WIld Dunes June 2015

Senator Graham’s attacks on Trump embarrass state, nation

GREENVILLE NEWS
December 23, 2015
Letter to Editor

Senator Graham’s attacks on Trump embarrass state, nation

Sen. Lindsey Graham recently went on CNN and, in my opinion, he publicly made some very offensive statements that literally should be an embarrassment to the people of our great state and our nation.

He stated that if we want to make America great again, “tell Donald Trump to go to hell.” Graham then called Trump “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.”

It is reprehensible that any politician who represents our country would ever tell anyone to “go to hell,” much less go on national television and do so. His comments were made due to Trump’s call for the U.S. to temporarily stop all Muslims from entering our country until we figure out what is going on.

Whether you do or do not agree with Donald Trump, he currently has more than 30 percent of the GOP’s support. Furthermore, a Gallup poll in November stated Sen. Graham and his colleagues in the Senate and House have a dismal 11 percent approval rating.

In September, the polling firm Public Policy Polling stated that only 15 percent of Republican primary voters in South Carolina thought Sen. Graham should have continued with his GOP campaign. And what does he do?

He doesn’t get it, because he is just another career politician who disregards what the American people think and want, and will do and say whatever he and his cronies personally desire.

Bruce Chambers

Simpsonville

http://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/opinion/readers/2015/12/23/letter-grahams-attacks-trump-embarrass-state-nation/77754490/

Greenville News Letter to Editor Oct 12 2015: Politicians should forget labels, focus on jobs

Greenville News Oct. 12 2015

Mega kudos to The Greenville News editorial for stating again how politics is standing in the way of jobs staying in the United States by politicians not supporting the approval of the Ex-Im Bank. In July, 64 senators voted for an amendment to reopen the bank, but conservative Republicans who control key leadership positions continue to prevent a vote in the House of Representatives.

The Export-Import Bank requires that most of the production and jobs for deals it finances be located in the United States. General Electric’s CEO has been telling Congress that failure to reauthorize the export financing agency would force the company to move over 500 jobs overseas, due to losing contracts for turbines, power projects and other industrial equipment.

We are all so sick of narcissistic, self-serving politicians making decisions in the name of labeling their ideologies as Tea Party, liberal, conservative, progressive, moderate, Democratic, Republican, etc., and now Socialist. We are Americans, and politicians do not understand that many people are suffering because they need jobs to pay their bills and stay off government assistance, which as we know is paid for by the taxpayers.

The Economic Policy Institute stated that in 2014 over 48 million people in the United States, as measured by the Supplemental Poverty Measure, were in poverty. That number would be even higher if not for the safety net of government programs.

“Stop Politics and Create Jobs” should be the new slogan of all politicians.

Bruce Chambers

Simpsonville

BEACH TRIP AUGUST 2009

 

 

 

 

WOMEN'S WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS - FIFA PAID TEAM $33 MILLION LESS THAN MEN'S TEAM

GREENVILLE NEWS LETTER TO THE EDITOR 
BY BRUCE CHAMBERS

July 2015

The Women's World Cup was so much fun to watch this year and the American Women displayed for the world some incredible talent and beat Japan to win the World Championship, even beating Germany to get to the championship who was ranked #1 in the world. The U.S. Women's National Team won the Women's World Cup two times before, in 1991 and 1999. How many World Championships have the men won, and the answer is none, Many of the Presidential Candidates are talking about women's pay disparity and the pay to the Women World Champions is a prime example the pay disparity. As the dust settled after they won, it was so discouraging to read that the prize money to the Women's team for winning the World Championship was $2 million and last summer the World Champion German Men's Team got $35 million for winning. The NY Times stated the United States' 5-2 victory over Japan in the Women’s World Cup final on Sunday was seen by 25.4 million viewers which was the most watched US soccer game in history, even more than the viewers for the recent NBA finals between Cleveland – Golden State, and even more than last year’s World Series. It is also a disgrace and disparity that the men's team play on soft manicured grass like a putting green, but the women's teams played on artificial turf which causes really bad burns when falling. The alleged scandalous ridden International Federation of Association Football [FIFA] is the primary cause of this discriminatory policy against women. Congresswoman Maloney recently wrote to President Blatter of International Federation of Football [FIFA] and requested to stop its discriminatory policy against women. In Representative Maloney's request, she asked FIFA to follow the example of tennis where men and women are paid equally at Wimbledon, US Open, and other major tournaments. This is a prime example of where women around the world are accustomed to earning less for the same work.

Bruce Chambers

Jan 19th. 2015 Lower Epidural Steroid Injection

Went to St. Francis Downtown Monday and got an epidural injection between L1-L2 lumbar discs. Dr. Lowdermilk performed the injection and he is an Anesthesiologist and Medical Director of the Piedmont Comprehensive Pain Mgmt. Group located at St. Francis. This is the 1st of 2 injections and the next one is scheduled Feb. 2nd and then I go back to see my Neurosurgeon Dr. Bucci on Feb. 5th. to discuss future options. The aching and throbbing pain began to get better before the epidural shot. I have been taking physical therapy and doing my exercises which is having some positive effect. Since the epidural the pain has continued to improve somewhat but I still have numbness on my left shin area from my knee to my ankle and in the left shin area it feels like something is crawling on it. It is also concerning that the left thigh has atrophied over 1 inch compared to the right thigh. However, there are some horror stories out there about back surgery, and I want to avoid if at all possible. The spine is so complicated. There are thirty-one pairs of spinal nerves. These nerves are mixed, having both a sensory and motor aspect. The sensory nerves deliver information to the spinal cord from muscles and joints about the body's position. The sensory nerves transmit sensations such as touch, pressure, pain, and temperature, which are experienced on the surface of the skin. This information enters the spinal column via the posterior grey horn. It is then passed to the spinal tracts and transmitted up to the brain.The motor fibers begin on the ventral part of the spinal cord at the anterior horns of the gray matter. The roots of their sensory fibers are located on the dorsal side of the spinal cord in the posterior root ganglia. When the motor and sensory nerves exit the spinal column through the intervertebral foramina and pass through the meninges, they join together to form the spinal nerves.There are 8 pairs of spinal nerves in the uppermost cervical region of the spinal cord. There are 12 pairs in the thoracic region, 5 pairs in the lumbar area, and 5 pairs in the sacral area below the lumbar. 1 pair is in the most inferior coccygeal region. God has made a marvelous body that is so complicated but each aspect is necessary and interrelated for the body to function properly. The body could only be the product of God.So, as in everything that has happened in my life, I know that God will find a way for me through this struggle. 

