代禱信 Prayer Letter 10

1. 還是請大家禱告我不用開刀，雖然所有的西醫都會說要開刀，把病灶拿掉，我還是想向神求這個格外的恩典。（計劃電療完一個月後開刀，八月中、底左右）

I am still asking you to pray for me not having to go through surgery.  Even though all the western practice will strongly recommend removing the lesions, I want to ask God for a creative miracle (surgery is scheduled to be done one month after finishing my radiation therapy, around mid- or late August).

2. 求神給我智慧和啓示，到底該怎麼吃，才可以又治癌抗癌，又可以免去不必要的痛苦。

Pray for wisdom and revelation from the Lord on my diet.  Pray that whatever I eat can boost my immune system, starve my cancer cells and eliminate all unnecessary pain.

電化療第四週已經結束，再一次感謝大家的關心和代禱，經歷很多 神的恩典和憐憫。今天回診，得知我的CEA指數只有 1.9，一般人的癌指數若低於5，就是一個很好的徵兆，但是我的主治大夫一向非常保守，說這指數只能作參考，並不準確，他一半左右的癌症病人的指數都是低於 5。

This is the end of the fourth week of my radiation therapy and chemotherapy.  Once again, I want to thank everyone for caring and praying for us.  We have encountered so many God’s grace and mercy.  Today I went back to see my doctor again and my CEA is 1.9.  Usually if it is below 5, then it is a pretty good sign.  However my doctor was being very conservative like always, so he said that it did not mean a thing and close to half of his cancer patients have CEA less than 5. 

過去這一週可説是腸胃調適期，上個星期六排便很痛，所以星期天早、中午只喝清流質（自己給自己的處方），早、中午就沒有排便，所有疼痛、腫脹、外痔的情形立刻消失。才發現這些副作用其實主要並不是來自電療，而是化療、食料使我排便過多，不斷刺激電療的部位，才有這些症狀。因為在做化療，怕營養不夠，所以週日晚上又開始恢復飲食。

Past week is like an adjusting trial time for my digestive system.  My stool gave me a lot of pain last Saturday so I only drank liquid for my Sunday breakfast and lunch (a self guessed cure).  Then it turned out that no stool that morning and afternoon, and all the pain, swollen feeling, hemorrhoids were gone instantly.  I then realized that all these presumed side effects from radiation therapy were really not caused by radiation therapy directly but by frequent stools due to a combination of chemotherapy and food therapy (natural alternative) together.  Since I was doing chemotherapy, I resumed my regular diet on Sunday night, afraid of malnutrition.

星期一晚上是我狂腹瀉之夜，一、兩個小時内拉了四次肚子，我趕快上網查停止腹瀉的方法，美國都是用 B-R-A-T（香蕉、米飯、蘋果、土司）同時吃，秀君趕快跑出去幫我購買，真有效，四個一起吃，腹瀉立刻停止。星期二、三是我愛馬桶日，幾乎每兩個小時跑一次廁所（想像一下早上3次，下午2，3次，晚上再2，3次），覺得這太誇張了，都不敢出門，所以星期三打電話問醫生，他說化療葯可以停吃兩天（我連續吃12 天都沒停。吃化療葯時，一天排便4次很正常），護理師叫我不要再吃香蕉和yogurt，那些是幫助排便的。結果也真有效，葯一停，不再吃香蕉和yogurt之後（星期二、三的早餐就是香蕉，yogurt和 ensure），馬上就不會一直跑廁所，一天只上三次廁所真幸福，不用一直與馬桶相伴。

Monday night was my crazy diarrhea night, four diarrheas in less than two hours.  I went online and found the B-R-A-T cure online (Banana, Rice, Apple and Toast).  Siew quickly went out to buy them for me and instantly my diarrhea stopped after taking them together.  Tuesday and Wednesday were “I love my toilet” days.  I had to poop almost every 2 hours (imagine pooping 3 times in the morning; 2, 3 times in the afternoon; 2, 3 times in the evening).  I did not dare to leave my house.  So I called my doctor and he said that I could stop the chemo medicine for two days (I have been taking them for 12 days straight.  It is normal to poop like 4 times a day when you are taking oral chemo).  The nurse told me to stop eating banana and yogurt, because those will make me pooping more.  Their prescription worked like wonder; my diarrhea stopped instantly again (I was having banana, yogurt and ensure for breakfast).  You cannot believe the blessed joy of not having to go the restroom every now and now.  Visiting my restroom throne only three times a day was a gift from God.  My toilet does not have to be my best friend.

不過，美好的假期總是結束得太早，放了兩天化療葯的假之後，明天又要開始吃了，下個星期也要開始喝吳永志醫生的果汁了，我的小小腸胃這兩個月是各門各派的實驗場所。台灣的護理師很驚訝，怎麼會腹瀉還吃香蕉，美國的醫生也不明白為什麼拉肚子還在吃大量的蔬菜水果。有時候像一個卡在爸爸媽媽爺爺奶奶中間的小孩，四五種武林絕學都是為我最好的上上之策。求神給我智慧和啓示，到底該怎麼吃，才可以又治癌抗癌，又可以免去不必要的痛苦，我為我的馬桶感恩，但是我們真的不需要那麼熟。

But then, like all good vacations, they quickly came to an end.  My two days of chemotherapy vacation is over and I have to start taking them again tomorrow.  Next week I will start on Doctor Wu’s juices again as well.  My little digestive system had become the laboratory for various powerful therapies in the past two months.  Taiwan nurse was shocked to hear that I am eating banana to stop diarrhea and American doctor did not understand the reasoning behind my substantial consumption of vegetables and fruits while having diarrhea.  Sometimes I feel like a little kid stuck among my dad, mom, grandpa and grandma who all have their own secret recipes, like some super powerful, best ever Kong Fu in the world.  Pray for wisdom and revelation from the Lord on my diet.  Pray that whatever I eat can boost my immune system, starve my cancer cells and eliminate all unnecessary pain.  I thank God for my toilet but we don’t have to be that close.  Really!