MINISTERS MATTER

Proud owner of a Honda VTX 1800

Once I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, I knew that my time riding a sport/touring bike was over. It would be time to go back to a cruiser model. Lower seating and easy access to the handle bars and foot controls. I knew what I was looking for and started looking on Kijiji.

Here is what I found and will be bringing it home this week after it is certified.

The original owner is a man my age who took great care of this machine.

I am defined by Christ not cancer!

Joyce and I met with my Urologist, Dr. Andrew Girvan to have my catheter removed today ( ouch ) and to review the results of the pathology on the tissue taken out during surgery.

What you learn through this process is the fact that with all the tests - MRI, Bone Scan, CT etc., medicine is still not an exact science. Even what Girvan saw, with my prostate in his hands during surgery, gave him no cause for alarm but that is not enough. The human eye cannot see microscopic cells, so follow up tests are needed. This is the normal protocol for all prostate patients.

There are things the doctors don’t know and won’t know until later on in this journey - I am glad Girvan is cautious, conservative and a team player. He and Dr. Malone of the Cancer Clinic will guide us through this next phase.

Questions we have now include: Is all the cancer gone? Do I need radiation? Is there still some cancer in my body and if yes, where? What treatments will I be having? Wonderful questions which you leave in God’s hands as we continue to trust Him for our daily 'bread' every step of the way.

In mid-May I go for blood work. They will be looking at the PSA levels in my body to determine if there are cancer cells present or if the  operation has successfully treated my prostate cancer and I am cancer free. This would be a good prayer request that I be cancer free.

In early June we meet with Dr. Malone at the Cancer Clinic for a follow-up on the blood work and a confirmation of what is needed next.

What do we plan to do in the meantime? Good question. We are going to live normally, enjoy life together and serve the purposes of God in and through our lives. I am not defined by cancer but rather by who I am in Christ.

On a funny note, Girvan removed the catheter and then proceeded to put a diaper on me for the journey back home. He said my bladder needed time to recover from the two weeks with the catheter and I might leak. Hmmm. I haven’t worn a diaper for 63 years so needless to say it was an interesting experience. I was waiting for the baby powder treatment but it didn’t come. Oh well!

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Prostate surgery prayer points for Saturday, April 16th.

Well, I have had surgery, been in the ICU since yesterday, and am waking up to the reality that my prostate has been removed successfully and my body is beginning to heal itself.

All the organ material that has been removed must now go for biopsies to evaluate the exact stage of cancer and how far reaching it might have been in my body.

I will get the biopsy information back in about 3 weeks time when I visit Dr. Girvan and have my catheter removed. This allows time for healing to take place in the pelvic floor area of my body.

To ensure a prolonged life, the doctor did a radical prostatectomy and will follow this up in about six weeks time with eight weeks of daily radiation and three years hormone therapy pills and injections.

Please pray for a healthy recovery with no complications and no reaccurance of cancer.

Joyce has been a trooper. Thank you for praying for her and for my entire family at this time.

Colossians 4:2 says, "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."

 

Prostate surgery prayer points for Friday, April 15th.

Please pray for the entire medical team that I am placing my life into today for this four hour procedure.

Please pray for my family members as they wait for the operation to be completed. Pray for quiet confidence and patience. No fear or worry.

From the moment I walk into the hospital until I am discharged, I need prayer for safety, no complications, no adverse reactions or nausea and complete success removing all cancer from my body.

Please pray for the surgical nurses, anaesthesiologist, the surgeon Dr. Andrew Girvan, the ICU team and the recovery room nurses.

I will be hooked up to a epidural catheter for pain control, several IV lines, a urinary catheter, oxygen, an abdominal drain and a large abdominal dressing.

I will end up in the Surgical Constant Care Unit for 24 hours after surgery so if you think of me please say a prayer for me. Thank you as I stay joy-filled because it is good medicine and I need all the good medicine I can get at this time.