Blessings and grace,

Bruce

Dr. Bucci Neurosurgeon visit January 7 2015

Due to MRI results, my Neurologist sent me to see Dr. Bucci who is a Neurosurgeon. Dr. Michael Bucci is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine. His internship and residency were completed at the University of Michigan. He is Clinical Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina.  Dr. Bucci has been practicing for over 35 years and I would guess he is in his early 60's. He started the Piedmont Spine and Neurosurgical Group in Greenville South Carolina and his office is in St. Francis Downtown Greenville. Dr. Christie Mina is his primary partner and she is highly recommended too.

My MRI revealed a large disc extrusion at L-2 and L-3. Dr. Bucci wants to try injections and PT for 4 weeks, and then meet with him again after the 4 weeks to discuss surgery if not better. It is hopeful that the injections will reduce the cartilage bulge that is pressing against the root nerve causing my pain. I was able to sleep most of the last 2 nights which thank the Lord it has made my days somewhat better. The sporadic pains of aching, throbbing, and electrical shocks keep happening but not as intensive as they were in the month of December which were almost unbearable. I am not going to the gym and exercising which may have previously exacerbated the pain making it worse, but not sure this would have caused it.

Dr. Bucci does not think that playing basketball through high school, college, and until I was 40 years old had anything to do with it. He said if I was overweight, smoked, etc. then he said that would have something to do with it. He said you are healthy, you exercise, it seems you eat healthy and do all the right things, and these things just happen. He said I see it everyday.

I do believe that it is God's plan for my life, and I will seek his purpose and use it for his glory. This disc problem may be a vehicle by which I can have a similar problem as someone else, and use that as a talking point to discuss my Lord's grace. I am amazed at his grace and how he has blessed our lives even though our family has been through some deep valleys. God continues to hold our hands and walks with us all the way. My wife Dianne is my rock and I am so blessed to have her as my partner in life. Blessed be his name.

Bruce

LIFE'S OPPORTUNITIES

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas and thank the Lord for all his many blessings the past year. Material things in life are not important but what is important is the time we spend with family and friends. Now, at Thanksgiving I not only enjoy time with family, but I really enjoy the fine food we eat, especially the turkey dressing and homemade biscuits made by the sweet hand of my sweetheart.

During the holidays, my legs starting hurting beginning in November 2014. I started with knees hurting and late November went to see my family doctor, Dr. Hanna, and he examined me and asked me to stop going to the gym and take glucosamine to lubricate my knee joints because he did not think I had arthritis.

The rest of November and December the pain got worse in my legs with throbbing, aching, and numbness on my left shin from knee to ankle. I called my Neurologist to get an appointment and to give me a RX for tramodol for pain to take with lyrica due to neuropathy. At first, I thought it was just the progression of my idiopathic neuropathy I had for last 10 years but if so, it would be advancing fast.

On Jan 5 2015 I went to my Neurologist and he examined me and scheduled a lumbar MRI with contrast for Jan 6th. Results received today Jan 7th. and the MRI shows acute disc extrusion in L-2 and L-3. My Neurologist called and recommended me to see either Dr. Bucci or Dr. MIna and said they had good results with both doctors. However, it would probably be longer wait to see Dr. Mina due to heavier case load. I called Dr. Hanna and asked his opinion and he refers all his patients to see Dr. MIna. But, Dr. Bucci had a cancellation for Jan 8th so I decided to go see him.

As time passes in this life, more physical opportunities are presented like this. But, we have to trust God and know that his will be done. In all things, we need to use these opportunities to meet other people and share our love for God and his redeeming grace for us.

In Christ,

Bruce

DIANNE'S VISIT WITH DR. JEFF EDENFIELD MAY 7 2014

Dianne has met with her Oncologist every 6 months since she completed her treatments in 2009. We are always anxious about these visits because her white blood count has been reset down into the 3.2-3.5 range for some years now. However, on several occasions it went down to the 2.0 range and this is a concern for infections, and once it required she have a bone marrow biopsy which came back normal.  I always want to trust God's grace but being human, these visits always create anxiety. Dr. Edenfield is pleased with Dianne's energy level and that she feels great. Her weight is back up in the 120 lb. range. We try to workout 3 times a week and bike on Sunday afternoon. She is the love of my life and I enjoy every minute that we spend together. Time passes by quickly and we want to spend all our time together. It is hard to believe that we have been married 42 years, and it seems like yesterday that we met in College and began dating. I am one lucky man!

IN MEMORY OF MY MOM AUGUST 15/16 2012

Mr. Kevin Sowers

President Duke University Hospital

2301 Erwin Road

Durham, NC 27710

919-684-8111

November 30 2012

Dear Mr. Sowers,

I am writing this letter on behalf of my late Mom who would be pleased for me to write this letter to the talented and dedicated men and women at Duke University Hospital who took care of my Mom while under their care. Mr. Sowers, I do hope that you will read this letter in its entirety, and share it with Dr. Knudsen, Dr. Barfield, and the Duke ICU Medical Team because it is written from my heart.

Background: My Mom, Etta Mae Chambers was 87 years old, fell in late July, broke her hip which required surgery, and was hospitalized in ICU at Duke University Medical Center for about 4 weeks. Initially, after several days in ICU, her tummy began to extend and a scan revealed she had a small intestine blockage which also required surgery. Her hip was repaired by Dr. Zura and surgery was successful. Then Dr. Vaslef performed surgery to repair the intestinal blockage and unfortunately her intestines swelled in surgery, but were subsequently successfully closed up 3 days later when her intestinal swelling had reduced enough to perform the surgery.

My Mom was a small lady at 105 lbs. and while in the hospital her legs swelled up 2 times normal size with fluid, and then keeping her oxygen level and blood pressure up was a constant issue for the ICU team. I stayed with her in ICU for two weeks and in the third week she had been moved out of ICU and was beginning to eat and showing improvement.

