Health update - volume 2

Last Friday I visited the specialist to get the results of my CT scan.
The diagnosis was Crohns disease: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crohn%27s_disease, which is sort of what we expected. This is a bowel disorder that is chronic and causes varying degrees of functionality due to unexpected 'flare ups' and discomfort possibly for the rest of my life.

One option is surgery to remove the affected part of my small intestine (about 15 inches). The other option is to wait it out, as the doctor said "You could go on living normally for 5 years before another flare up". I will be meeting with a surgeon in the near future to discuss options. We have really valued the input of others who have similar conditions. The doctor also said that I am pretty much back to full strength and am not scheduled to see him again for 6 months.

So we're really thankful for all your prayers and support during this time! I've never been in a situation where there's uncertainty about my health and all of you have made us feel well cared for over the past few months. Not sure what the future holds but it is difficult at times to slow down and face hard realities when we're so excited about what God is doing.

This is the contradiction of life I guess. Strong when we are weak. As Rich Mullins put it:

We are frail, we are fearfully and wonderfully made
Forged in the fires of human passion
Choking on the fumes of selfish rage
With these our hells and our heavens so few inches apart
We must be awfully small and not as strong as we think we are

Thanks again for your prayers,
Shawn

Health update - volume 1

Good morning everyone. I know I've stated before that this blog will be winding down so it may seem strange to start a new feature! But I figured this is the best way to keep many of you updated on some health concerns I've had recently. We've really appreciated all the prayers, cards, baskets etc. that have flowed in from so many of you. It makes me feel cared for at a time of uncertainty so thank you very much. I haven't been very public about this illness because I'm a typical male and would just rather brush it off and move on, but I felt today was a good time to make a bit of an announcement.

So for those who don't know what I'm talking about - here goes!:

Back in August I was hospitalized for a week for what is called an "Upper GI" bleed. This means part of my intestine began bleeding unexpectedly, so much so that I lost significant amounts of blood. Since being released from the hospital I have undergone a number of tests trying to figure out what is wrong. Thankfully the bleeding has not returned, but it has taken longer than I'd like to recover from the hemoglobin blood loss. One possible diagnosis is Crohns disease and another requires surgery for removal of the Ileum.

So today I'm blogging because I go for a CT scan this afternoon and thought it was an appropriate time to mention this more publicly for prayer. Please pray as I go for the scan today and in the weeks ahead when results will be compiled and decisions will be made.

Thank you for standing with us and for so many who have already been helping Hayley while I'm out of commission. More updates in the near future!