Joyce will keep everyone up-to-date via Facebook and Twitter as will Kim and Jason. Thank you for being so kind to pray for us at this time. We are so grateful to God for each of you.

Some great prayer points from Philippians 4...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Prostate surgery prayer points for Thursday, April 14th.

Please pray for strength as today has a two-fold request 1) the hospital confirms the time on Friday for surgery and 2) I have a successful clear fluid day.

I don't want any man made delays - God ordained ones are fine. If that is the case, then I would need discernment to know the next step.

The bowels need to be prepared for surgery so I need to take a laxative. This should be a moving experience.

Here are the times I will be taking medications.

8am I take my first Pico Salyx tablet with lots of fluids.

1pm I might need a gravol if I am nauseated.

2pm is my second Pico Salyx.

This is followed by plenty of clear liquids except red or purple colouring while building up calories, electrolytes and hydration.

I must avoid all milk products, cream soups, tomato or orange juice, oatmeal, solid foods, pulp juices.

I can have clear juice, decaffinated coffee or tea, broth, soda water but only until midnight.

Nothing, absolutely nothing after midnight. I will need His strength for sure today.

Some great prayer points from Philippians 4...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Prostate surgery prayer points for Wednesday, April 13th.

Please pray for focus of spirit as I keep my eyes on Jesus as Healer and Shepherd of my life.

I want my spirit to be at rest as I go on a low residue diet until midnight. You might ask, what is a LRD?

No spicy foods, no high fat or high fibre foods. No raw fruits or vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds or popcorn.

I am allowed to have white toast, cornflakes, soup, meat, bananas, crackers, steamed vegetables, yogurt but must avoid any gas forming foods like broccoli, turnips, and cauliflower. No problem there!

I need to drink at least 8 glasses of water today but avoid all caffeine drinks which can cause bowel spasms. No Tims, no Starbucks, no Second Cup :-(

Please pray for Joyce and I to stay focused on the Spirit of God and the critical need for this cancer surgery and the healing power of Jesus throughout the entire surgery, recovery and treatments.

Some great prayer points from Philippians 4...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Prostate surgery prayer points for Tuesday, April 12th.

Please pray for quietness of heart as my emotions adjust to the joy of having cancer removed from my body but the sadness of knowing how radical the surgery will be for me and my family.

Joyce and I will spend today enjoying our last day of normal routines. We will have a last supper meal together with our evening being spent preparing the pre-op diets for Wednesday and Thursday.

Please pray for His peace as the day draws near.

Some great prayer points from Philippians 4...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Prostate surgery prayer points for Monday, April 11th.

Please pray for clarity of mind as I plan out the final preparations for my last week with a cancerous prostate in my body. I have alot to do and want to make sure I am not tired going into the operation.

We have been given both good news and challenging news.

The good news is with surgery, radiation and hormone therapy, my life is prolonged so that Joyce still has a husband, Kim and Jason, a father, Steph & Lori, a father-in-law and my seven grandchildren, their grandpa.

I also get to enjoy serving at Lifecentre, on the Mission O Servant Leadership Team and Global Missions.

The challenging news is I won't have a prostate and this surgery will radically alter our lives.

Please pray for His sustaining grace upon us for the next 1000 days as I complete the entire protocol.

Some great prayer points from Philippians 4...

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

I'm becoming a stocking stuffer.

Some of you have been wondering what TED stockings are since I mentioned them in my last blog?

Well, medically they are called 'thrombo-embolism deterrent' stockings and are graduated compression stockings that come in a variety of lengths and sizes. I was measured for a custom pair on Wednesday and asked for black with a white band at the top :-)

According to my current weight I am 6' 4" so these custom stockings should fit nicely. I'm wondering if they will have to shave my legs? Hairy legs in stockings - now thats not a pretty sight. 

H. H. Munro once said,"His socks compelled one's attention without losing one's respect." Don't want my surgeon to lose respect for me when he sees my TED's sticking out under my hospital gown. Sigh!