Mom was moved from ICU to a regular room and was improving so I came back home to Greenville, SC to be with my family. Then after one week in her room she was improving and was moved from Duke Hospital to a Rehab Center. Suddenly, on August 15^th the day after her 2nd night in rehab, I got a call from my brother; overnight her blood pressure dropped to 95/65 and her oxygen level had dropped to 60%, and she was rushed back to Duke ICU. The primary issues we had been worried about for her were blood clots and/or pneumonia. She rapidly started building fluid in her lungs and heart. On many occasions Mom had told all 3 sons that she did not want to be put on a ventilator to live, or fed by a tube to live, or pouncing on her chest if her heart stopped. The only alternative the medical team had at this point was to insert a tube in her chest to remove fluid, put her on ventilator, and feed her intravenously. Even then we all felt it was very unlikely she would survive or have any quality of life.

My two brothers and I made one of the hardest decisions that any sons could ever make, but we had to carry out Mom's wishes. That decision was so hard to do even though we knew any medical intervention at this point probably would not help.

When my brother called me on the morning of Aug 15th, I knew Mom had always pulled through her medical problems, and therefore I still clung onto hope. After the phone call, my wife Dianne and I immediately got in the car and drove 4 hours from Greenville SC to Duke to be with Mom. As soon as we got in the car to leave for Duke, we called my brother in ICU and asked to speak to Mom. On the phone I told Mom to hang in there and that I was on my way to Durham and we loved her so much. In a faint voice she said “ok”.  

We arrived at 6:00pm and my brothers Bobby and Wallace had been there all day with Mom. I cried until I could not cry anymore when I saw her; as I knew by looking at her and looking at her vitals that time was drawing near. All 3 sons stayed by the bedside with Mom in the ICU room until the end, and this is the way she would have wanted it to be, her 3 sons by her side until the end. She passed away at exactly 12:00 midnight on Aug 15/16.

You know, God's plan is divine, and most of all God's plan is perfect. No matter how much we will miss Mom she is in no more pain and suffering, and she had told me on more than one occasion in the last several years that she was tired of the aches and pain, and longed to be with her Lord, and her husband William, who passed away in 1989.

There is nothing like a Mom, especially to a son. Growing up, Mom's bring you into the world, nuture you, and a son always has a warm place in their heart for a Mom, no matter where they live or how often they see their Mom. I would talk to Mom 2-3 times a week. Her hand probably got weary sometimes from holding the phone. She would always end our conversation by saying “ I love you Shugg” [sugar]. I miss hearing that every week. When Moms get older, a son feels that he has to talk to and take care of his Mom, because it is his Mom, and she is special.

It is our great loss but Heaven's great gain, and Heaven has now been blessed with the presence of 2 wonderful people in my Mom and Dad, Etta Mae and William Chambers.

I cannot say enough good things about Duke because my Mom had extraordinary care, especially in ICU, great Surgeons, loving and caring Doctors and Nurses. The total care she received by everyone was unsurpassed, which I experienced first hand since I spent at least 12 hours every day in ICU for 2 weeks with Mom. It was so apparent to me that Duke is a special place with really special people who want to make life better for those who are so sick.

I recall a situation that happened at Duke which I had never experienced in my life in a hospital, and I told this to the Critical Care Team while meeting with me in the conference room one day. One morning Dr. Michael Barfield/General Surgery came into the ICU room to examine Mom, introduced himself to us, and he knew from our conversation with him that we were Christians. After he completed his examination of Mom, he took off his gown and gloves, walked out of the room, started walking down the hall, looked back at me, and something happened that I will never forget as long as I live. Dr. Barfield said, I want to pray with you. He put on his gown and gloves, walked backed into the room over to Mom's bed, then asked us, what does everyone call her, and we told him MeMaw. He put his hand on her shoulder, held my hand, and I held my other two brothers hands while he prayed.He prayed the most beautiful prayer for MeMaw, he then took off his gown and gloves, and said we need to do more of this around here and walked out of the room. His prayer meant so much to my family.

A few days later I went to get some coffee and I walked by a very distraught young girl who looked like she was in her mid 20's who was with an older lady who appeared to be her Mom. The girl was weeping out of control and lying on one of the seats by the window outside the elevators. On my way back from getting my coffee, I saw Dr. Barfield sitting beside her and consoling her to the best of his ability. I stood in the distance and watched how he took his time to try and be of some comfort to her in a time of deep distress and apparent loss. Dr. Barfield is a special man and Duke should be proud that they have educated and trained a wonderful Physician, who will help many for years to come those who will be so sick and some will be feeling at the end of their rope, such as that young girl who was sitting on the seat outside the elevators.

Duke is not just a building made of stones with lots of equipment and lots of Doctors and Nurses running around just performing a job to get paid to do so. It was evident to me that Duke is a special place with gifted people who have hearts and souls who love people and are using their special God given talents to do whatever is necessary to help every person to leave Duke University Hospital and have a better quality of life.

I also cannot say enough good things about Dr. Nancy Knudsen/ICU Critical Care who I interacted with when my Mom had surgery and was on 2^nd Floor ICU for weeks. Dr. Knudsen was so supportive and she even scheduled the Palliative Care Team to meet with us to answer any questions we had and to provide loving support for our family while my Mom was suffering. The Care Team made us feel special and we knew they were doing everything possible to provide the best care possible for our Mom. I would see Dr. Knudsen every day and most days I would see her work long days, even working into the night after her shift had ended. She worked hard doing whatever she could to help her patients, and she worked as a team member with other Doctors and Nurses in her ICU Unit to do whatever was necessary to get her patients better. Dr. Knudsen, you and your ICU Team were a blessing to my Mom and our family, and God bless you for all you did.

During my time of stress it was very comforting to have a visit by the Chaplain, Scott Himel, who gave his spiritual support. I remember when he came to visit, it was at a time I needed spiritual support because I was seeing my Mom fighting so hard to live and get better and I just felt helpless.

What makes Duke Medical Center a special place and a world class hospital is the total commitment of all the dedicated Nurses and Doctors to the patients and their families, and it was evident by their actions they are in these jobs to improve a person's quality of life.

I remember talking to one of Mom's ICU Nurses who had been employed at Wake Medical and had always wanted to be at Duke University Medical Center and finally got a job, and was so happy to be at Duke. This is the kind of Hospital that medical professionals desire to come to, not to leave, because of Duke's reputation as a world class medical hospital which I experienced first hand.

Personally, on behalf of my family, I want to close by thanking all of you for everything you did for my Mom and may God bless each of you and Duke University Hospital.

