We've had a busy week. Mary turned 16 on the 23rd, then Christmas Eve we opened presents with our family, then Christmas Day...more family time and more food and even fit in time to play Settlers of Catan. Then yesterday was Jesse's golden birthday! 27 on the 27th...another great day of celebration. Lots of good, sweet family time together.
Sunday was a very good day. The elders at our church prayed for me and anointed me with oil, praying very boldly for complete healing and no cancer. I am grateful for their prayers and all the church's love and concern.
Tomorrow is my PET scan. I go in at 12:45. It will take 2 or 3 hours and I will not get the results back until next week. That's really okay with me.
I feel lots of peace. Once again, I KNOW that is from prayers. God has been faithful to give me little moments of encouragement along the way. He shows me in little ways that He is ever present and going before me, yes, going ahead of me to take care of everything. My job is to trust Him...to truly trust Him with my life.
So...that's what I going to do. Trust Him.
Thanks so much for your prayers and your love.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Eve
Yesterday was a big day! First and foremost...it was Mary's birthday! Sweet, sweet sixteen. I can hardly stand to say it out loud...16. WOW. She is such a blessing to our home and a delight to all who know her. Tom and I are very proud of who she has become in the Lord Jesus Christ, just a beautiful, young Christian woman.
Yesterday was also a medical test day for me. Tom and I spent Wednesday night in Little Rock so it would be easier to get to my 7:00 am appointment. I went in and had a CT scan of my head, my chest and pelvic areas. Then 2 hours later I went in for a bone scan from head to toe. Immediately following we went in to see my oncologist for the report on all these tests.
My doctor said that there were 2 small spots on my spine that concerned them enough to give them "suspicious" status on the report. She said she wants me to come in for a PET scan this coming Wed, Dec. 29th to look at it closer. She discussed the fact that these were showing up, plus my tumor marker being elevated concerned her, so she wants to check it all out further. She also took me off of Tamoxifen and put me on Arimidex, another type of hormonal therapy.
We left the office feeling okay. It would have been nice to have heard "we did not see anything at all, Mrs. Carr"...but we didn't hear anything definite either. SO Tom and I took a deep breath and looked on the hopeful side of this. It looks very much like what happened to me 3 years ago. They saw a lesion in my humerus bone and my scapula. It wasn't until 5 weeks later when they did the biopsy that they were confident that it was not cancer. I guess I am holding lots of hope in my heart because of that experience having a good ending.
THEN...something great happened about 4:00 in the afternoon. The nurse called and she said that they rechecked the tumor marker. It had gone DOWN from 42 to 31, with 30 being normal!!!! WOW...that was incredible. In one week it dropped almost to normal. She was very surprised herself but glad. She said "we will still continue with the plan to do the PET scan on Wed.". Fine. That's fine. Good plan.
That news shifted the whole picture. If the tumor marker is down, that means the presence of cancer is lessened in their medical perspective. I truly believe that it was God who stepped in. SO many people are praying...and I'm very grateful! We ask for mountains to move and when we see the mountain shift, we can't write it off to coincidence. I want to give Him the glory and the credit.
So...
Thank You, God, for shifting the mountain. Thank You, O Lord, for those numbers going down. Thank You for hearing our cries. Thank You for stepping in. Thank You for blessing Mary's special day with a joyful celebration. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your love. AND, on this glorious Christmas Eve, I thank You for coming to earth as a innocent baby, both holy and human. Thank You for Your life and for Your death and Your resurrection! My heart is full of gratefulness for this day of life that You have given to me. I praise Your Name!!!
In Jesus I pray, Amen.
Yesterday was also a medical test day for me. Tom and I spent Wednesday night in Little Rock so it would be easier to get to my 7:00 am appointment. I went in and had a CT scan of my head, my chest and pelvic areas. Then 2 hours later I went in for a bone scan from head to toe. Immediately following we went in to see my oncologist for the report on all these tests.
My doctor said that there were 2 small spots on my spine that concerned them enough to give them "suspicious" status on the report. She said she wants me to come in for a PET scan this coming Wed, Dec. 29th to look at it closer. She discussed the fact that these were showing up, plus my tumor marker being elevated concerned her, so she wants to check it all out further. She also took me off of Tamoxifen and put me on Arimidex, another type of hormonal therapy.
We left the office feeling okay. It would have been nice to have heard "we did not see anything at all, Mrs. Carr"...but we didn't hear anything definite either. SO Tom and I took a deep breath and looked on the hopeful side of this. It looks very much like what happened to me 3 years ago. They saw a lesion in my humerus bone and my scapula. It wasn't until 5 weeks later when they did the biopsy that they were confident that it was not cancer. I guess I am holding lots of hope in my heart because of that experience having a good ending.
THEN...something great happened about 4:00 in the afternoon. The nurse called and she said that they rechecked the tumor marker. It had gone DOWN from 42 to 31, with 30 being normal!!!! WOW...that was incredible. In one week it dropped almost to normal. She was very surprised herself but glad. She said "we will still continue with the plan to do the PET scan on Wed.". Fine. That's fine. Good plan.
