Morning Cuppas With Glenys : terminal illness

Showing posts with label terminal illness. Show all posts

Mirror image all the way!

My twin sister Julie and I are not only identical, but we are mirror image twins. Mum said we were placed in a cot side by side and the mirroring was quite noticeable..

We have our natural hair parting on opposite sides, our teeth prior to dentures were mirrored, in fact our dentist put one X-ray of each of our mouths over each other and it was a perfect match!

I have a small mole on my left hand mouth edge and Julie has one on the right. Our profile is perfectly symmetrical when overlapping each other.

We have been known to throw a kidney stone from opposite sides at the same time as well.

We still play the game if someone has an ailment, we know immediately which hand the other twin has a trigger finger problem with- always we guess the opposite to the one we are experiencing ourselves. And we are right!

Mirroring each other has been a part of our life since we were quite young and it seems that it will be until our life finishes... and even in death, we will be mirroring..

Julie is sadly terminally ill with lupus and I have to have more heart stents which I have refused. As in life, so it will be in death... opposites.

Unless the LORD raptures us both, Julie will have a drawn out passing and typically opposite, I will drop like a stone with a heart attack, going very quickly.

It has been fun to be a twin, particularly a mirrored identical one. It is and has been a source of both amazement and amusement. We joke about it and how it will be- mirror image all the way!

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well-Psalm139:14

No fear in death

A sick man turned to his doctor as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, 'Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side..' Very quietly, the doctor said, 'I don't know..''You don't know? You're, a Christian man, and don't know what's on the other side?'

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, 'Did you notice my dog? He's never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside.. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that is enough.' author unknown

I know that is how I faced the fear of death with my heart problems and misdiagnosis of a terminal illness.. I reasoned that as long as Christ was there, that was all that mattered!

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:John 25:11

When your world is turned upside down

When one is first diagnosed with an illness, it is quite common to be in disbelief or even denial. After all, some illnesses come as a shock and have the potential to change our life forever. This requires us to rethink how we will cope with the illness, its treatment and life in general.

Sometimes we struggle to get a grip of the ramifications that illness makes in our life, but sooner or later, we are going to have to get our head around the fact that things will change. To function, they have to.

If diagnosis of an illness has caused a depression which lingers for more than a few weeks or causes panic attacks, I suggest that a doctor is seen for antidepressants. These may be needed only short term until the illness is accepted. And it must be accepted sooner or later.

Only in coming to terms with being chronically ill, can we make plans to handle the changes that being ill will bring. We will need to plan our days as wives, mothers and homemakers. (See Lists)
We must cling to Jesus and allow Him to minimise the shock and help us regain our focus. We must also plan our treatments and care.

Scary as it is, chronic illness must be addressed as soon as we are able... our future and our family's future depend on us accepting our illness so that we can move on. Easier said than done when your world has been turned upside down.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

"So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom" Psalm 90:12

Shipwrecked on Mondays?

How many times have you heard people say that they hate Mondays? How many times have you said it? I know that in the past I have often said how much I hate Mondays. But really in hating Mondays, have you stopped to think what you are really saying?

Monday is typically the start of the working week and it heralds the return of the everyday week day routine. We return to outside paid work, or our husbands do and with that comes the responsibility of getting to bed early so as to rise early and not be late for our boss.

For the homemaker, it signifies the rushed iron-a-shirt, cut-a-lunch, prepare-school-uniforms and pick-up-the-kids part of the start of our week. And it says that the more relaxed pace of the week-end has drawn to a close for another week. Misery.

But really we shouldn't be miserable just because it is Monday. Monday is just the start of a week. Each day is a day of unsurpassed beauty- if we take the time to see it. Just ask someone who is dying if they hate Mondays, and I am sure that they would love to have a whole lot more Mondays to live. I know this is true because I lived that for three long months of a misdiagnosis of a terminal disease. Every day is a gift and is special. Even Mondays!

It may be hard at first to be grateful and thankful for not only Mondays but all days, but seeking out happiness will make it easier. Joyfulness will bloom and Mondays will become a blessing and not a curse. A day a week is too many days to waste in a life to feel shipwrecked.

© Glenys Robyn Hicks

O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Psalm 90:14

Aging doesn't bother me!

Today is my 66th birthday and I am not phased at getting older. I do not get depressed about aging, but I do sense a certain urgency to live better and to make sure that I do not waste something that is irreplaceable and of great value - time!

It's sometimes tradition on birthdays to evaluate your life.... What have I achieved in nearly seven decades of living? What do I want to achieve? Where is my life heading? What things are key in my life in regards to importance and eternity? What changes can I make to live better and cherish that which I do hold dear? Quite a lot to think on really.

As I sit and reflect, I know that I have to make some changes in my life as regards growing closer to the LORD, and memorising scripture better. I have to seriously build myself up physically as well whilst trimming a lot of excess avoir du pois off my truly small frame.

I realise that I can only make changes by repenting of a lot of negative thinking and attitudes that have gathered like moss on a stone. And by clinging to the LORD, for I know that without Him as the foundation, I can achieve nothing of eternal value.

One thing to reflect on is one that makes me content. I am basically living a good Christian life. I found that out when I was misdiagnosed with a terminal dementia like disease 11 years ago. You have got to believe me when I say that a person who believes they are dying questions what is important in their life and tries to make amends where it is lacking! I didn't have to change anything! I believe our sanctification is ongoing...I am far from perfect and there are some weeds in my garden that need to be pulled. I have far to go in some things..

Yes, today is a day for reflection as well as thanks for the great gift of life! And I can rejoice, because aging doesn't bother me! Not having enough breath to blow out all my candles? Yes, I think that bothers me more! ~smile

So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom. Psalm 90:12