Bruce

BRUCE W. CHAMBERS

304 WOODBRIDGE WAY

SIMPSONVILLE, SC 29681

HOME: 864-288-6093

CELL: 864-420-1719

EMAIL: BWCHAMBERS@CHARTER.NET

Bishop E.W. Jackson and President of S.T.A.N.D.

A friend sent me an email today of a youtube video by Bishop E.W. Jackson that resonated with my whole being as a Christian and as a follower of Jesus Christ. During this Presidential Election season, we constantly hear how the other party if elected will destroy this country. As Bishop Jackson reminds us in this video, God should NEVER be left out of a party's platform and we must return to the Bible for guidance, moral, ethical, and how we must construct our family values. The Founding Fathers would literally be ashamed of some of the points that are in the Democratic Platform in 2012, with some formed under the guise of "tolerance" to move America Forward. As a Christian, the Bible is my only source of tolerance and how to live our daily lives. Listen to  the below video.

http://youtu.be/zqunfO6CofA




Bruce    

NORTHERN HIGH SCHOOL 1967 CLASS REUNION

1st row left to right - Monie Osborne, Cecelia Miller, Joan Singleton, Judy Blackwood, Linda Leathers, Sunny Bowling, Mildred Coats 

2nd row - Kay Hawkins, Jackie Satterfield, Susan Absalom, Pam Vogue, Brenda leathers, Beverly Ward, Elizabeth Fritz, Judy Belk, Delinda Boyd

3rd row - Lacala McGee, Rodney Mangum, Rita Belton, Dianne Mangum,  Gail Adderton, Ted Holleman, Joan Blake, Harold Huskins, Rick Laws in front of Harold Huskins], Clifford Tilley

4th row - Ronnie Sorrell, Pam Christy, Peggy Christy, Buddy Rust, Danny Riley, Kent Floyd, Bruce, Scott Colclough 

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD SUNG BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD SUNG BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG

http://youtu.be/E2VCwBzGdPM

"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded byLouis Armstrong and released as a single in 1968. Thiele and Weiss were both prominent in the music world (Thiele as a producer and Weiss as a composer/performer). Armstrong's recording was inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The publishing for this song is controlled by Memory Lane Music Group, Carlin Music Corp., and Bug Music, Inc.

History 

Intended as an antidote for the increasingly racially and politically charged climate of everyday life in the United States, the song also has a hopeful, optimistic tone with regard to the future, with reference to babies being born into the world and having much to look forward to. The song was initially offered to Tony Bennett, who turned it down. Thereafter, it was offered to Louis Armstrong.

The song was not initially a hit in the United States, where it sold fewer than 1,000 copies because the head of ABC Records did not like the song and so did not promote it, but was a major success in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, the song hit #116 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Chart. It was also the biggest-selling single of 1968 in the UK where it was among the last pop singles issued by HMV Records before becoming an exclusive classical music label. The song made Louis Armstrong the oldest male to top the chart, at sixty-six years and ten months old. Armstrong's record was broken in 2009 when a cover version of "Islands in the Stream" recorded for Comic Relief — which included 68-year-old Tom Jones — reached number one.

ABC Records' European distributor EMI forced ABC to issue a What A Wonderful World album in 1968 (catalogue number ABCS-650) which did not chart in the US due to ABC's non-promotion of it, but did chart in the UK where it was issued by Stateside Records with catalogue number SSL 10247 and peaked on the British chart at  #37.

The song gradually became something of a standard and reached a new level of popularity. In 1988, Louis Armstrong's 1968 recording was featured in the film Good Morning, Vietnam and was re-released as a single, hitting #32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in February 1988. The single charted at number one for the fortnight ending June 27, 1988 on the Australian chart.

In 2001, rappers Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and The Alchemist released "The Forest", a song which begins with three lines of lyric adapted from "What a Wonderful World", altered to become "an invitation to get high" on marijuana.[4] The rappers and their record company, Sony Music Entertainment, were sued by the owners of "What a Wonderful World", Abilene Music. The suit was thrown out of court after judge Gerard E. Lynch determined that the altered lyric was indisputably a parody, transforming the uplifting original message to a new one with a darker nature.

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL 1971

CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY YEARBOOKS

http://library.digitalnc.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=exact&CISOFIELD1=digita&CISOBOX1=North+Carolina+College+and+University+Yearbooks&CISOOP2=exact&CISOFIELD2=contri&CISOROOT=%2Fyearbooks&CISOBOX2=Campbell%20University

1968 CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY BASKETBALL

BRUCE CHAMBERS - 1ST ROW SECOND FROM LEFT

Listen to Christmas Display of Amazing Grace on youtube

Click on Link below.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2011


http://www.flixxy.com/best-christmas-lights-display.htm

OCTOBER 27 2011 BRUCE WENT TO ST FRANCIS ER WITH HIGH TEMPERATURE - URINARY INFECTION

On Thursday night October 27 2011 at 11:00pm, my temperature went to 102 degrees within one hour. It frightened all of us because the same thing had happened to me in June 2011 when I was hospitalized for a week with a serious E-coli infection which had gotten in my blood stream caused by a prostate biopsy.

In addition Dr. Glen Daves had just performed an Endoscopy and Colonoscopy 2 days ago on Tuesday Oct 25th and we thought the high temperature may have been caused by either the E-coli or Colonoscopy/Endoscopy.

Dianne called my Gastroenterologist around 10:00pm and the Doctor told me to go to St Francis Downtown where they had my records when I had E-coli.

When I arrived at ER, they gave me IV fluids, took my temperature, blood samples, urine sample, and completed a chest X-Ray. All were normal except the urine test came back positive for urinary tract infection. My Doctor gave me a prescription for Cipro to be taken for the next 10 days. I went home around 4:00am.

