October 8, 2001|

Chemo Deux

Hi all!

It seems like it has been forever since I last wrote! Latest news on the health front: I did my second round of the chemotherapy on Thursday with lil’ fanfare. Other than a huge breakout of acne on my back and shoulders (caused by the steriods), I can thankfully say all is well. The pain in my leg is minimal, the nodes on my neck and groin have shrunk and the appetite is up and running. So far so good. This week I tail off on the steriods and start giving myself shots of gcf (white blood cells). Yeah, I have to give myself shots again. Remember last year? I said I would NEVER give myself shots. I ended up having to do it and eventually it wasn’t that big of a deal. Now, eh, I’ve been there, done that, no biggie. It’s amazing what you’ll do once you HAVE to do it, isn’t it?

Once I am off the steriods, though, I imagine the immune system will take a bit of beating and fatigue may hit. It has been crazy, lately, in terms of fatigue and sleep. The steriods don’t let me sleep. I was getting away with three hours of sleep a night the past two weeks. I just couldn’t sleep. Can you imagine me even more wired? It was great:) Reality will hit soon, and I predict that my body will crash from such a lack of sleep and I will be toast for a couple days. I shall keep you posted. For now though, I feel fine.

East Coast Trip

I returned last night from my East Coast tour, hitting New York City, Philly and Lancaster respectively. It was a lot of driving, but it was made enjoyable by having a new car (my new 2000 Dodge Neon. Cruise control! Holy moly! It’s the best!) and a backlog of sermon tapes to listen to from my church in New York City (www.redeemer.com).

I had an absolutely fantastic time visiting old friends who I haven’t seen in a year or two or three on the trip. For me, it was so rewarding and encouraging to see God at work in so many different people in so many different places. Plus, I hope it was encouraging for everyone to see me looking normal (hair, lil’ meatier, pigeon-toed, bowling shoes, etc.)

Prayer and Fasting Calender

I am not sure if you noticed, but a new prayer and fasting calendar is up. I encourage you to sign up, not just for me, but the country, and yourself. Can you believe the change in the country since 9-11-01??? It seems like every politician, actor, musician… everyone is praying! God must be really busy now:) Anyway, given the current situation, we still need more prayer and fasting. Fasting is hard. Fasting is difficult. But the rewards are amazing. Do try it. For me, I kind of have to eat (Dr. Moskowitz would not be happy if I didn’t). But there are other ways to fast, which I am exploring. What consumes your time? Watching TV? Music? Coffee? Who knows, find that thing, give it up and look for God to give you the strength to deal without it. I look forward to hearing your stories… 🙂 Me, I am hooked on music, e-mail and the Web. When my day hits, no surfing and music. It’ll be hard, but that’s the point. Discipline, my friends, discipline.

Life, What Next?

I have really been pondering life lately. Lot of high thoughts- What am I doing here? What do I do with my life now that I am back at home? What do I do next year, healthy or not healthy? I have really been examining what I do now and figuring out how it fits what I am called to do. It hasn’t been easy. Figuring out what you love to do, where your gifts lay, what you are called to do, how you can do it…those are really difficult questions. I can see the gears in your mind moving, which is good. Take a night, hit Starbucks, bring a notebook, buy a cafe latte and answer those questions. You’ll be suprised how you act from that point on. It is so easy (and I am guilty party A1.) to get caught up in clockwork habits of life and not pull back and see the bigger picture. It has been eye-opening for me, it should be for you too.

Coming Soon…

Within the next few weeks Patrick and I are going to make a lot of changes to the site. I am working on the vision and direction of the site, while Patrick is working on the technological aspects. He’s done an amazing job, so far, hasn’t he? You can e-mail him and see his Web site (www.pataltman.com) and tell him so. Anyway, look for new pictures, new links, new stories and new information soon. If you have any recommendations for things you would like to see, pass them along. By the way, I only have so much memory on the site, so I can’t put pictures of everyone I know on the site. So I apologize now if your picture isn’t up. LOL:)

Thank you to all those who are praying for me (on the calendar or not:)). I can assuredly say that I feel so good because you all are praying for me. Thank you so much! Look for another update in two weeks. Till then, later!