Friday, October 24, 2008

Homestead Update

I figured I would give an update while I could. I'm feeling alot better now than I was earlier on in the week. So good news, I even have pictures.

If you look closely you can see the orchard that we have just planted. It consist of two pear trees, a fig tree, apple tree, almond tree and a banana tree. The first time that I bought trees I bought them young trying to save money. If you decide to plant an orchard, DO NOT do this. These trees are older and will start fruiting next year. You'll spend a lot more money but you'll also have fruit. The trees that I bought TWO YEARS ago still have another TWO TO THREE YEARS before we can expect fruit. The last addition I hope to get planted this year is an olive tree. But we'll see, their pretty expensive.

You can barely make out the grape arbor on the left. We hope to make wine from the grapes and the pears, Lord willing that He gives us the increase.






This is a picture of our Muscovy ducks that we had gotten when I was in for my last stem cell a month ago. She actually has five more ducklings that were inside the pen. I started off with the Peking duck but later learned that the Muscovy is a better duck for eating. Plus easier for breeding given that the Pekings need water for that. And since we do not have a pond as of yet, Muscovy's are more accommodating.

This is the chicken coop that I had started during last stem cell also. As you can see its mostly complete now just needs some final touches. That the next boxes in front, makes it a lot easier collecting eggs that way. Were up to about a dozen a day now, theirs nothing like range fed eggs.



This is a picture of our make shift corn crib. We'll build a more permanent one for next year, but for this year it was sufficient. Now anyone that knows know that we only live on an acre and a half. So you may be wondering how it is that we have full ears of corn. Here is my advise to you. Their are plenty of corporate farmers around all of us. Get it while it's good, we go out and pick up the fields behind the farmer, free food for you livestock, or in my case, poultry. You can't beat it. Now we took him some fresh eggs to be nice, and he loved it and told us their would be more next year. Now if you have children, that free labor, you could really clean the fields up and hardly have to buy any feed.


Now if you look closely, on the right hand side of the picture you can see thanksgiving dinner. The other ones will be dinner at a later date but Lord willing we'll have the duck for thanksgiving. Hopefully were going to have a little butcher party get together. Theirs about five chickens plus the duck that needs to be butchered.

This is just an overall picture of how things are located. You can now see the grape arbor and the coop all the way in the left rear of the picture. Now once again you can see on the right of the picture what appears to be sticks sticking up, that the orchard. And our garden is directly behind it. Lord willing He will give me my health for this spring and summer so we can have an increase at His discretion. To the left and behind is our house, that we pray to fill with believers, that are truly searching to live according to ways of the Lord.
Were going to get ready for the sabbath so I guess that's all for now, that and I'm out of pictures. So until the Lord allows that I post again, Adios.



JMHJ


Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Radiation

I wanted to post earlier on the new events going on around the homestead, but the pain has prevented me from doing so. Lord willing I'll be straightened out in the next day or so and will be able to get that part updated.

Well I had a PET/CT scan done last Thursday to see the results of these last two stem cell transplants. It appears that I now have metastasis in my liver area, chest and back area. Sound good to you, yeah, I didn't think so either.

So now they want to do radiation. To which I was to be doing today, but I had to get admitted to the hospital last night due to pain, so that got rescheduled for next Tuesday. And I guess while their talking to me about the radiation, they'll talk to me about clinical trials. So we'll see how things progress but I'm checking into intravenous vitamin c and voting for that. Talk soon,



JMHJ

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

New Doctor at UMMC

Well I had another appointment at the UMMC only this time with a specialist for my particular cancer. He has been following my situation but this is the first time I had actually met him. His suggestion was to do a PET scan to see if their are any tumors left. And if their are, he suggested that I go to Sloan Kettering in Manhattan to have them surgically removed. That is of course if the surgeons in Baltimore do not feel comfortable removing them. So right now the plan of course is to go to the UMMC on Thursday and have the PET scan done. And pray between now and then that their is no tumors but only according to the Lord's will.

I did ask him what his professional opinion was that this is the first time that the numbers had gone down by themselves without chemo. His answer to me was, he crossed his fingers and said,"let's hope." All I could do is laugh.

Is this what the world calls wisdom? Because I have to tell you, for all of you who actually depend on these doctors and think that they make a difference, my deepest sympathy goes out to you, and I pray if the Lord wills He gives you increase in your vision and hearing.

One of the major learning lessons that I have learned in this travail is that the unrighteousness of man abounds the righteousness of God and how truly perfect He is.



JMHJ

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Are you as confused as I am?

I went to the cancer center today to have my blood checked. The numbers on my blood are looking good. White blood cells are normal at 4.2, hemoglobin, hemocretin and red blood cells are all a little low but look good considering what i have been through. Platelets are at 114 which is great since it was around 50 last week. So all in all as far as the blood goes, it is slowly starting to recover on it's own.

Now on to the confusing part. If you remember, after the first stem cell treatment, I felt great. My marker numbers came down to 7 and I had felt the best I felt in two years. But after 3 weeks when I went in to receive my second stem cell treatment, my bHCG had jumped up to 550 and the AFP was around 60.

Now when I received my first marker after my second stem cell treatment (stay with me, kind of confusing) the bHCG was 141 and the AFP was at a lower number but can't remember what. Now the bHCG is at 31, a little high and the AFP is at 5.3, normal. That's the good part. The bad part is that I'm in very uncomfortable pain and I have no idea why. I pray it's my body recovering, but at this point, who knows.

I have an appointment on Monday to see a doctor at UMMC just as a kind of preliminary in case I need to take a next step. Which I pray not, until next time,



JMHJ

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Revision on progress

I believe I'll start this post a little different than the other post that I have written. As I sit here contemplating the In's and outs of this world, it has come to my attention that this cancer that is sustained in my flesh is like a papist and his false doctrine. I tried in the beginning to use the natural and harmless means to eradicate him. But in the end, he chained and beat me and continued to spread his false doctrine to the other cells and corrupt them.

So, I address him a couple more times, each time getting a little stronger each time with poison (or the true gospel) pleading with him for his withdraw in a peaceful manner. In the end to no avail but that he threw me on the rack stretched and beat me, then chained me to a post to be a spectacle to the world to repent of my confession then released me.

Now in the end, he has come back, once again, to a mirage of lies and false gospels, deceiving all the other cells with his idol worship, pagan holidays (Easter, Christmas, Halloween, birthdays etc.) and convinced the other cells if they pick the right political leaders all will be well, as he distorts, corrupts, and mutilates the other cells from their natural use to a use that is abominable. Then concludes by tying me up at the stake and threatening to burn me if I don't recant.

Praise the Lord that the joke is on him. He may have power over the flesh but not the soul, and to be absent in the flesh is to present with the Lord.

But on to the numbers at hand. My bhcg has gone back up to 141, which as you may or may not know, normal is 4. Afp is 16, normal 4. White blood cells have dropped to 1.3 normal being 4.0-10.

As much as I pray for the Lord to remove this thorn, I pray more for His will, for His wisdom is perfect. His knowledge absolute, eternal to eternal, everlasting! I praise my Lord and Savior, not that I am good, but that He is. Heaven is for those that have been chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, sanctified by the Spirit, and find discipline and obedience in the commandments of God. Til then,


JMHJ