Bruce

DIANNE STREP THROAT AND ERYSIPELAS HOSPITALIZATION OCTOBER 9-13 2011

On Friday Oct 7 2011 Dianne went to Dr. Hanna and he diagnosed her with strep throat and prescribed antibiotic Zithromax 500mg for 3 days. On Saturday Oct 7th 8:00pm called Dr. Hanna due to small redness on her right cheek next to ear. Dr. Hanna said it was probably allergic reaction to antibiotic or ibuprofen and to take take tylenol instead of ibuprofen and benadryl. On Sunday Oct 9th at 7:00pm Dianne had fever of 102 degrees and redness on cheek had spread, swollen, and I took her to St. Francis Eastside Emergency Room. Dr. Corbett/ER diagnosed Erysipelas http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001643/ and began intravenous Vancomycin antibiotic, tylenol to reduce fever, fluids. At 6:00am Monday Oct 10th Dr. Daramola/Hospitalist Internal Medicine admitted Dianne to Hospital and also added intravenous Zosyn and Fluocanozole. Dr. Daramola diagnosed Cellulitis and this sounded different to me than Erysipelas diagnosed by Dr. Corbett but the treatment was same for both. Dr. Daramola also requested Infectious Disease Specialists to examine Dianne and confirm his treatment plan. On Monday afternoon Dr. John Shrank/Infectious Disease examined Dianne and confirmed Erysipelas which is a Strepoccal Bacteria Skin Infection. On Monday as the day went on, the facial redness, swelling, and tenderness was spreading and at 3:00pm I was getting scared and anxious when her temperature soared to 102.6 degrees and she had a severe headache and nauseau. I had called Dianne's sister Donna Harrill and she returned call from the mountains in afternoon. Donna and her husband Larry drove to Greenville and she stayed with us from Monday until Sunday and helped so very much. Dr.Shrank had taken Dianne off Zosyn and added antibiotic Cleosin. After stopping Zoysn the infection quickly began to spread and we called Dr. Lovelace/Internal Medicine and she added back Zosyn and also increased the strength. I stayed with Dianne every day and night and even ate meals with her. Morrison's was the food vendor and we were allowed to order whatever we wanted from the menu. The guest meals were only $5.00 and were very good. On Tuesday Oct 11th Dr.Tran/Internal Medicine examined Dianne, and the spreading of the infection had beens been halted but her eyes were almost closed shut due to the swelling. On Wednesday Dr. McPhearson/Internal Medicine examined Dianne and stopped the IV Vancomycin antibiotic and continued the Zosyn and Cleosin. Dr. Kelly/Infectious Disease examined Dianne, and she asked Dr. Kelly how long it would take for her to heal and when would she possibly go home, and he thought probably after the weekend. Around 3:00pm Dianne got a headache and she said on a scale of 1-10, it was a 10. They gave her Norco [contains hydrocodone and acetimenophen] for pain and phenergan for nauseau. Right after Dianne took the pain med, Art Ringger, our Southside Church Executive Pastor, came to visit Dianne. Dianne was getting drowsy from the medicine and Art said, let's pray together. We held hands and Art prayed for Dianne, and he left shortly thereafter. Dianne slept until 4:30pm and we ordered dinner after she woke up. I noticed that the redness and swelling was getting better and it kept improving as the evening went on. It was just amazing how much she was improving now and how quickly. On Thursday morning Dr. McPhearson examined Dianne and she was astonished how much better Dianne was today from yesterday. She asked Dianne if she wanted to go home, and Dianne was elated. Many, many prayers have been going up for Dianne and God's grace has been poured upon her as these prayers have been answered. Very soon after Art Ringger prayed for Dianne, she began to get better. His prayer and the culmination of all the prayers have been answered, and what Amazing Grace that God has given to Dianne for her healing. We arrived at our home on Thursday Oct 13th around 4:00pm. I received a phone call from another Pastor at Southside, Mark Moody. Mark said they had been told Dianne had been released from hospital, and wanted to call me and confirm that she had been released from hospital because when Art saw her yesterday she was not doing very well. I told Mark that it was a miracle that God answered Art's prayer and the many other prayers that have been given for Dianne. On Monday Oct 17th Dianne went to Dr. Hanna for followup visit and she is doing so good and we pray that she will be completely healed by the time she completes her 7-day round of antibiotics scheduled to end Oct 20th. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

We give our sincere thanks for God's grace to Dianne during this time of sickness and uncertainty. 

God bless,

Bruce

           

Greenville News Letter 9.22.2011: Obama's plan would hurt Social Security

Greenville News

09/22/2011

Letter: Obama's Plan would hurt Social Security

In his new jobs proposal to Congress, President Barack Obama is asking
Congress to cut payroll tax contributions to Social Security by $240 billion in year 2012. His proposal suggests that the $240 billion lost in Social Security payroll tax contributions would be replenished by money from the federal budget. Does he think the American people are not capable of figuring out what he is proposing?

His proposal will force our government to borrow even more money from China to pay retirees’ Social Security and will further increase our federal debt. Social Security has always been a self-funded insurance program since the first payroll taxes were collected from workers payroll in 1937 that were designated for retirees, disabled and their survivors.

President Obama is proposing, for the first time since 1937, that Social Security will be paid for with general funds from the U.S. Treasury. This will not only undermine the revered status of Social Security as having been a program that is self-funded, but it also undermines the program by putting Social Security in competition for federal dollars at a time that we already have a $14.7 trillion national debt and growing exponentially everyday.

In essence, President Obama is proposing that for the first time we sidestep the self- funding of Social Security. If his proposal is approved by Congress, it will undermine the whole Social Security System for retirees in the future, and will set the precedent for future presidents and Congress to trim Social Security benefits for retirees.

Last year Social Security paid out $49 billion more than we collected in payroll taxes, and it was the first time that there was a deficit since 1983.

We all know that we have to make changes to fully fund Social Security for future retirees, such as was done to offset the deficit in 1983 when the retirement age was gradually increased and payroll taxes were adjusted. However, this proposal by President Obama will undermine the future of Social Security and should not be passed.

Bruce Chambers

Simpsonville, SC

DIANNE'S BONE MARROW BIOPSY RESULTS AUGUST 29 2011

In Dianne's regular 6-month check up with her Oncologist, she had a routine blood test, and the test showed her white blood cell count had dropped significantly. Therefore on August 16 2011 her Oncologist performed a bone marrow biopsy and sent to Caris Laboratories for biopsy. The biopsy was no fun to say the least.

We are rejoicing in the Lord that we received good test results yesterday, August 29th, from Dianne's Oncologist Dr. Edenfield in reference to her bone marrow tests that were taken on August 16th. It has been a very agonizing 2 weeks waiting to get these results, and we have been praying for peace and good test outcome as we waited for the results.

Dr. Edenfield said these tests show there is no metastatic cancer, no leukemia, no lymphoma, no myelodysplasia [disease of the bone marrow where there are not enough healthy blood cells being produced, which can be as a result of her previous chemotherapy], etc.

