October 22, 2008

Dear Everybody,

I've gotten up a list of folks I think might be interested in updates on my tumor situation and how God is using it to work repentance in my life. This is not for my glory but for God's, but if you have too much e-mail already and would like me to take your name off the list, just shoot a line back and I'll do just that.

Just as an update for some of you who may not know the facts of the situation. I had a grade 2 brain tumor removed by Dr. Stephen Tatter at Baptist Hospital on the 17th of September, and am now just getting ready to start radiation and chemotherapy treatments. I have shared with many of you that God is working some srious changes in my life through this, and I want to keep you abreast of both the medical situation and of what God is doing.

As to the medical situation--I have a dry run for the radiation therapy on Friday, 3:30 PM, and will start the real thing on Monday. I will be doing this concurrently with chemotherapy tablets, for six weeks. The tablets will continue one week a month for six months after the radiation is concluded. My neurologist, Dr. Ed Shaw, tells me the main side effects of the radiation are fatigue and nausea, and that the main side effects of the chemotherapy are nausea, while adding that some really great anti-nausea medications are now available.

My neighbor, Johnny Burke, had a similar tumor treated four years ago and tells me that the last few days of the radiation are going to be a little rough. By the way, how odd is it that two folks living side by side would have almost similar brain tumors? Sounds kind of suspicious to me, but you know how God works.

Now for the spiritual side--In the last week or two, I have really been struggling with self-righteousness. You know how it is when you finally get time to do what you know you need to do--you start feeling very proud, quite better than other people. Well, that's how I've been feeling--and it has robbed me of joy and passion that I had earlier. I even came to the point where a certain part of me was seriously questioning whether I am a sinner. Another part, of course, laughs at that, but the delusion persisted. I finally put that to rest by reminding myself that the Bible says everyone is a sinner. Since I am a human being, that applies to me. Duh!

--Got to run now--more on the way--Chuck E.