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Week 47 - Jerry's Greatest Challenge - When Will my Voice Return?
Jerry’s Greatest Challenge
1-20-2008 through 1-27-2008
When Will my Voice Return?
Editors Note: This is week number 47 since Jerry was diagnosed with lung cancer. Jerry has reported each week regarding the progress, treatment, feelings, events and thoughts as he goes through this challenge. This trip has been a roller coaster of events. If you have similar challenges why not give Jerry a call or email Jerry. Sometimes just talking to someone going through the same or similar situations will make a difference.
From Jerry: I continue to be speechless. Thank God I completed my last radiation treatment on Thursday. 35 treatments take a lot longer than I thought. I can only receive 5 per week and if you add a couple of holidays in the mix it takes about 8 weeks. I met with Dr. Wright for his exit evaluation you might say and he told me to expect my voice back within 2 weeks. Not having a voice is devastating to say the least. Dr. Wright explained that the severe burning on my back and chest from the radiation should start to heal. We are praying for healing to occur. Dr. Wright told me that the effects from the radiation would remain in my body for 6 weeks or so and we would do a PET scan in about 8 weeks which should be after the swelling had gone down. This would give us an accurate evaluation of where we are. He also said that we could do X-Rays to get some ideas of where we are prior to doing the PET scans.
I have been going to the S. C. Oncology Associates every two days to receive fluids. I do this because it is difficult to drink water. The fluids help keep my body hydrated. My weight has dropped about 24 lbs due to the inability to eat solid foods. The bright spot is we have completed all treatments and we are moving forward to brighter and better days.
I wrote in last week’s message that no one can be up all the time. January 15th through January 18th was the worst time I have been through since I was diagnosed with cancer. I did my radio show on January 12th with a struggling voice. By the end of the show my voice would not allow me to do my tips for the week. I assumed the voice would get better if I rested Saturday and Sunday. WOW, I was wrong. The voice continued to get worst. By Tuesday I could only whisper. I had a Realtors seminar to do on Wednesday and I was counting on my voice returning to normal or at least close to normal. On Wednesday morning 1-16-2008 I met with Dr. Wright and begged him to give me something for my voice to get me through the seminar. Dr. Wright told me there is nothing to give me other than what I had been taking. I have never canceled a seminar but I had to get a replacement for me on this one.
This was my lowest point. Combine no voice with a tiredness that was unbelievable, the inability to eat solid foods or drink water reduced my system to its lowest point in the past 46 weeks. The radiation treatments had zapped my energy, taken my voice and made me feel like a loser. For the next two days my thoughts were random all across the board and they were negative. Am I really getting worst rather than better? Negative self talk dominated my thoughts. We all know that self talk can be your biggest enemy when it comes time to win a battle. I am not accustomed to these negative thoughts and they were ringing in my head constantly.
I am a student of positive thinking, prayers, faith and belief that you can create an environment that will create an environment for getting well but for some reason, in my mind, this had failed. For 3 days I lived at the doors of hell. What could I do?
Then I remembered what I tell everyone in my seminars. Think about the end result and not what you are going through. Think about your blessings and not your adversities; think about how good you really have it rather than the battles you are facing. By doing this, reading good passages from the Bible and good positive books I was able to stabilize my thought process and move forward. My “self talk” returned to good positive thoughts. This brief battle with the negative exposed me to the many feelings so many go through daily as they fight the big “C” word. Going through this certainly gave me a great appreciation for how I have learned to face life with a positive attitude.
I tell you this because not many people have the experience to do this. They need your help, compassion, understanding, love and kindness. I am blessed to have those virtues all around me through my wife and my family.
I see some people who are beat down before they even begin their treatments. They come into the doctor’s office looking like they have one foot in the grave. They need your help. Encourage them and lift them up. Pray for them and reach out for them. Send them cards, emails. Be around them, help them and share books with them. They really need your help at this critical time in their life. Unless you have had this experience you will never know how important your involvement in their life can be at this critical crossroads.
Now let’s go out and create a terrific week and a terrific year for us and for others. We can make a difference. We will make a difference. God bless each and every one of you and remember that today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Jerry Fowler
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