He said the tests show that Dianne's bone marrow is building and producing healthy white blood cells, but for some unknown reason the spleen is stopping and collecting many of the white blood cells which are subsequently being digested through the spleen.

As you can imagine, these bone marrow tests were much more extensive and complicated than I can explain.

Dianne will go back to her Oncologist for routine blood tests in 6 months in February 2012. However, in the meantime, Dr. Edenfield requested Dianne to be sure and call him if she has any recurrent colds, fever, etc.

Thank the Lord that Dianne has not been sick since her last treatments in 2009, and she has been feeling terrific and her energy level is great. It is hard for me to keep up with her.

We are so thankful for God's grace for Dianne in this situation, because a bad outcome could have resulted in one of many serious situations.

Sending our love,

Bruce and Dianne

AMAZING GRACE: Met Governor Rick Perry Downtown Greenville, SC August 19, 2011

AMAZING GRACE: Met Governor Rick Perry Downtown Greenville, SC August 19, 2011

Met Governor Rick Perry Downtown Greenville, SC August 19, 2011

Texas Governor Rick Perry was in Greenville, SC on Friday August 19th, 2011 campaigning for the Presidency travelling in his bus labelled "Get America Back to Work".

My sweetie Dianne [Mimi], and I [Poppy] took our granddaughter, Bella, downtown to see Governor Rick Perry because we thought it would be a good experience for Bella and we would also get to see him.

We were following Governor Perry down Main Street Greenville walking with many others including media, and I was trying to get up close so we could Gov. Perry to take a picture with Bella. The 1st picture we got with Governor Perry was with Bella and me. As Gov. Perry walked into the Barkery shop, he stopped and talked with Dianne and Bella. Gov. Perry asked Bella what was her name, that she was a beautiful girl, and spent some time talking to them.

It started thundering, lightning, and raining so we had to leave before Governor Perry got on his bus with his whole entourage.

Bruce

June 10 2011 E COLI BLOOD INFECTION UPDATE

Finished my 2 weeks of antibiotics Macrobid and Vantin yesterday.

Am still praying that the E. coli bacteria has now been killed in my body's blood stream.

E. coli is a less serious problem in the urinary tract, but if it spreads to the bloodstream it causes bacteremia, which can lead to a dangerous drop in blood pressure called septic shock. Bacteremia is associated with a death rate of about 10 percent. The bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli), which grows naturally in the human digestive tract, is a leading cause of urinary tract infections. Medical researchers have long known that E. coli is also a cause of blood stream infection.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are gram-negative bacteria that can survive in an environment with or without air (facultative anaerobes) and, depending on the environment, may or may not produce thin hair-like structures (flagella or pili) that allow the bacteria to move and to attach to human cells. These bacteria commonly live in the intestines of people and animals worldwide. There are many strains (over 700 serotypes) of E. coli.

Most of the E. coli are normal inhabitants of the small intestine and colon and do not cause disease in the intestines (non-pathogenic). Nevertheless, these non-pathogenic E. coli can cause disease if they spread outside of the intestines, for example, into the urinary tract (where they cause bladder or kidney infections, or into the blood stream (sepsis). Other E. coli strains (enterovirulent E. coli strains or EEC) cause "poisoning" or diarrhea even though they usually remain within the intestine by producing toxins or intestinal inflammation.

“We’re all beginning to see more and more sepsis as a result of resistant bacteria after prostate biopsies,” said Peter T. Scardino, chief of surgery at the Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center in New York, which does about 2,000 of the tests annually. “This is an extremely worrisome problem.”

Doing a tissue biopsy of the prostate to detect cancer typically entails sending an ultrasound-guided needle about a dozen times through the rectum to collect specimens from the walnut-sized gland that sits under the bladder. The test carries an infection risk because the needle can take bacteria from the bowel into the prostate, bladder and bloodstream. The 15-minute procedure, usually performed in a doctor’s office, can be dangerous if the bacteria are resistant to antibiotics given at the time of the biopsy.

The American Cancer Society changed its guidelines in 2010 to reflect a growing body of research suggesting screening tests may do more harm than good in some men. The cancer group said patients should be warned of the risk of misleading tests results and treatment side effects, which might in some cases cause more damage than the slow-growing disease.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-05-05/prostate-exam-deaths-tied-to-superbug-ills-spur-cancer-test-inquiries.html

Macrobid is used to treat urinary tract infections. It works by interfering with various chemical processes in the bacteria, which results in the death of the bacteria. Macrobid (nitrofurantoin) is an antibiotic that fights bacteria in the body. Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic which is often used against E. coli.

Vantin [Cefpodoxime] is an oral third generation cephalosporin antibiotic. It is marketed as the prodrug cefpodoxime proxetil by Pharmacia & Upjohn under the trade name Vantin and under the name Orelox by [[Sanofi-Aventis]; PECEF in Dr Reddy's (Farhaad)]. It is active against most Gram positive and Gram negative organisms. It also finds use as oral continuation therapy when intravenous cephalosporins (such as ceftriaxone) are no longer necessary for continued treatment.

While I was in the hospital I was on IV Vancomycin and IV Gentamicin.

Vancomycin is a glycopeptide antibiotic used in the prophylaxis and treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. It has traditionally been reserved as a "drug of last resort", used only after treatment with other antibiotics had failed, although the emergence of vancomycin-resistant organisms means that it is increasingly being displaced from this role by linezolid (Zyvox) available PO and IV and daptomycin (Cubicin) IV and quinupristin/dalfopristin (Synercid) IV.

Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, used to treat many types of bacterial infections, particularly those caused by Gram-negative organisms. However, gentamicin is not used for Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Neisseria meningitidis or Legionella pneumophila. Gentamicin is also ototoxic and nephrotoxic, with this toxicity remaining a major problem in clinical use.

It is synthesized by Micromonospora, a genus of Gram-positive bacteria widely present in the environment (water and soil). To highlight their specific biological origins, gentamicin and other related antibiotics produced by this genus (verdamicin, mutamicin, sisomicin, netilmicin, retymicin) generally have their spellings ending in ~micin and not in ~mycin. Gentamicin is a bacterial antibiotic that works by binding the 30S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, interrupting protein synthesis.

Like all aminoglycosides, when gentamicin is given orally, it is not systemically active. This is because it is not absorbed to any appreciable extent from the small intestine. It is administered intravenously, intramuscularly or topically to treat infections. It appears to be completely eliminated unchanged in the urine. Urine must be collected for many days to recover all of a given dose because the drug binds avidly to certain tissues.