That news shifted the whole picture. If the tumor marker is down, that means the presence of cancer is lessened in their medical perspective. I truly believe that it was God who stepped in. SO many people are praying...and I'm very grateful! We ask for mountains to move and when we see the mountain shift, we can't write it off to coincidence. I want to give Him the glory and the credit.
So...
Thank You, God, for shifting the mountain. Thank You, O Lord, for those numbers going down. Thank You for hearing our cries. Thank You for stepping in. Thank You for blessing Mary's special day with a joyful celebration. Thank You for Your faithfulness and Your love. AND, on this glorious Christmas Eve, I thank You for coming to earth as a innocent baby, both holy and human. Thank You for Your life and for Your death and Your resurrection! My heart is full of gratefulness for this day of life that You have given to me. I praise Your Name!!!
In Jesus I pray, Amen.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
December 21, 2010
In November I went in to my regularly scheduled checkup with my oncologist. (I go every 4 months and get scans every 8 months.) She said that everything looked fine. But...2 weeks later I got a call from the nurse and she said that one of the tests, a tumor marker, was elevated. The protocol is to come back in 2 weeks and take my blood again.
SO...I went back this past Thursday and they took my blood. On Friday they called and said that the numbers were actually a little higher...so, they wanted to set up a scan day. That is this coming Thursday, December 23rd...which also happens to be Mary's birthday. I will get CT scans of my head, chest and pelvic areas and then see my oncologist to discuss the results.
Those are the medical facts but there is always the spiritual side to hear as well.
Spiritually...I believe that this is a spiritual battle over something physical, my body and wellness. When all this started up, I felt like the Lord wanted me to re-memorize the Scriptures from Ephesians 6. I love these verses because they paint a picture of what we cannot see...a battle. Good vs. evil. God vs. the enemy Satan. Sounds simplistic and maybe old fashioned, but it is what it is...truth. Yet, another very important truth is... "greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world". Our God is victorious and I am leaning on that spiritual fact.
"Finally, brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the tricks of the devil. For we are not struggling with flesh and blood...but with powers, with the principalities, with world rulers of this present darkness and with the spiritual army of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore...take the whole armor of God so that you can stand in the day of evil and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist and with the breastplate of righteousness in its place. Besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert, and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."
That's where my heart is right now. To stand. Therefore, stand. Take my stand. I am taking a stand in my heart to trust the Lord, to pray boldly for no cancer and to stand back and see the Lord go before me. I am walking by faith, not by sight. I've actually had this happen before...3 years ago...in the month of December. They looked me in the eye and said "you have bone cancer" and 5 weeks later they declared that I did not have it after all. I have experienced God moving mountains.
I do not know what will happen Thursday...but I DO know that there is NOTHING that can happen that God is not involved in. He is my God. He loves me. I love Him. He is faithful and good and will walk before me and with me on every path of my life. I choose hope. I choose love. I choose faith. I choose Jesus.
Sounds like a good song. :-)
SO...I went back this past Thursday and they took my blood. On Friday they called and said that the numbers were actually a little higher...so, they wanted to set up a scan day. That is this coming Thursday, December 23rd...which also happens to be Mary's birthday. I will get CT scans of my head, chest and pelvic areas and then see my oncologist to discuss the results.
Those are the medical facts but there is always the spiritual side to hear as well.
Spiritually...I believe that this is a spiritual battle over something physical, my body and wellness. When all this started up, I felt like the Lord wanted me to re-memorize the Scriptures from Ephesians 6. I love these verses because they paint a picture of what we cannot see...a battle. Good vs. evil. God vs. the enemy Satan. Sounds simplistic and maybe old fashioned, but it is what it is...truth. Yet, another very important truth is... "greater is He who is in you than the one who is in the world". Our God is victorious and I am leaning on that spiritual fact.
"Finally, brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the tricks of the devil. For we are not struggling with flesh and blood...but with powers, with the principalities, with world rulers of this present darkness and with the spiritual army of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore...take the whole armor of God so that you can stand in the day of evil and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist and with the breastplate of righteousness in its place. Besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert, and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people."
That's where my heart is right now. To stand. Therefore, stand. Take my stand. I am taking a stand in my heart to trust the Lord, to pray boldly for no cancer and to stand back and see the Lord go before me. I am walking by faith, not by sight. I've actually had this happen before...3 years ago...in the month of December. They looked me in the eye and said "you have bone cancer" and 5 weeks later they declared that I did not have it after all. I have experienced God moving mountains.
I do not know what will happen Thursday...but I DO know that there is NOTHING that can happen that God is not involved in. He is my God. He loves me. I love Him. He is faithful and good and will walk before me and with me on every path of my life. I choose hope. I choose love. I choose faith. I choose Jesus.
Sounds like a good song. :-)
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