Part III

DeAnn Arnold Photography

Romans 5:8 (NIV) "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Following the surgery, there were still more issues to be resolved. Some issues resulted from the absence of adrenal glands.  Doctors had to find the correct dosage of the replacement hormone that adrenal glands normally produce- our bodies use adrenaline in times of stress and illness. During the process of finding the appropriate amount of prednisone that agreed with his body, Gaston developed osteopenia (pre-osteoporosis) in his hips and spine.  He began taking daily bone-building drugs to increase bone density which is monitored through annual bone density scans.  He's been in a normal range for the past two years.  We also visit the emergency room routinely for IV meds when Gaston gets any type of virus that keeps him from holding down his replacement hormone meds. Without adrenaline to help his body cope with the stress, he will go into shock and the situation becomes serious.  So, the next step was the purchase of a medic alert tag stating 'adrenaline deficient' in the event Gaston was in an emergency rendering him unconscious or unable to communicate with paramedics or medical personnel.

Another hurdle during the the first few years after the surgery was frequent visits to the ER for bowel obstructions. The surgery left scarring through his intestines which occasionally made it hard for food to pass through normally. The food would literally get blocked, causing alot of pain, nausea and vomiting. After several years though, the body slowly adjusted and this problem ceased.  Taking pancreatic enzymes before any meal or snack also helps him to digest his food.  The part of his pancreas that secretes this enzyme was also surgically removed. Aren't we blessed to have the medical research and drugs available now? Gaston would have no quality of life if it weren't for these being made available to us.

During this part of our journey, our relationship with our Lord Jesus continued to grow by leaps and bounds! I teach aerobics at a local hospital wellness center where the ladies are the sweetest most loving group I've ever been around. One of them suggested a weekly Bible study after class. Without hesitation, I agreed.  This was where I found out what an adventure it is to study God's word! The deeper I dug into His word, the hungrier I got to learn more. Gaston and I both couldn't wait to wake up each morning to read our Bibles before starting the day. Gaston began attending a mens'  morning Bible study weekly, so we both were finding something to replace that empty place in our hearts that had longed to be filled. We began to lose interest in our old way of living life and we wanted to live this new life that we had discovered in Christ Jesus.  We wanted to spend time with our church friends.  As it says in Romans 12:2,  we no longer wanted to "conform to the ways of the patterns of this world" but "to be transformed by the renewing" of our minds so that we would "be able to test and approve what God's will is, His good pleasing and perfect will."