I went to the surgeon's office today and had a post surgery check up. She said everything was great and healing well. Yeah! That was wonderful to hear. I go back again on Feb. 14th and if everything is still healing fine, then I'll begin chemo again the following week. I was thankful for the good report.
Also, I got a call from someone yesterday that was telling me about her mother who is a breast cancer survivor. She also had cancer in her lymph nodes and it was cured. She's doing well now. That was very encouraging.
That's all...just wanted to say it was a good day.
Thank you Lord!
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Monday, January 29, 2007
It's Monday now...last Tuesday was my surgery. Tom and I left the house at 4:30 and got to the hospital at 5:30. Surgery started at 7:30 and lasted a couple of hours. The surgeon spoke to Tommy that morning and said everything went well, no problems or complications. That was good to hear.
I stayed in the hospital Tuesday night and came home on Wednesday afternoon. Our friend from Tennessee, Debbie, got here that afternoon also, so she was right here ready to help with post surgery recovery. She is a nurse, besides just being a wonderful, sweet friend. She stayed with us all this week and helped with so many things. Again, the Lord provided just the right person for what was going on.
I've had a hard time coming back to write on the blog this time. I think it's because of the private nature of this surgery. But most of you already know...it was a radical modified mastectomy. One friend said "isn't modified kind of an oxymoron in this situation?" :-) Yes...the "modified" just means that muscle tissue was kept.
The doctor called us on Wednesday with the path report. The lymph nodes that were removed did have cancer. We knew that from last October...but it was hard to hear it confirmed. The tumor had been reduced, but they said that there was still cancer in the tissue, scattered in it. All of that news was very hard news to hear. The only "good news" our surgeon said was that the chemo had worked...she could see it's effect on the cancer.
SO...now I am in recovery mode. Not just my physical recovery, although that is certainly true, but recovery of heart and mind too. Every year of my life I am convinced of the interweaving of our body, soul, mind and heart. (Those four parts are described in Mark 12:30). They are interconnected...not separate compartments. When my body is weakened, I find that my heart is too. This week was physically and emotionally hard...and my heart and hope were weakened too. The surgery was difficult to walk through, but the harder part has been facing the big picture. The cancer issue. Tommy is reminding me daily that we are in a marathon...and I'm really only on about mile ten. Not half-way, but maybe getting close to half-way. The trick is staying focused on today, or this week's issue, without looking too far ahead.
I think I feel like Peter when he stepped out of the boat. He was doing so well as long as he kept looking at Jesus. Then Scripture says "but when he saw the wind he was afraid and started to sink". If the wind is the path report...then, yeah, I saw the "wind".
I want to keep my eyes on Jesus. Listen to Him. Not look down. The great part of that story is that Jesus grabbed Peter when he was beginning to sink. I feel grabbed, I guess.
I choose to trust the Lord.
I choose to keep my hope in things unseen.
I choose to let Him fight this battle.
I don't know the end of this story...but no matter what it is, I am choosing to love and trust my God.
I love the old hymn "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name
On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
I stayed in the hospital Tuesday night and came home on Wednesday afternoon. Our friend from Tennessee, Debbie, got here that afternoon also, so she was right here ready to help with post surgery recovery. She is a nurse, besides just being a wonderful, sweet friend. She stayed with us all this week and helped with so many things. Again, the Lord provided just the right person for what was going on.
I've had a hard time coming back to write on the blog this time. I think it's because of the private nature of this surgery. But most of you already know...it was a radical modified mastectomy. One friend said "isn't modified kind of an oxymoron in this situation?" :-) Yes...the "modified" just means that muscle tissue was kept.
The doctor called us on Wednesday with the path report. The lymph nodes that were removed did have cancer. We knew that from last October...but it was hard to hear it confirmed. The tumor had been reduced, but they said that there was still cancer in the tissue, scattered in it. All of that news was very hard news to hear. The only "good news" our surgeon said was that the chemo had worked...she could see it's effect on the cancer.
