Conservation of Energy

My new phrase: conserve energy.  

Yesterday we met with the Palliative Medicine folks at Kaiser Bellflower.  They gave us a lot of attention, heard my story, offered resources, invited us to call or message them with any further queries, and got me a wheelchair.  Conserve your energy, the doctor said. Don't walk if you don't have to.   

Palliative care is not the same as hospice, which is for the patients who are not expected to live much longer. Because my goal remains to get a lung transplant, palliative care provides more holistic care to ensure my well-being along the way.  I am grateful that Kaiser has a palliative care department. 

There are no drastic changes in my condition.  I can sense a slight deterioration of my lung condition, though the Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor is helping me sleep better.  I will be investigating another gut issue, whether I have small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). We opted to go for the test before going through a round of antibiotics, since the TCM thinks he might be able to resolve the problem.  

Thanks for all for being in prayer with me.  As I conclude The Lord of the Rings, I'm reminded that for every hero who finishes the journey, there are countless others who are still on the journey, or who maybe never finish.  We are heroes or saints because we have taken up the race, and we run with Jesus.  We have been baptized into the story of God's acts of salvation down through the ages.  We are part of the saga of the saints of God.