E.coli has shown some resistance to gentamicin, despite being Gram-negative. Reluctance to use gentamicin for empirical therapy has led to increased use of alternative broad-spectrum antibiotics, which some experts suggest has led to the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections by Golden Staph and other so-called "superbugs".

Thanks to God for his grace and to all my family and friends for their faithful prayers and support during this time of uncertainty.

Bruce Chambers

BRUCE CHAMBERS JOURNEY

E. COLI BACTERIAL INFECTION AND HOSPITIALIZATION

MAY 20TH – MAY 27TH 2011

In April 2011 I had my regular physical exam and my PSA was elevated to 4.7 from .9 prior annual physical. My Family Doctor, Dr. Hanna, put me on antibiotic Cipro for 4 weeks ending May 3^rd to determine if the elevated PSA was caused by an infection. On May 3^rd Dr Hanna rechecked my PSA and it was 4.4 so he sent me to a Urologist at Palmetto Greenville Urology. I selected Urologist Dr. Andrew Bullock in the PG Urology Group.

On Thursday May 19^th 2011:

At 11:00am went to Dr. Andrew Bullock/Palmetto Greenville Urology for a prostate biopsy, at which time he took 12 tissue samples. Except for the needle to numb the prostate, it was uneventful. Dr Bullock said to call him immediately if I got a temperature of 100.5 or greater or if blood in my unrine increased.

On Friday morning May 20^th:

I was feeling good and even told Dianne that I wanted to cut my grass, and she readily said, you are not going to do that, Chad will cut the grass for you.

Around 5:00pm we took our granddaughter Bella to Barnes and Noble for story time, and then met our son Chad to listen to live music outside. Chad and Dianne got Bella some ice cream and asked me if I wanted some, and I said no, which was probably the first time ever I did not want ice cream. I was beginning to feel weak and somewhat nauseous.

About 6:00pm I told Dianne that I needed to go home since I was feeling worse and worse.

By 6:30pm my temperature soared past 100.5 and Dianne called Palmetto Greenville Urology after hours answering service and asked them to contact the Urologist on call for the weekend to call us. The answering service said the Doctor would call within 20-30 minutes. My temperature had now escalated quickly to over 102.0, I was urinating bright red blood, had bad headache, and awful chills.

Dianne called Palmetto Greenville Urology 4 more times and did not receive a return phone call from the Urologist on duty.

I was now having severe chills, all my muscles were quivering uncontrollably, my head was throbbing, the blood in my urine was getting greater, extremely nauseous, and my temperature was up to 102.8. I really felt like my body was being taken over by some infection and I had to have help immediately. My son Chad told Dianne that we have to quickly take Dad to the closest Emergency Room which was St. Francis Eastside.

At 7:30pm Dianne took me to St. Francis Eastside Emergency Room and they took me back fairly quickly after she told them how bad I was getting over the last several hours. The ER took my vitals, put me on IV fluids, gave me more Tylenol, took urine sample and blood sample. Dianne asked the Nurse as well as Dr Hale/ER Doctor to again call Palmetto Urology.

St Francis ER called Palmetto Greenville Urology multiple times and never received a return phone call while I was in the ER from 7:30 pm Friday night until 6:30am the next morning when I was released.

Around 9:00pm Dr Hale came in and said I had urinary tract infection and put me on an IV of Cipro, which is commonly used to treat urinary tract infections and prostatitis. [However, the blood culture received the following Thursday revealed that the bacterial microorganism in my blood was a strain of E. Coli which was resistent to Cipro - which means Cipro was having no effect on treating the E Coli in my blood stream]

Saturday morning May 21^st:

By 6:00am early morning I was somewhat stabilized and Dr Hale said I could go home. He gave me prescription for Cipro, Hydrocodone with 500mg Tylenol, and Phenergan for nauseau.

Saturday afternoon May 21^st:

After Dianne took me home Saturday morning at 6:30 am, Dr. Monroe/Palmetto Greenville Urology finally called Saturday at 12:30pm from St Francis Hospital phone. He stated that he had not received any of our phone messages when we had had called him Friday night, nor did he receive any messages that St Francis had called him while I was in St Francis Eastside ER. My wife Dianne told Dr Monoe what had transpired since Friday afternoon starting around 5:00pm, as well as the prescriptions that Dr Hale had given me. Dr Monroe gave Dianne his cell phone number in case we needed him over the weekend.

Saturday night at 7:00pm Dianne called Dr Monroe's cell phone because my fever continued to spike, and now was up to 102.0 again and I was having severe chills, muscle spasms, vomiting, still urinating a red stream of blood, pain when urinating, could not empty my bladder, nausea, and a bad headache. Dr Monoe and he told her to give me the 1000mg of tylenol every 3 ½ hours versus 4, which seemed to minimize the severe spikes in my fever that night, but my fever stayed still over 100.0. Dr Monroe said I needed to call the office Monday morning and come in and see one of the Urologists [info: my Urologist Dr Bullock was on vacation for the week].

Sunday May 22nd:

My fever stayed over 100.0, urinating blood, continuous nauseousness, could not empty my bladder, pain when urinating, hard to urinate and could not produce a steady stream, trying to urinate every 10-15 minutes, continuous headache, and getting weaker.

Monday May 23rd:

At 8:00am I called Palmetto Greenville Urology and told the receptionist what had happened over the weekend and that Dr. Monroe had told me to call 1^st thing Monday morning and see one of the Doctors. The receptionist stated that all the Doctors were booked for the day. I told her I had to see a Doctor today and that Dr. Monroe had told me to call and schedule an appointment Monday morning. She said, I do not know why we are so booked today. She said, hold on, and then put someone else on the phone and I told her that the same story, and she said she could get me in to see the Nurse Practioner. I told her I need to see a Doctor and not a Nurse Practioner, and she said hold on. then someone else came on the phone and said to come in at 1:45pm to see Dr Sterrett.

Dianne took me to my 1:45pm appointment with Dr Sterrett he talked to us about what was going on. He then took urine and blood sample and came back in and said we need to get you in the hospital immediately. In 5 minutes he had my papers and Dianne took me straight to St Francis downtown and my Room 617 was ready.

At 2:30pm I was in Room 617 at St Francis.

The Nurse started an IV with fluids, took my vitals, and blood and urine samples.