SO...now I am in recovery mode. Not just my physical recovery, although that is certainly true, but recovery of heart and mind too. Every year of my life I am convinced of the interweaving of our body, soul, mind and heart. (Those four parts are described in Mark 12:30). They are interconnected...not separate compartments. When my body is weakened, I find that my heart is too. This week was physically and emotionally hard...and my heart and hope were weakened too. The surgery was difficult to walk through, but the harder part has been facing the big picture. The cancer issue. Tommy is reminding me daily that we are in a marathon...and I'm really only on about mile ten. Not half-way, but maybe getting close to half-way. The trick is staying focused on today, or this week's issue, without looking too far ahead.
I think I feel like Peter when he stepped out of the boat. He was doing so well as long as he kept looking at Jesus. Then Scripture says "but when he saw the wind he was afraid and started to sink". If the wind is the path report...then, yeah, I saw the "wind".
I want to keep my eyes on Jesus. Listen to Him. Not look down. The great part of that story is that Jesus grabbed Peter when he was beginning to sink. I feel grabbed, I guess.
I choose to trust the Lord.
I choose to keep my hope in things unseen.
I choose to let Him fight this battle.
I don't know the end of this story...but no matter what it is, I am choosing to love and trust my God.
I love the old hymn "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name
On Christ the solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood
When all around my soul gives way
He then is all my hope and stay
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Surgery Scheduled
I went to the surgeon today. She gave me a good report...said that I had responded great to the chemo and the tumor and the lymph nodes were very, very reduced. She said we could go ahead with the surgery. So. I'm scheduled for Tuesday, January 23rd. Lord willing, I'll go home on the 24th.
I'm grateful that we didn't have to do another chemo first. I'm grateful that she felt like I've done very well on my chemo treatment. I'm very thankful for such a good report. BUT...now I need to get ready for surgery. The Lord has walked before me through all of this, I know He'll prepare me for this next step too.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
I'm grateful that we didn't have to do another chemo first. I'm grateful that she felt like I've done very well on my chemo treatment. I'm very thankful for such a good report. BUT...now I need to get ready for surgery. The Lord has walked before me through all of this, I know He'll prepare me for this next step too.
Thank you so much for your prayers!
Saturday, January 6, 2007
4th Treatment
This has been another full week.
My sister Diane drove over to stay a few days. She arrived on New Year's Eve and stayed until Wed morning. Once again, the Lord sent just the right person for all that was going on.
Over New Year's weekend we found out that Tom's uncle had gone from going into the hospital for an infection last Wed to being in intensive care. The doctors came in and told his cousins that he was dying. Tommy has especially been close to this uncle over the years. His uncle lived in North Carolina, so when we were in Virginia we were able to see him often , which was a wonderful benefit of being over in that region. Our family loves him very much, so this was all hard news to hear.
Tom's cousin called Tuesday morning and said he died that morning around 5:30 am. Tuesday was the day I was going in for my fourth treatment. My heart was grieving Uncle Taylor's death, but I needed to be strong emotionally to show up and spend the day getting chemo. Diane and I prayed together, cried and talked. I was very grateful to have her here for all the things that were happening. Somehow I had to separate the two events for the day.
We left around 9 am and got there around 10. I spent the next six hours there. My appointment with my doctor went well. She felt that the tumor was smaller and softer, again, so she decided to keep me on the same 3 chemos. I told her that I had had a very difficult time with nausea on this past treatment, so she sent me home with some new nausea medicine that hopefully would manage that better. We talked about surgery and she said that my next step is to meet with the surgeon in the next couple of weeks. The surgeon makes the decision whether it's "time" to have the surgery or if she wants me to have one more treatment first. Even if I have one more treatment before the surgery, the total is still 8. So...I just have to meet with the surgeon to know what's next.
After the doctor time I went into the chemo room and started the routine. Diane was wonderful, of course. She'd come and sit down and visit and then come back in awhile. This time they gave me Benadryl as one of my pre-meds and immediately I started yawning! I couldn't keep my eyes open...so I didn't. I just conked out for about an hour or more. The whole treatment was four hours long. We finally got out around 4.
Diane left on Wed. I was SO glad she got to come! Then Tom and Betsy left for Dallas on Thursday for a medical mission conference that his ministry hosts every year. My parents arrived Thurs afternoon. Hooray. Once again, the Lord provided more troops. I hadn't seen them since October so it was so good to see them.