The 'Prostate' Pastoral Updates

Some of my friends around the world are not on facebook so here is an update of things I posted over the last while.

I am going for major surgery on Friday, April 15th., to remove my cancerous prostate and surrounding tissue. It is called a radical prostatectomy.

The prostate is a male reproductive gland about the size of a walnut, which completely surrounds the urethra at the neck of the bladder. The urethra is the tube that empties the bladder of urine, passing through the prostate and the penis. A challenging task for Dr. Girvan. Please pray for him.

April 7th.
Countdown has begun towards April 15th. A few things. Daily Kegel exercises. Don't laugh. Low residue diet called mush leading to clear fluids then starvation. Pico Salyx day - the medical equivalent of the Roto Rooter man. No caffeine. Wear TED stockings, hmmm. April 14th do not eat, chew gum or drink water. Hey, I can only do one thing at a time anyway. Stay away from sick people. Huh? I is sick people!

April 6th.
Afternoon at the QCHospital for pre-op testing and interviews with nurses and doctors. Goodbye personal privacy. This is really major surgery - yikes. Will write later on all the things I will face after surgery - double yikes. Might be censored. Love sharing my faith with doctors and fellow patients. Great opportunities as people face the reality of their mortality. Glad to be walking with Jesus at a time like this. Praise Him!

Today I walked into the Cancer Clinic for the first time - a strange feeling indeed. Two exams later and the protocols being suggested after surgery - radiation and hormone therapy. Both high powered treatments. The OGHospital is among the first clinics to use multiple protocols to treat aggressive prostate cancer. As we were leaving, a nurse called to us, "Our church is praying for you." Humbled by those of you who are praying. Thank you!

Never did I think I would be one of those 1 in 6 Canadian men with prostate cancer. Wow! Meeting tomorrow with the radiation oncologist at the Cancer Center and then off to the QCHospital for an afternoon of pre-op tests. Would appreciate your prayers. Thanks.

Gotta get a Vespa or Fiat! Major toys for sale.

Sounding more like Jason B and Tony P.

April 2nd.
My 2007 Mustang GT CS Black on black five-speed convertible is ready for spring and summer. With surgery and radiation starting this month, it will go up for sale soon. If you are interested or know someone looking for a Stang, let me know.

Enjoyed riding my 2010 Triumph Sprint ST today around the streets of the Capital. With surgery and radiation starting this month, it will go up for sale soon.

If you are interested or know someone looking for a Triumph, let me know.

bboucher@lifecentre.org

March 28th.
I love that scripture sheds amazing light on all the books written about healing. Real health comes from the whole counsel of God which finds rest in Him alone. "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 ESV

March 27th.
Healing is one of those subjects that confound all of us. From the look on the faces of children and their families suffering in hospitals, to the young given months to live, or, our elderly who have lived loving and productive lives but now are just waiting to die. The Bible has precious promises that encourage us to believe that His healing can come through both skilled medical practices and divine miracles.

For all of you who have prayed, are praying and will continue to pray THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! While we have a good report, we don't have a great report. I will need radical surgery to remove the prostate and everything connected to it. Followed by radiation for eight weeks. Then hormone therapy for up to three years. I am scheduled for surgery on April 15th. Miracle requested before then. Thanks.

March 24th.
I am absolutely blown away by the outpouring of love, prayer and get well e-mail and cards. Thank you, thank you, thank you. It means so much to Joyce and I at this time of our lives. To my UK biker buddies, I look forward to riding with all of you again once I am recovered.

Friends make all the difference when you are going through challenging times. I want to thank Pastor Dan MacKinnon who drove to the NHoP with me this morning and Pastor Brian Wilkie who met us at the breakfast. These are two of 5 pastors who meet each Thursday morning in Orleans to share, eat together and pray. They are comforting stretcher bearers.