Day 26

Improvements:

      Sleep- Jacobs sleep has improved a lot! For years he hasn't been able to sleep well at night, but the past week he wakes up feeling rested and energized.

    Pain- While there is still stomach discomfort, (somewhat of a volatile feeling in his gut) the pain has pretty much disappeared. The last flair-up was eight days ago, when unknowingly, he strayed from the diet and ate a little guar gum in canned coconut milk. Thankfully, the pain wasn't too bad and he was able to resume shopping after it ended.

   Weight- It seems as though his weight loss has leveled out in the last couple days. He's been consistently around 172 pounds which is 33 pounds less than his "normal" weight a year ago.

   Mental Clarity-  There are still days where it's hard to focus and life seems a little hazy. However, the mental clarity he is experiencing is a marked improvement over two weeks ago.

   Energy- Most days after work Jacob would walk in the door and I could tell it was taking every ounce of energy to stay standing. Now, often times, he bounds up the steps to our apartment and just looks so much happier and energetic. He does have the days and moments when he is utterly exhausted and turning the wheel of our car is enough to make him want to pass out... literally... but those days and moments are less and less.

   Physical appearance- Even though he is thin, he doesn't look like he's a concentration camp survivor anymore. He is pale but again... I think his color has improved

 He went to a well known Osteopathic Physician last Tuesday. There were some concerning things he spoke to Jacob about, mostly having to do with his low blood supply. We will find out the results of the blood test soon and that will tell us if his blood count has improved since last month. I'm praying it has. The most concerning thing he said was that if Jake lost a pint of blood in a bad flare up, he could die. This is assuming that his blood count is still around 7 or 8. Even more reason to take this diet seriously without straying because the couple times Jake has made an exception there has either been a flare up or his energy level drops severely.

  We're still believing that at any moment God can heal him. We also know that God doesn't always operate that way and there is much to be learned and embraced in the process of healing. I know some people believe that God only wants to heal through instantaneous miracles... I used to be one of them... but I now wonder if what I've considered for so long to be perfection and health isn't always Gods idea of perfection and health. I think it's all about knowing Him regardless of my circumstances, whether our situation is great or couldn't get worse. It's also seeing His heart and hearing his voice for each moment I live. Jesus didn't come to save me from all my troubles. He came to make a way for me to the Father so I could experience true, eternal life.  I'm not saying I don't believe God wants to heal Jake, but I do know that he doesn't heal many people until they reach heaven. How many times have I seen someone prayed for but they are never miraculously healed? Is it because they are doing something wrong and just don't have enough faith? Or, could it be that He wants to teach us something bigger and better in the process of being healed or in the midst of sickness? Something that would be hard to teach us through automatically giving us what we want.  Maybe He wanted/wants to show Jake and I the importance of eating well and taking care of our bodies? If Jacob had been healed instantaneously a month ago, I doubt we would be changing our lifestyle the way we are.  Fun stuff to think about. I don't have it all figured out but I'm OK with mystery and there is certainly a lot of mystery with God.