Delphine and Bryan Coupland ~ Our Family Journey: Chemo #3

Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Chemo #3

Dear Ones,

An interesting thought occurred to us recently and it was so encouraging. Throughout the Bible we read promises from the Lord that He loves His children deeply and He is with them at all times…especially during times of crisis and testing. He is the Great Shepherd and He constantly holds His sheep close to His heart when they are hurting. But it is a “faith hug” since He is not standing next to us in a literal, physical body…He is there “in Spirit” and He wants us to believe His promises. And so I believe He also touches the hearts of other members of the body of Christ to give us literal hugs, words of love and encouragement, and their prayers. The bottom line is that the Lord Jesus is reaching out to us in love, using the rest of His spiritual body…other Christians. Del and I greatly appreciate your hugs, your prayers, and your words of encouragement.

Del had her third chemo treatment last Friday and now she has a week off treatment. The oncologist’s plan is for Del to have three treatments, then a week off, then three more weekly treatments, a week off, and then three more weekly treatments. At that time she will have another CT scan to see how effective the chemo has been. So far Del has reacted pretty much the same after each chemo. Saturday and Sunday she feels pretty good; Monday and Tuesday she feels blah (we call it a malaise); Wednesday she begins to pick up a little; and then Thursday she is ready for the chemo again on Friday. Her worst side effect (besides losing all her hair) is what’s called “neuropathy” and there is no real treatment for it. Her hands and feet feel numb and cold most of the time. The cause seems to be that the chemo goes out in the blood vessels to the extremities (hands and feet) and actually destroys the myelin sheath that covers the nerves there. I have neuropathy in my feet from two rounds of chemo (2008 and 2014), but my hands are fine. At this very moment, we are sitting at the dining room table and my dear Del is wearing gloves on her hands even though it’s 74 degrees in the room. Our two main prayer requests are regarding her neuropathy and that she would have an appetite to eat—oh yes, and that the chemo would be effective against the cancer, if that’s what the Lord Jesus wants.

Well, that’s our update as of Valentines Day. Del won’t have any chemo this week, but will have to have a series of blood tests done. We are so grateful for your encouraging thoughts and prayers. What a privilege to be a member of the body of Christ!

Lovingly,

Bryan, for Del too

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Dear Friends

News update from the Couplands…

It seems like when we go through a serious trial in our lives, the Lord will often give us a verse or verses of Scripture that we can hold onto as our source of strength and hope. Early on, the Lord gave Del and I verses from 2 Chronicles 20 which were so comforting.

~Verse 12 – “For we are powerless before this great multitude who are coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”

~Verse 15 – “Do not fear or be dismayed because of this great multitude, FOR THE BATTLE IS NOT YOURS BUT GOD’S.”

~Verse 17 – “You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf…”

Our dear wife, mother, grandmother, and now great grandmother, Del, has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of uterine cancer. By the time it was accurately diagnosed, it was already stage IV. Del was not in the best physical condition when she had her first chemo on Nov. 9, and the chemo just dragged her down further. Our oncologist, who also treated my lymphoma 2 years ago, admitted her to Allegiance Hospital in Jackson, MI where for four days, she tried to build up Del’s condition with blood transfusions, and numerous IV’s. Since the cancer was beyond the point of being treated effectively, and Del could no longer tolerate the chemo, the only solution was ‘hospice care.’ This was an excruciating choice for the family, but it was beyond human control, and we wanted Del to be comfortable at all cost. As an aside, Del won the hearts of so many of the nurses and aides, and had different opportunities to talk to the medical staff about Jesus. Her oncologist was a dear lady and a believer, and the two of them really bonded.

We had the choice of Del going to Allegiance Hospice House or going home to our apartment and having Home Hospice Care, where they equip your residence with all the equipment you need including a hospital bed. Then a nurse is assigned to you along with a nurse’s aide; the nurse comes by two times a week to check on her condition, adjust her meds, and help with the medical decisions. The aide bathes the patient and meets the other physical needs. And the family loves on Del, provides the meals, and encouragement. I don’t know what we would do without our three kids and their spouses. We have formed a team and the Lord is leading us as our Head. We would appreciate your prayer that God would have His desired outcome and that He would be glorified in all things.

Thank you.