Prayer Request

Dear Christian friends:

As a fellow Christian I ask the favor of you to mention me in your prayers, mainly for a fast recovery from a near fatal health setback.

It began last week of September with what I though to just be my first experience with kidney stones at age 60 causing some bleeding.

It has also affected my liver, heart, lungs, stomach, and skin mainly on my back. It might have been caused by insect bites, or a bad reaction to the bottled water I started buying when Norman’s drinking water began to stink and taste bad again – for which my PUR water filter failed to correct. My kidneys and liver failed to remove whatever got into me. I’m guessing it was in sweat released through my pours, then acting like a chemical burn on my skin and causing a painful rash, destroying about a third of the surface skin on my back like a second or third degree sunburn. At its worst, included brief attacks of Cyanosis – skin turning blue in some places, my heart not delivering enough oxygen in my blood to cells, with some loss of feeling. Also severe coughing and feeling like I got hit in the chest with a sludge hammer. Symptoms have fluctuated, to 90% gone as if making a full recovery, then back to 100%. I now know I can no longer drink coffee or beverages like Dr Pepper, triggering symptoms to return – especially more painful rash burn on my back – as if I’ve become allergic to caffeine. I can no longer use Excedrin because of the caffeine in it. Use of Tylenol and Benedryl is helping some. Also, drinking cranberry apple juice. Those three items work best during sleep to reduce all symptoms, which were not healing or getting worse while conscious – sitting, standing, walking. Taking a shower makes the skin worse. Using Gold Bond Medicated Body Powder helps reduce pain and redness of the rash burn. There’s been loss of appetite and food doesn’t taste right, but at least there’s been no pain from esophagus and stomach ulcers so there is that one mercy.

I’ve had something similar 4 times in the past – 1977, 1997, 2001, and 2011. Doctors refused to do any tests, and told me to keep doing what I’m already doing to reduce it. I’m not suicidal or depressed, but it has been so bad this time that I’ve prayed for God to take me now or end the suffering. Maybe more power of prayer from fellow Christians will help.

~ Jim Lantern, 19 October 2016

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