"It is was it is"-Moving Foward

Everyday hasn't been a good day but you know today's blessings included it just being a good day. In the last post I mentioned my stomach/didgestion issues that I had been dealing with. Well those issues extended into Monday and yesterday. When I went to have my blood drawn yesterday morning before work, I let them know about the stomach/digestion issues I was having-namely diarrhea, where I may be able to eat light- broth, crackers, sweet potato, rice and that may stay in my stomach for the day but the next morning my body would dump it all back out. A couple days like Monday when my body decided that it was going to reject saltine crackers after I had been eating them on previous days or like yesterday when my body decided that after one day it was going to reject sweet potatoes, it didn't even wait until morning to hit. Monday night I even tried the one med that I mentioned that I was trying to do without but it did not seem to make much difference. On the one occassion where I tried immodium when I experienced diarrhea following the 1st treatment, it only plugged me up and made me nauseous because my body still wanted to get rid of the food one way or another. Anyway they gave me a prescription for an anti-diarrhea medicine telling me that hopefully that would stop the diarrhea without making me nauseous. I took the prescription to have it filled but after thinking more about it, it seemed more like it would be putting a bandaid on it rather than really trying to fix the real issue with my digestive system like replenishing the good bacteria in my gut, etc. I also determined that I would go talk to one of my buddies at Cost Plus (nutrition store) to see what suggestions they might have. In addition to that plan I got some feedback from a dear sister in Christ who is amongst those in the cloud of witnesses of cancer survivors that God has placed in my life, if she'd experienced diarrhea as a side effect of the chemo. She shared that she basically went the "it is what it is route" and she ate anyway. That helped firm up the route that I too would decide to take. On the way home instead of going to Cost Plus first, I stopped at Sprouts so I wouldn't have to double back (when driving in from work I get to Sprouts before Cost Plus). God arranged it so that while I was walking around mainly trying to pick up different sources of protein and a little fat (healthy of course), I ran into my buddy that works in the Sprouts vitamins and nutrition area. As the conversation went on I eventually had to share with him what was going on. He suggested a good probiotic, one that he actually takes himself and he also shared with me that glutamine was popular with chemo patients that shopped. Not only was it good for boosting the immune system but also for helping with stomach issues. I had forgotten that it was good for the immune system but I did not know that it helped with the stomach as well. My new plan from then on was to take the probiotic and glutamine and to continue to try different foods to see what would work best but also realizing that I may have to deal with the side effect of diarrhea for a little while as my dear sister in Christ put it the "is what it is" approach. I can say today I was able to eat more which this time actually included protein which I know my body was in desperate need of. Today I felt stronger than I did yesterday too. Stomach issues this morning were not as severe as they had been and no issues during the day. Seems like God is blessing something to work without having to use any extra prescription drugs and I'm thankful. I had been losing a loc here and a loc there but today I lost several. I had observed recently that the hairloss on the side edges was very noticable as well. Upon closer examination I noticed that there were more locs that were seperated from my scalp and that it would be a matter of time before they fell out too. I said I would wait to see if God would allow me to be one of the ones who kept their hair inspite of the chemo before I made the decision to cut and shave it. Now I know that He did not see fit for it to be that way but I'm still thankful that He blessed me to keep my hair as long as He did. With a hat on the hairloss was less noticable-just yesterday someone was complimenting my locs but God's will is God's will and God ALWAYS does what's BEST. I have no choice put to trust Him with this too. He actually gave me a poem called "Beautiful" that I shared with a few but I believe that poem was for me too and that He was preparing me to be able to make the decision to let the hair go. Tommorrow I have a follow-up appointment with the dr. which my daddy is planning to be here for. I went ahead and asked him to bring his clippers. I can't promise that no tears will be shed as he cuts but To God Be ALL the glory. I was blessed when I shared it with two of my sisters one offered to cut it for me and the other offered to have hers cut. Mom has offered to pick up some hats and scarves for me tomorrow and send them with daddy. The same dear sister in Christ that I mentioned above in dealing with the stomach/digestion issues was there to advice and encourage yet again. Yet again those in the support system that God has assembled is being used by Him to be a blessing-what a God, what a God! I've lost physical muscle and now I will temporarily lose my hair but God is blessing me to gain more spiritual muscle and He continues to give me life day by day. Marvin Sapp's song "I Win" has been in my spirit too. In Christ we WIN! We must refuse to let the enemy, or any struggle or storm, and no not even self cause us to believe any different. No matter what kind of war we're in, in Christ we WIN!