My 5 Month Saga

 

I saw my family doctor back at the end of April.  Just a routine visit for a medication refill.  During our conversation, my doctor mentioned that the new recommendation for a colon cancer screening is 45.  My doctor looked at me and said, “You’re 46, it’s probably time for a screening.” 

We talked about the options, a colonoscopy or a Cologuard test.  As a typical man, I chose the easy way out and decided on the Cologuard.  A week or so later, I received a box in the mail which contained my test kit.  I follow the directions, seal the container, put it in the box, and ship it via UPS.  I had a good chuckle thinking about the UPS driver picking up that package. 

I didn’t think anything more about it.  A week or so later, I missed a phone call.  It was my doctor’s office.  The voicemail said he wanted to schedule an appointment to talk about my test results.  Spoiler alert:  doctors never schedule an appointment for good news.  Never. 

My test results were positive for colon cancer.   Now, the Cologuard website is very clear:  that doesn’t mean there is cancer.  There is something like a 13% chance of a false positive.  Given my history with cancer, I began to research.  I discovered that one of the leading causes of colorectal cancer is exposure to heavy metals.  Hmm.  In my two previous battles with cancer, I took cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug made from platinum.  I also learned that one of the most prevalent secondary cancers in testicular cancer survivors is colorectal cancer.  About this same time, my first cousin had begun treatment for colorectal cancer.   Alarm bells were going off in my head. 

I saw my family doctor.  The next step was a colonoscopy.  He referred me to a gastrointestinal doctor.  This was in May.  I finally got an appointment for the end of September.  My wife and I were very disappointed about this delay.  About this time, I began to experience some symptoms that were very suggestive of colon cancer.  I won’t go into details, no one needs to read about those symptoms.  I began to be very nervous.  My wife started a one woman crusade to get my appointment moved up.  It went from September 29 to September 18, to July 28. 

My symptoms were getting the best of me.  I didn’t know what else to do.  My oncologist once told me if I started having any symptoms that concerned me and I couldn’t get anyone to listen to me, to call her office and make an appointment.   So, I did.  I saw her nurse practitioner, who listened to me.  She listened to my whole story.  She made a few phone calls and got me an appointment that same week with the GI. 

I saw the GI and got set up for a colonoscopy.  A week later, I did the prep (again, I’ll spare you the details) and went in for an endoscopy and a colonoscopy.  The doctor ran a scope through both ends to get a complete picture.  During the colonoscopy, she removed four polyps that after lab work were determined to be precancerous.  Later, I was told if I had waited much longer to get a colonoscopy, they would have been cancerous. 

During the endoscopy, my doctor found a nodule in a portion of my intestines called the duodenum.  She referred me to a specialist at the University of Louisville.  After several weeks, I saw the specialist and got set up for an endoscopic ultrasound of this nodule that they began to refer to as a duodenal mass.  (Not something a cancer survivor wants to hear, trust me.) 

Today, I had an endoscopic ultrasound.  (Special thanks to my sister Tammy for getting up at 3:00 this morning to have me in Louisville by 7 AM Eastern time.)  My doctor performed the test and said that in his opinion, it was normal.  He said that we should keep an eye on it to make sure it isn’t growing. 

I see my local GI early in November for a follow up.  I have a regular appointment with my oncologist the day after Christmas.  I have another colonoscopy scheduled at the end of January just to be on the safe side.    

I recently saw my family doctor again to get my medication refilled.  We chatted about my colonoscopy, and he made this statement: “You have the worst luck.”  I chose to think that I am exceptionally blessed.  Yes, I have had cancer twice, and had this colorectal cancer scare.  But each of those three times it was detected early enough that we were able to prevent it from spreading and developing into something much more serious.  I am blessed.  Blessed to have a great family doctor.  Blessed to have a great set of medical professionals that have my back.  Blessed to have a great support system in my family.  Blessed to be able to talk to the Lord about these things and to trust Him for the outcome. 

I never wanted cancer the first time.  I never wanted cancer the second time.  I certainly do not want cancer a third time.  But I know that if a third time ever comes my way, God’s got me just like He did the first two times.  I remember kneeling at the altar of Faith Baptist Church and praying after I got the positive Cologuard results.  I started my prayer by saying “Well, here we are again.” 

Why did I decide to share all of this?  To share these take aways with you:

• Be your own advocate.  Don’t let doctors tell you how you feel.  You know your body better than any medical professional.  I’m not being critical of doctors or nurses but be your own advocate. 
• Educate yourself.  Know your medical history and know the possible ramifications of it. 
• If you are a cancer survivor, don’t get a Cologuard, go straight for the colonoscopy.  My 5-month saga could have been much shorter if I had just gotten the colonoscopy right away instead of opting for the easy way out.

Come January, we’ll see what happens.  I’m just going to keep trusting the Lord.

