Quote from Forum Archives on November 13, 2003, 1:18 am

Posted by: erinanne <erinanne@...>

I have a different perspective. I was very, very sick for many years,
beginning in earnest when I was 21 and gradually - and occasionally
suddenly - worsening over the next 15 years until I could hardly
breathe, coughed constantly (not a little hech hem kind of cough, I
mean gut-busting, head-splitting, brain-blowing coughing episodes), was
so exhausted I often slept sitting up on the couch (easier to breathe
than lying down) downstairs because climbing the stairs was tiring and
sometimes dangerous, I developed unexplained muscle twitches which
sometimes caused me injury or caused damage, I gained massive amounts
of weight and even more water retention... and so on and so on. The
doctors tried everything, and couldn't get me to stop coughing and
twitching...

Some of their remedies were so awful I couldn't persist with them,
which annoyed them, unfortunately, which isn't what you want when you
really want them on your side.

I used to be a lifeguard and outdoorswoman, worked in Christian
camping, studied recreation management at UVic(toria),and was very
active. To be reduced to folding laundry & chopping carrots sitting
down as my contribution to family life, needing a disabled parking tag,
and discovering that cross-stitch has merits when there is nothing left
one can do was pretty tough.

I have faced the likelihood that my son would be raised without his
mother, and I was going to have to trust my husband to love him and
manage the job alone. There were times I wasn't sure I had the
strength to keep going, even with the motivation of motherhood.
There's a lot loaded in there about challenges of faith, and hope for
eternity, etc. too that I won't go into now except to say that faith
kept me going and hope kept me from despair.

Then I was given another chance to stick around and raise our son. A
new doctor puzzled over me for about a year, and finally decided to try
the most simple approach: he tested me for food allergies, with the
caveat about how poor the medical doctor's methods of testing were, and
how infrequently they pick up on allergies. Turns out I was severely
allergic to corn, and allergic to all forms of dairy and wheat and most
other grains.

Within two weeks the swelling in my hands had gone down phenomenally
such that rings I couldn't get past my first knuckle simply slipped
back on, and in the 2-1/2 years since then I've been winding back the
clock from being like an 80+ year old (my dad is 85 and I was about as
weak as he is now), and am rejoicing in having another chance at life.

I am 38, and am finally getting to live life again, after missing out
on most of my 20s and half my 30s. Music has been a huge part of that
renewal, and serving God is a part of that.

I will be very glad to be able to say "I am 40." and hopefully also
50, and 60 and ... who knows? God's little secret!

There are two songs that became very meaningful to me in that time, and
will always touch my heart. One is Second Chapter of Acts, "He has
Formed Me" from the Hymns album, and the other is "Whenever I See" from
Hillsongs. Take a look at the lyrics in the context of facing the end
of human physical life if you ever want a challenge for your soul.

So, for all of you on list who are already 40, or 50, or 60, or 70? any
70 year old bass players in our group? praise God for giving you this
much time. For those of us who haven't made it there yet then let's
look forward to each day and hope we get to be there too, always
knowing that God has his own timing in mind, and in fact there is much
to look forward to after physical death.

That's my testimony. I hope you don't mind me sharing it.

Happy birthday this year, everyone!

🙂

e/