my!!
It has been so awesome to have Michele, our daughter, to come up this week and help with the office work....another great blessing! I was impressed that her husband Derek wanted to learn how to make invoices in the software! But DEREK gets a BIG STAR for effort!! The day of my surgery he got in the software and made a "sort of'" invoice for a walk in guest!!! Way to go Derek!.
Well today is special because we celebrate our freedom! So many men and women have sacrificed their lives for what we have today. Their families were left with out fathers, mothers,sisters,brother, uncles, aunts and cousins....they were never the same family again! For that I give them honor and thanks...which doesn't really seem enough.
Yesterday in the mail we received a bumper sticker from Dr. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministry in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. The sticker says..."LET THEM PRAY". We were appalled to hear that the chaplains in the military are not allowed to pray..."in Jesus name"!! I think the 2 worst words that was ever introduced into the English language is "political correct"...what a sad day for our country when that happened.
Well didn't mean to get on the 'soap box'....yet maybe I did!! Find a veteran today or tomorrow and give them a hug!!
I continue to be amazed at all the e.mails and cards that are still coming every day!! I've certainly learned that my feeble one card sent to a friend during an illness is lacking....when I'm receiving 2, 3 and even 4 from the same person.... you my special friends!! It's such a pure joy to know each of you. Praying God's blessings are falling on each of you too!
I've had many of you mention about having trouble sending e.mails to us here in the blog. If you do...just send them to me at donnaclaypool.earthlink.net. Sorry about that!
God Bless America and Each of You,
Donna
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12
I can't believe it's almost a week since I posted to the blog!
I have to admit it seems like a long one with some frustrations for me! I just HATE to take pain pills.....yes I know nurse Cathy Mallow....said your body heals faster when you aren't in pain!!
So I keep taking them!! I have been able to back off the last couple of days with 1/2 pill at 10 a.m. and the other half at 4 p.m. and a whole one when I go to bed. So I know I'm gaining on them!! Thursday morning a special friend, Juanice Ward, will take me down the mountain for my first session of "blowing them up"!! Lloyd says he could use a compressor lot faster than the next 6 wks. will take....RIGHT!!.....NO....WRONG!! Oh my!!
It has been so awesome to have Michele, our daughter, to come up this week and help with the office work....another great blessing! I was impressed that her husband Derek wanted to learn how to make invoices in the software! But DEREK gets a BIG STAR for effort!! The day of my surgery he got in the software and made a "sort of'" invoice for a walk in guest!!! Way to go Derek!.
Well today is special because we celebrate our freedom! So many men and women have sacrificed their lives for what we have today. Their families were left with out fathers, mothers,sisters,brother, uncles, aunts and cousins....they were never the same family again! For that I give them honor and thanks...which doesn't really seem enough.
Yesterday in the mail we received a bumper sticker from Dr. James Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministry in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. The sticker says..."LET THEM PRAY". We were appalled to hear that the chaplains in the military are not allowed to pray..."in Jesus name"!! I think the 2 worst words that was ever introduced into the English language is "political correct"...what a sad day for our country when that happened.
Well didn't mean to get on the 'soap box'....yet maybe I did!! Find a veteran today or tomorrow and give them a hug!!
I continue to be amazed at all the e.mails and cards that are still coming every day!! I've certainly learned that my feeble one card sent to a friend during an illness is lacking....when I'm receiving 2, 3 and even 4 from the same person.... you my special friends!! It's such a pure joy to know each of you. Praying God's blessings are falling on each of you too!
I've had many of you mention about having trouble sending e.mails to us here in the blog. If you do...just send them to me at donnaclaypool.earthlink.net. Sorry about that!
God Bless America and Each of You,
Donna
"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord." Psalm 33:12
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