Two Weeks Later, Fantastic Voyage Continues

31 Mar Two Weeks Later, Fantastic Voyage Continues

That was the movie … Fantastic Voyage. The one where the people are sent in a capsule through a person’s body. Kept forgetting the name of that movie that described my capusle edoscopy procedure I last posted about.

Still waiting for the results to come back from that. In the mean time, on the way home, and ever since then, the nausea has been just as storng and bothersome as before, along with periodic pain.

Last Wednesday night, I had the worst abdominal cramps for about two hours. The pain was worst than anything over these last 12 weeks even! I was waiting for Colleen to get home from work to have her take me to the ER, they were that bad. By the time she got home, they had subsided, so we stayed home.

For the next two days, I had the strangest sensation in my abdomen. About 2-4 times an hour, I would feel what I call a mild electrical jolt emanate from my abdomen somewhere that would give me a 1-2 second head rush. Colleen wondered if the capsule hadn’t passed yet and was maybe causing this.

Friday, I saw my doctor, who did an x-ray and told me yesterday that the capsule is still inside me. On the x-ray, it shows that it’s in the last section of my large intestine. No telling if it’s actually stuck or still moving at this point.

They initially said it should pass in 3-4 days, but apparently not! Doc says to give it a few more days to see if it passes. He believes since it has gotten as far as the last section, it should be moving.

Last week, he finally went ahead and put me on an 8 week regimen of Prednisone, a steroid anti-inflammatory. Started at 40 mg and supposed to drop 5 mg each week until done. Yesterday, I called to tell him I hadn’t noticed any difference. He wants to stay on the 40 mg one more week and see if it kicks in.

That’s where all that’s at in short. I’ve got a whole new empathy and compassion for people who deal with chronic pain and illness, that’s for sure. All of life changes. Hard to make plans, let alone keep them, because you just don’t know what any given day is going to allow you to do or not do.

Next week is Spring Break for the boys. We’re supposed to leave after church Sunday to spend 4 days in Indio at a time share with a friend of mine and his boys. 3-4 hour drive, but we’ll have to see how I’m feeling at that point.

End of April, there’s a conference I attend each year in New York City on Emotionally Healthy Spirituality in Leadership. I serve that organization as well. But I just don’t know; we’ll have to see how the next few weeks go.

Even our Annual Foursquare Convention that I usually attend (this year in Atlanta, GA) is up in the air for me. They’ve asked me to present a workshop on Pastoral Burnout, and at this point I plan to be there. This is a big one as well as our convention body will select our next Foursquare President. Time and health will tell if I can make the trip.

Lots of lessons coming out of all this on everything from slowing down (I fight with this, feeling like I’ve done that so much already) to time with family and friends to priorities to seasons of life and leadership to silence and solitude.

What a season!

Thanks to all who have been emailing, calling, Facebooking, and more. Can’t tell you how much I appreciate the prayer support, encouragement and affirmation!