I was told that I had gram negative rods bacterial infection; which is a class that could be one of a thousand bacterial infections. However, the Vancomycin and Gentamcin were the strongest antibiotics for gram negative organisms and should work effectively until the culture results come back from the lab with the specific bacteria identified. In addition to the gram negative rod infection in the blood, there was a urinary tract infection as well as prostatitis of the prostate.

Then I was given intravenous antibiotics Vancomycin and Gentamicin which are used to treat the most serious blood infections, one oral tablet of Flomax daily which was used to treat my enlarged prostate and make it so I could urinate, as well as 650mg tylenol every 4-6 hours for my fever.

I was having such a hard time urinating, could not empty my bladder, blood in urine, and the pain in my bladder was horrendous.

I really wondered if I was going to make it. My body was getting weaker. I was having urges to urinate every 5-10 minutes and had to get up and down constantly. Dianne had to help me every time I got up because I was so weak, and being hooked up to an IV it was so hard to go back and forth to the bathroom. I could not sleep and had not really slept since last Thursday night before I got sick on Friday.

Dianne spent 24 hours a day every day with me in the hospital and we were up all night. Dr Sterrett gave me ambien to try to get some sleep, but since I was up and down so much with urinating, I could not sleep even with the ambien. I felt so sorry for Dianne because she had no rest since last Thursday night before I went into the hospital emergency room on Friday evening.

Tuesday May 24^th:

This was the worst day of my life and I really prayed that God would help me pull through it even though I felt like I was going down hill fast. It was very scarey because it felt as if my body was shutting down. They told me I had to eat and I was so weak that I tried to open my cereal box for breakfast that morning and did not have enough strength to open the box, and Dianne had to open it for me. The IV fluids were administered 24 hours/day at 3 times the normal rate in order to hydrate my body which also made me have to urinate more and that was so so painful.

Dr Sterrett came to see me at 7:00am and said the blood culture results should be ready in hopefully 2-3 days and they could then tell what was the specific bacteria organism in my blood. However, he did know the blood infection was in the bacterial class of infections called gram negative rods, and in the meantime he had me on the strongest antibiotics to treat the gram negative rods as well as the prostatitis and urinary infections.

Dr. Sterrett said it would be several days and I would see improvement.

Even though I was having such a hard time urinating, he did not want to give me a cathecter because he said he did not want to do anything to irritate the prostate any more than it was already.

The pain to urinate was horrible as I could only drip urine for 5 seconds and stop. Every 5-10 minutes I was having severe pain and urges to urinate. I had gotten diarrhea and when I would strain to urinate I would have diarrhea. The nurse brought me diapers so that I would not do it in my underwear or on the floor every time I got up. My rump got so irritated that Dianne brought me sensitive wipes and cortisone with 1% hydrocortisone to use to help with the irritation.

I was so weak that Dianne had to help me out of the bed every time to be able to get to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes.

We stayed up all day and all night and Dianne was my little Angel who was by my side every minute and was my constant prayer warrior. What a real blessing my Sweetie has been in my life for 38 years. God blessed me with an earthly Angel who has always been my Sweetheart and Soulmate. I was fighting for her as well as myself. I was asking God to give me strength to fight to live because I know he has more plans for me on this earth.

Wednesday May 25^th:

Dr Sterrett came by at 7:00am and said they still do not have the culture results, and hopefully by tomorrow. Dr Sterrett said I have to get up and walk some because of potential blood clots by not moving my legs.

Today I was now beginning to urinate a slight stream instead of dribbling but could in no way come close to emptying my bladder, and therefore I was urinating every 20-30 minutes. The pain was not quite as bad as yesterday and I constantly prayed that I would keep improving.

Thursday May 26^th:

Dr Sterrett came by at 7:00am in scrubs to see how I was doing. He stated the culture may be available today.

Dr Sterrett came by at 11:00am and said that the culture results were in and that I had E. Coli bacterial infection in my blood stream. He was going to put me on 2 oral antibiotics for 2 weeks that specifically targeted E. Coli and they would kill the bacterial infection.

Dr Sterrett said I could stay for rest of the day and take my Gentamicin at 6:00pm or I could go leave the hospital now and start my oral antibiotics - it was my choice.

Dianne and I talked about it and decided that since my day did not end until 12:00 midnight, we would stay and I would take my last IV of Gentamicin antibiotic at 6:00pm.

Dr Sterrett was God sent, and I could not have asked for a better Urologist that made the very best decisions to pull me through this horrible ordeal. Once he saw me Monday he knew from looking at me that I was very very sick. He said you need to go to the hospital immediately without any hesitation. He said you are also extremely dehydrated and need hydration quickly.

Dr Sterrett made the correct decisions in everything that was done and I attribute my life to his decisions and most of all my Lord God above who gave him the wisdom to do so.

My sweetheart Dianne was by my side 24 hours a day from Friday May 20^th until she took me home on Thursday night May 26^th. She did not sleep hardly any, even though she had a pull out bed right beside my hospital bed. God bless you baby, I love you so much Sweetheart!

Friday May 27^th:

Called Dr Sterrett about thrush mouth and he called me in a prescription.

Thursday June 2nd:

Met with Urologist Dr. Bullock today and he confirmed “no” prostate cancer in the 12 biopsies. I broke down and cried when he told me the great news. Thanks to my Lord and Saviour for his abundant grace!

I am continuing treatment of the E Coli infection with antibiotics Macrobid and Vantin for another week. Dr Bullock wants me to continue the Flomax indefinitely.

Dr. Bullock has scheduled my appointment in 6 months to check my PSA. He stated my PSA baseline at that time will be 4.7 since I do not have cancer with my PSA at 4.7. He stated that he has some patients with PSA at 15 and 22 who do not have prostate cancer.

You know, only God knows why these things happen and it again opens my eyes to the fact that God is in "total" control and in the blink of an eye your life or mine can change drastically.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord says "My grace is sufficient for thee". In this life the Lord does not always remove suffering and struggles in our lives, but he says he will give us the grace to bear the suffering. God has given me the divine strength to bear this pain and suffering, and we can be assured that when we feel our weakness God will, by his grace, strengthen us.

I could not begin to thank my friends and family and many that do not even know me for all the prayers, phone calls, emails that we have received during this period of difficulty. I felt the power of prayer and out pouring of love in my healing.

God bless.

BRUCE CHAMBERS