JOHN RICK MILLER’S HEALTH UPDATE DECEMBER 21st, 2014.

My dear brothers and sisters,Well, these last three months have been a very challenging time… Because I was on a trial drug, I had three doctors monitoring my case along w my G P, the palliative care doctors and my oncologist.As a result, I was receiving medication from several sources at the same time. As the pains in my muscles and bones increased, the type and strength of the painkillers also increased. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way they forgot to check that the drugs being given where compatible. The result was two were not, which nearly killed me as the dosage increased. Thank God, my wife was so attentive that she recognised that something was very wrong as I would suddenly go incoherent at times. One night I passed out and I was taken to the hospital where they gave me blood transfusions for two days, as I was that bad. My wife and daughter then began to do research where they found that one of the nerve pain killers could never be given with the opioid pain killers I was given. As the dose was increased in both it was a lethal cocktail and very nearly ended my life.I literally had to go cold turkey for nearly two weeks to get off all this medication.The constant pain was excruciating. But I decided with the help of God to go off all the medication. As a result, some four terrible weeks later, I am no longer taking any medication for the pain. By the grace of God, I am back to my old self in terms of clarity of mind and the pain has decreased by nearly 75%.Unfortunately, through all of this, I had stopped eating and now I have to regain the over 120 pounds in weight I lost. I have also lost almost all my muscle and basically, I am skin and bone. So it's going to be a long process of coming back to normal but I am,thru the grace of God, making progress daily.Again unfortunately it was recently found that the new chemo test drug I was on did not work and the cancer has spread. My oncologist put me immediately on another chemo drug, which caused me to loose most of my hair thus far, and most of my beard. I look like a plucked chicken that had been on a starvation diet! It is not a pretty sight.However, I am in good spirits enduring daily whatever pain comes and look forward to Christmas and a blessed new year.If you would please keep my family and me in your prayers, I would be most appreciative.The only thing remaining to tell you is Merry Christmas and to each of you and your families a very Blessed New a Year.God bless you!With loveRick