I was to have an appointment with my oncologist this morning (Wed.), but they called late yesterday afternoon & cancelled. There is still one test that he is waiting on from the biopsy. Apparently it was left off. No one was too happy about this. I have to remember that it is being delayed for a reason. Everything is in HIS time, not ours. I do have some good news. I haven't had any pain meds since last Friday night. Thank you all for the prayers for my comfort & healing!! My energy levels have increased as well.
We are leaving for S.C. this afternoon to go to the beach. Our kids started fall break this week. Pray that we have a safe & relaxing trip. It is truly needed by all. On Monday morning we have the rescheduled appointment. Hopefully we will be receiving the news as to what type of chemo for sure & when we will start. I have to get a cardiac work-up on Thurs of next week. The chemo he is looking at for me requires this.
God is so good! My dear sister, Marzetta, sent me a card & it had a beautiful scripture that I have to share. He is all we need.
Pray about everything; tell God your needs...If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6, 7 TLB
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
A little R & R
It has been a wonderful, beautiful, peaceful day. Anthony was on the golf course. The kids are in Manchester, after having been to the county fair on Friday night with my brother & sister-in-law. I would have love to have gone. It has been a while since I've had a good 4-H funnel cake.
I have had a great day of resting, mostly napping. We watched some college football & listened to the Vols on the radio. We then ventured out & had a nice dinner with two other couples at Marina's, & topped it off with a trip to Walmart. WooHoo!! It is now after midnight on Sunday as I write this entry. I went all day without a single pain med!! That is nothing but God working & taking care of me. Keep praying for healing.
Hebrews 11:18 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I have had a great day of resting, mostly napping. We watched some college football & listened to the Vols on the radio. We then ventured out & had a nice dinner with two other couples at Marina's, & topped it off with a trip to Walmart. WooHoo!! It is now after midnight on Sunday as I write this entry. I went all day without a single pain med!! That is nothing but God working & taking care of me. Keep praying for healing.
Hebrews 11:18 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
The antipated news
It seemed as if Friday, our appointment day would never arrive. Anthony was not able to go to my 8am appt due to surgeries he had scheduled, so my sister drove up from Cartersville, GA to be with me. She got to the house close to midnight Thursday. She has gone through the cancer, chemo & has been a source of comfort/cheerleader for me. For those of you that don't know... her second time around with breast cancer & my first round, we were going through it the same time. Diagnosed three days apart.
The doctor came in & without any stammer told us that the primary source is breast again. He said it is rare to have DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), this is what I had first, & for it to reoccur this invasive. For the love of Pete, I had a double mastectomy & my surgeon told me four years ago that he only left 5% breast tissue. How could it be coming from here? We are still waiting on one test from St. Thomas on the specimen from 2003. It will determine what treatment we do first. If it is positive we will start with hormone therapy (Herceptin). There is a trio that he mentioned also. It would take five hours to infuse each treatment. He proceeded to tell me that there are two clinical trials that I might be eligible to participate. One for the breast cancer the other for the bone cancer. The only drawback is that I can only be in one. So I told him I wanted to be in the one that benefited me the most, of course. He has concerns about my left kidney & its decrease in function since my January surgery to fix my ureter that from time to time kinked off. This is called a UPJ obstruction & usually happens in childhood. It decided to wait a few years with me. So please pray that the rest of my body cooperates with treatment.
I have my next oncology appointment on Wednesday @ 8a., then we are leaving, God willing, on Wednesday afternoon for S.C. We are planning on traveling halfway for sanity's sake. Thank goodness for the DVD player in the Tahoe. We will return Sunday night. Please remember us as we travel.
After leaving the doctor, we raced home because some friends were coming over to bless our house. They had been there since a little after eight. They went room to room to pray for whatever came to their hearts. When my sister & I got there, Jeanine & Kristy were in Abby's room, sitting on her unmade bed. We all sat on the bed & talked, laughed, & cried. It was like a big girl slumber party. I just cannot imagine what it would be like not having friends/family to help you through times like this. I'm so blessed to have some remarkable people in my life. Those I can pick up the phone & vent to without being judged. Those that I can go a week or a couple months without seeing or talking to on the phone, but when you do, you pick up right where you left off.
I will end on this note. On Friday, I met a very remarkable elderly woman. She had this aura that surrounded her, a godly one. When she spoke, you just were drawn into her every word. She looked into my eyes as if she saw right through me. She made me realize that all I need is my Lord. We can be healed if we believe, have faith, stay in the Word, & do as he commands. We must remain positive in our thoughts & words, & rebuke the enemy.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouraging comments, cards, & phone calls.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
The doctor came in & without any stammer told us that the primary source is breast again. He said it is rare to have DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), this is what I had first, & for it to reoccur this invasive. For the love of Pete, I had a double mastectomy & my surgeon told me four years ago that he only left 5% breast tissue. How could it be coming from here? We are still waiting on one test from St. Thomas on the specimen from 2003. It will determine what treatment we do first. If it is positive we will start with hormone therapy (Herceptin). There is a trio that he mentioned also. It would take five hours to infuse each treatment. He proceeded to tell me that there are two clinical trials that I might be eligible to participate. One for the breast cancer the other for the bone cancer. The only drawback is that I can only be in one. So I told him I wanted to be in the one that benefited me the most, of course. He has concerns about my left kidney & its decrease in function since my January surgery to fix my ureter that from time to time kinked off. This is called a UPJ obstruction & usually happens in childhood. It decided to wait a few years with me. So please pray that the rest of my body cooperates with treatment.