After the treatment I began to just wait and see how I'd feel. Wed. was okay...still felt mostly fine, some fatigue and very slight nausea. So I braced myself for Thurs. But Thurs was mild, the same way. So...I thought, okay, maybe it's 3 days this time. But Friday was mild again! Yeah! I couldn't believe it! Today (Saturday) has been fine...I had a little more fatigue and a little more nausea, but I haven't taken anything for it yet, which is shocking! I'm so grateful.
I was able to go walk with Mary and my Mom around the neighborhood.
Don't know what tomorrow will be like...but so far it has been more like the first and second treatment. And THAT is wonderful! Thank you Lord!!!
Thank you for your continued prayers. All the time people write or say to me that they are praying for me. That is such a comfort! I need the prayers continually because it seems like every week has its own challenge. Please pray for wisdom in the coming month about all the aspects regarding the surgery. Lots of decisions to make, and information to take in.
That's all for now. One more thing...please pray for our cousin Betsy who lives in Florida. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer herself. She is having surgery on Jan. 10, so please add her name to your prayers. The battle continues on, and the Lord continues to fight and walk with me. I can't imagine doing this without Him.
My sister Diane drove over to stay a few days. She arrived on New Year's Eve and stayed until Wed morning. Once again, the Lord sent just the right person for all that was going on.
Over New Year's weekend we found out that Tom's uncle had gone from going into the hospital for an infection last Wed to being in intensive care. The doctors came in and told his cousins that he was dying. Tommy has especially been close to this uncle over the years. His uncle lived in North Carolina, so when we were in Virginia we were able to see him often , which was a wonderful benefit of being over in that region. Our family loves him very much, so this was all hard news to hear.
Tom's cousin called Tuesday morning and said he died that morning around 5:30 am. Tuesday was the day I was going in for my fourth treatment. My heart was grieving Uncle Taylor's death, but I needed to be strong emotionally to show up and spend the day getting chemo. Diane and I prayed together, cried and talked. I was very grateful to have her here for all the things that were happening. Somehow I had to separate the two events for the day.
We left around 9 am and got there around 10. I spent the next six hours there. My appointment with my doctor went well. She felt that the tumor was smaller and softer, again, so she decided to keep me on the same 3 chemos. I told her that I had had a very difficult time with nausea on this past treatment, so she sent me home with some new nausea medicine that hopefully would manage that better. We talked about surgery and she said that my next step is to meet with the surgeon in the next couple of weeks. The surgeon makes the decision whether it's "time" to have the surgery or if she wants me to have one more treatment first. Even if I have one more treatment before the surgery, the total is still 8. So...I just have to meet with the surgeon to know what's next.
After the doctor time I went into the chemo room and started the routine. Diane was wonderful, of course. She'd come and sit down and visit and then come back in awhile. This time they gave me Benadryl as one of my pre-meds and immediately I started yawning! I couldn't keep my eyes open...so I didn't. I just conked out for about an hour or more. The whole treatment was four hours long. We finally got out around 4.
Diane left on Wed. I was SO glad she got to come! Then Tom and Betsy left for Dallas on Thursday for a medical mission conference that his ministry hosts every year. My parents arrived Thurs afternoon. Hooray. Once again, the Lord provided more troops. I hadn't seen them since October so it was so good to see them.
After the treatment I began to just wait and see how I'd feel. Wed. was okay...still felt mostly fine, some fatigue and very slight nausea. So I braced myself for Thurs. But Thurs was mild, the same way. So...I thought, okay, maybe it's 3 days this time. But Friday was mild again! Yeah! I couldn't believe it! Today (Saturday) has been fine...I had a little more fatigue and a little more nausea, but I haven't taken anything for it yet, which is shocking! I'm so grateful.
I was able to go walk with Mary and my Mom around the neighborhood.
Don't know what tomorrow will be like...but so far it has been more like the first and second treatment. And THAT is wonderful! Thank you Lord!!!
Thank you for your continued prayers. All the time people write or say to me that they are praying for me. That is such a comfort! I need the prayers continually because it seems like every week has its own challenge. Please pray for wisdom in the coming month about all the aspects regarding the surgery. Lots of decisions to make, and information to take in.
That's all for now. One more thing...please pray for our cousin Betsy who lives in Florida. She was just diagnosed with breast cancer herself. She is having surgery on Jan. 10, so please add her name to your prayers. The battle continues on, and the Lord continues to fight and walk with me. I can't imagine doing this without Him.
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