One week ago on Monday, February 13th, I was released from the hospital and went on to my radiation treatment at CARTI about 11:30 am. All was well, got home fine and rested all afternoon. We carefully stayed on schedule with nausea and pain meds so that I felt pretty stable. Tuesday and Wednesday were about the same.
My sister Diane arrived Wednesday afternoon (hooray) from Tennessee, which was wonderful. We had already planned for her to lead a devotional for my girls' Bible Study at 7. I was able to sit in the living room in my cushy new recliner and take in all the sweet voices and singing and words that the LORD was pouring into the room. The girls were blessed to hear Diane and I think she was blessed to hear them as well.
Thursday am. I arrived for treatment not feeling so well...not sure why. (Just the radiation treatments themselves I suppose.) Diane got to come in and see the big giant room and machine. I showed her the cross on the ceiling that I always look up at when I am getting treated. (I don't think I've described it to you all.)
The whole room is filled up with this high tech, very expensive massive machine that does the serious work of killing cancer cells. The very first time I ever had radiation treatment was in April 2007 and I noticed on the ceiling there was this simplistic cross up on the particle board ceiling that looked like it had been cut out with a kitchen knife, real rustic. Five years later, on my first treatment day this time around I looked all around on the ceiling trying to find that cross. I knew they had done a MAJOR remodel and added this spectacular machine to our facility, so I wondered if the simple cross was still around.
They settled me onto the table, moving me a little here and there until these precious radiation specialists got me situated perfectly. Then....I looked up. There it was! Made my heart fill up with joy. A cut out cross. Tipped to the right, so the top shorter part is to the right and the longer part of the cross is toward the left. There are 4 red laser beam dots at the edge of each of the cross pieces. But if you look further into the ceiling, way up into the cross, you can see a bright red beam. I asked Dr. P what the medical purpose is for the cross... "because, quite frankly ladies, I'm looking all over the room for Jesus and I think that's a good place for Him to hang out :-)". She smiled and said..."That's the laser beam, the light source. It comes down into the room from behind the cross and goes into the massive machine."
WOW...Light Source?! Oh course. A Light Source. THE Light Source, beaming down to destroy the cancer. Why not? Sounds like Jesus to me!
I know radiation does good things and that it does bad. Yes, the potential is there to do damage to healthy cells as well as to damage the ones we want to get destroyed. But in my simple, non-scientific heart of hearts...I am trusting that my God is using this for good, not for harm. Yes...healing.
Friday morning was surgery day. Tom took me to LR to have vertebroplasty surgery on my L-5. We didn't understand that it was a bigger deal than we had thought originally. We knew it was outpatient, but it was still a full day of surgery. I had general anesthesia, one hour of surgery and about 4 or 5 hours of recovery. Needless to say, I did not get back for the "last" radiation treatment.) We got to Baptist about 7 am and left that afternoon about 5:30 pm. The surgeon did an excellent job and all our supporting staff was very wonderful. We were just glad to get home. I pretty much spent the whole weekend recovering, sleeping, resting, staying on top of pain and nausea.
I woke up this Monday morning feeling really well! YAY GOD!!! I even walked from the edge of my bed into the living room all the way to my cozy new recliner. PRAISE GOD!!! QUITE a GREAT start for the new day!
Today I went to radiation treatment and Mary and Tom were with me. She did not have school today so she got to go see the big machine, the cross on the ceiling and met our Dr. as well.
SOOOO...tomorrow is a big day... treatment #13...the last one! Hooray!!! Very excited to reach this first milestone in the race. About 3 weeks from now we will return to Nashville to talk to our Vanderbilt doctor about the next step in the plan. I have 3 weeks to get stronger and stronger with the Strength of the Lord.
Wow, Lord, You've faithfully carried me through the past few weeks! Some moments were extreme, some quietly calm...all of them covered by Your Hand of Love. Thank You. That's all I know to say...thank You, O God. I cannot see what tomorrow holds, but I'm certain of one thing...You will be there again.
To Your glory and Praise and honor,
I give this day
and I give this night... to You.
With all my love,
Your child forever,
Lisa
8 comments:
Lisa, I'm glad you are feeling better and so glad you had a reminder of Jesus through all the radiation treatments! Love you--
Bonnie
Lisa thank you for sharing the story about the cross on the ceiling. Isn't that amazing that the source of the radiation light is the light of our world? Love how God has given you this to hang onto both times you have been in there! Praying for you!!! Love you sweet Lisa!
I'm so happy to hear that you are feeling better and that Diane got to be with you. To tell the truth, I'm a little jealous of the sweet, loving friends who are close enough in proximity to get to help you. They are blessed to have that opportunity. It still seems to me that I should be helping with meals or something. Since that is not the case, I will pray continually for your strength and health and for His leading and support of your very, very precious family. I love you, Lisa, and still miss having you in my day-to-day life.
Dawn
Lisa, I love your thoughts about light and Light! I'm convinced that God is revealing Himself more and more to us as we "discover" more and more about how light (lasers, radiation, vitamin D . . .) heals. Interesting to note that the first two things to "hit" this formless, void planet were oxygen (the Spirit/Breath of God hovering) and light--the very things we need most to inhabit these clay houses. May your house be pain-free, energized, totally whole and FILLED with the Presence and Light of the Almighty Himself.
I am glad to hear you were able to walk today! I hope you continue to feel better. You are on my heart and in my prayers. I love you!
You are such a trooper! :) So happy you are recovering quickly and that God is taking care of you and your needs.
Lisa, your blog is a beam of light to those of us so far away from you right now. I love to read your precious perspective -- finding and noticing God in each step of this journey! Woo-hoo for your "walk" to the recliner!!! Makes me smile BIG. I love you. Gloria
Lisa, I am so happy to read your update and to be able to visualize the room you were in and the cross on the ceiling. So happy the surgery is behind you and that Diane was able to come be with you too. Sending my love to you and always praying for your full recovery and to feel stronger day by day.
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