A Good Steward

 

In Luke 12, we read a passage of scripture where the Lord asks a question: “And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?” (Luke 12:42)  I’ve been mulling over this idea of a steward. 

The dictionary defines steward in two ways, one, as a noun, and second, as a verb.  A steward is a person responsible for obtaining and organizing supplies (as for a voyage) and is responsible for passengers.  To steward (a verb) is to manage and oversee another’s property.  Jesus asks us who will be a faithful and wise steward.  As believers, we are called to be a steward. 

Typically, we narrow the focus of stewardship to finances.  It makes sense, as many times in the Scriptures, we read of stewards and they are connected to money—the unjust steward, for example.  And we need to be good stewards financially, however stewardship goes far beyond finances, but we will start there.  
  

In the early days of our marriage, my wife and I made some poor choices dealing with credit cards.  We are still struggling with those decisions all these years later.  We need to make good choices with our finances.  Recently, our middle son made an innocent statement to me.  He said “Dad, I think I’m going to apply for a credit card to build my credit.”  Instantly, I felt this urge to protect my son well up inside of me and I begin to sermonize the evils of credit card debt.  My wife walked into the room, saw the look on my son’s face, and asked what I was carrying on about.  I told her what our son had said, and she said oh no.  You may be able to use credit cards wisely, but most people cannot.  That’s why the average American has over $5,000 in credit card debt.  If we look at our money as being stewards of what God has given us, that should change our perspective.  It took me some time to come to this place of viewing my checkbook not as mine, but as the Lord’s.  Once I gave the Lord control over our finances, my life got less stressful.  I used to say, how am I going to pay this bill?  Now?  I ask the Lord how He is going to pay that bill, it is His money, I’m just overseeing it. 

Stewardship goes beyond finances.  How about your marriage?  This summer, Lord willing, my wife and I will celebrate our 23^rd wedding anniversary.  I’ve learned a thing or two about marriage, but I believe there is a lot left to learn.  I want to take good care of my marriage, which means taking good care of my wife.  How do we do this?  We work together to plan date nights for just the two of us—no kids!  There are times we really can’t afford to go out to dinner due to our finances, but we really can’t afford not to, for the health of our marriage.  How else do I steward my marriage?  I help with household chores—this morning, I cooked waffles for breakfast.  I do laundry.  I do dishes.  I do not dust, though.  I draw the line there.  I help with the kids.  When our biological sons were little, I would take time to play with them after work.  That was good for my boys, and good for my wife.  Now, I try to do the same with our foster children.  Another thing that I do to be a good steward of my marriage is push Laura to take time for herself.  Everyone needs time to be themselves—not Mom, or the school secretary, or wife, but just themselves.  Everyone needs time when no one has expectations for them.  Laura has a great circle of friends and I encourage Laura to take time to hang out with them, to leave her responsibilities and burdens behind for an afternoon or even overnight.  This allows her to be refreshed and recharged. 

Are we to be good stewards of our health?  You bet we are.  I hear many of my fellow pastors groaning right now.  In First Timothy 4:8, the Scripture says “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.  Many Christians would say, see, bodily exercise has little profit, and grin like they cornered me with their logic.  Let’s take a step back—the Word says “profiteth little.”  It does not say has no profit, but indeed, has a little profit.  There is value in taking good care of our physical bodies.  Sure, they are only ours for a moment of eternity, but while we have them, we should be good stewards of them.  Exercise is wonderful for not only our physical health, but our mental health as well.  Nothing clears my mind like a good run.  There is nothing harder than being a Baptist trying to watch what he eats and going to a Baptist Church’s potluck meal.  At least, that’s what I thought until I became pastor.  I’m going to let you in on secret—every lady in the church watches to see if the pastor takes some of her dish.  If you don’t, offense abounds.  If you do, your waistline abounds.  That is difficult, but we must be good stewards of our health, so we must watch what we eat.  Man cannot live be bread alone, because, well, too many carbs is not good for you.  Eat a vegetable once in a while.

Stewardship also includes our property—our homes, our cars, and so on.  Do we take good care of those things that the Lord has provided us?  Keeping our lawn mowed and the bushes trimmed is part of being a good steward.  Keeping the trashed picked up out of the yard, being a good steward.  Keeping your home in good repair is being a good steward.  What about the church that you belong to?  Do you do your part as a good steward of the church?  Do you give financially?  Do you give time serve the Lord by being a good steward of the church—mow the lawn in the summer, clean the buildings between services, attend services?    Someone said to me, “Well, you’re the pastor, it’s your church.”  My response was no, it is our church we all need to take care of it.   

So, we’re back to were we started, with the Lord’s question.  Who will be the wise and faithful steward?  My prayer is that I will be a wise and faithful steward, but also that you will be a wise and faithful steward over the things that the Lord has blessed us with.