Today I finished a book called Suffering and the Sovereignty of God. It's Published by Crossway and edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor. I thought it was a very meaningful book about dealing with suffering, whether it be applied to a personal experience, or gaining a better understanding of suffering. It goes a long way to give a clear picture of how to deal with suffering and view it. I would greatly recommend it to anyone who wants help dealing with the issues of suffering and pain. Two of the writers are quadriplegics.
In Gods providence, I'm thankful for the wife and family He's put in my life and giving me care and support in this ever deepening valley. At this point of my ALS, everything from my neck down is affected. I'm on a bi-pap machine most of the time. A bi-pap is a non-invasive air pump. I wear it in my nose during the day and a face mask at night. Fortunately, when I'm on it I can talk and communicate well. I enjoy visits from friends and talking on the phone with my headset on.
To give a short history: four years ago, March 2003, was my first sign that I had some trouble. I had weakness and some muscle pain in both my left leg and right arm. It came on quite suddenly and up until that time I had 58 years of wonderful health. It took 9 months of doctors visits to finally come to a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). As a 58 year old I was a rather typical ALS patient as 2/3 of patients are men usually in their 50's.
A year ago, January, we moved into a home that we share with our oldest daughter and her family. My wife and I live on the terrace level and we had it designed for complete wheel chair accessibility and a ceramic roll-in shower, which, has proven to be of great help and benefit. I really like the shower which, has two shower-heads. One is an overhead rain shower and the other is a wall-mounted shower head that can be hand-held. My shower is a welcome end to the day. The first of next week, I'll be getting a handicapped Chrysler, Town and Country. I will be able to drive my wheelchair right into it and we can get away from the house, periodically. I have a motorized wheelchair which, until now, I have not been able to ride for long periods of time because it could not hold my bi-pap machine. However, last week our friends Milton and Sue came and he rigged a platform to hold my bi-pap and we ordered a battery so that I can now be much more mobile.
Each new weakness brings new challenges to cope with and overcome. Life is, for sure, a moving target. But, with God all things are possible!
Until next time...
In Gods providence, I'm thankful for the wife and family He's put in my life and giving me care and support in this ever deepening valley. At this point of my ALS, everything from my neck down is affected. I'm on a bi-pap machine most of the time. A bi-pap is a non-invasive air pump. I wear it in my nose during the day and a face mask at night. Fortunately, when I'm on it I can talk and communicate well. I enjoy visits from friends and talking on the phone with my headset on.
To give a short history: four years ago, March 2003, was my first sign that I had some trouble. I had weakness and some muscle pain in both my left leg and right arm. It came on quite suddenly and up until that time I had 58 years of wonderful health. It took 9 months of doctors visits to finally come to a diagnosis of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). As a 58 year old I was a rather typical ALS patient as 2/3 of patients are men usually in their 50's.
A year ago, January, we moved into a home that we share with our oldest daughter and her family. My wife and I live on the terrace level and we had it designed for complete wheel chair accessibility and a ceramic roll-in shower, which, has proven to be of great help and benefit. I really like the shower which, has two shower-heads. One is an overhead rain shower and the other is a wall-mounted shower head that can be hand-held. My shower is a welcome end to the day. The first of next week, I'll be getting a handicapped Chrysler, Town and Country. I will be able to drive my wheelchair right into it and we can get away from the house, periodically. I have a motorized wheelchair which, until now, I have not been able to ride for long periods of time because it could not hold my bi-pap machine. However, last week our friends Milton and Sue came and he rigged a platform to hold my bi-pap and we ordered a battery so that I can now be much more mobile.
Each new weakness brings new challenges to cope with and overcome. Life is, for sure, a moving target. But, with God all things are possible!
Until next time...