I have my next oncology appointment on Wednesday @ 8a., then we are leaving, God willing, on Wednesday afternoon for S.C. We are planning on traveling halfway for sanity's sake. Thank goodness for the DVD player in the Tahoe. We will return Sunday night. Please remember us as we travel.
After leaving the doctor, we raced home because some friends were coming over to bless our house. They had been there since a little after eight. They went room to room to pray for whatever came to their hearts. When my sister & I got there, Jeanine & Kristy were in Abby's room, sitting on her unmade bed. We all sat on the bed & talked, laughed, & cried. It was like a big girl slumber party. I just cannot imagine what it would be like not having friends/family to help you through times like this. I'm so blessed to have some remarkable people in my life. Those I can pick up the phone & vent to without being judged. Those that I can go a week or a couple months without seeing or talking to on the phone, but when you do, you pick up right where you left off.
I will end on this note. On Friday, I met a very remarkable elderly woman. She had this aura that surrounded her, a godly one. When she spoke, you just were drawn into her every word. She looked into my eyes as if she saw right through me. She made me realize that all I need is my Lord. We can be healed if we believe, have faith, stay in the Word, & do as he commands. We must remain positive in our thoughts & words, & rebuke the enemy.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your encouraging comments, cards, & phone calls.
Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
An eventful day
Lately I wake up in the mornings & instantly feel what area is going to be "the hurt" for the day. This morning was different. You know the lump you feel in your throat when you have just received bad news or are extremely nervous? I felt a small one of those. I made lunches & saw Anth & the kids off to school as usual. I piddled around doing a few mom jobs, because all in all it seemed as if it was going to be a less painful day. By 11:00 I was worried. I called TN Oncology & spoke to a nurse. I told her I had a new port, & the spot at the bottom of my throat, where your collar bone meets in the middle, felt as if someone was choking me. Anth was finished seeing patients earlier than usual, so he came home & took me back to the clinic. We saw Dr. Deborah Williams, who immediately got a chest x-ray. No sign of pneumonia, or anything. We then went by Dr. Jimmy Carter's office. He was in a meeting & Anth eased into the conference room & asked him what we needed to do next. He said to get to the ER immediately to rule out a P.E. This had already raced through my mind. Got to the ER & as soon as they put the pulse oximetry on my finger & it showed 99% I knew is wasn't a pulmonary embolus (blood clot in the lung).
For the next five hours I rested, if you can call it that, had a CT of my head & chest, IV fluids, pain meds, & last but not least, a GI cocktail. This isn't nearly as good as a margarita. This relieved some of the fullness in my throat. It was a relief having Dexter Woods as my doctor for the day. His daughter Rachel & my Abby have been best friends since first grade. By 5:30 my friend Mel, (Dexter's wife) busted me out of that joint. I had sent Anthony back to the office around 2, because he had patients & there was no need for him to sit & look at me. For those of you that know him, you know how he just talks your ears off. HA! I love you Anth!
Continue to pray for God's healing. I put my faith daily in his hands. I cannot handle this burden alone. It is his now.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.
In Him,
a
For the next five hours I rested, if you can call it that, had a CT of my head & chest, IV fluids, pain meds, & last but not least, a GI cocktail. This isn't nearly as good as a margarita. This relieved some of the fullness in my throat. It was a relief having Dexter Woods as my doctor for the day. His daughter Rachel & my Abby have been best friends since first grade. By 5:30 my friend Mel, (Dexter's wife) busted me out of that joint. I had sent Anthony back to the office around 2, because he had patients & there was no need for him to sit & look at me. For those of you that know him, you know how he just talks your ears off. HA! I love you Anth!
Continue to pray for God's healing. I put my faith daily in his hands. I cannot handle this burden alone. It is his now.
1 Corinthians 16:13-14 Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be of courage; be strong. Do everything in love.
In Him,
a
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Friday is the big day
As I sat eating lunch with my husband on Tuesday afternoon, I received a phone call from TN Oncology to postpone our appointment until Friday @ 8, because the pathology reports aren't all back. How frustrating not knowing what area has started these crazy cancer cells to go haywire. Oh well, I had rather them be careful & run every test possible & get the right treatment from the get go than to waste more time with something that isn't going to do a thing. On a lighter note, when Anthony & I were at the eye doctor on Tuesday in Knoxville, I received some great news. I proceeded to tell Dr. Smith that I really could use some good news this week & he said well I can give you perfect news. My eyes are still 20/15 after having Lasik 5 years ago. WooHoo!! Just call me eagle eyes..HAHA.
I've had a rough few days. The pain continues to hopscotch around my body. Its as if I can feel this stuff spreading. A new pain everyday just scares me. My biopsy & port-a-cath op sites are just about healed in a weeks time. Pain meds are becoming a regular part of my day.
I just want to take this moment to thank all my friends who care so much for me. You know who you are. Whether you call, bring food, or just are here for me! I love you guys & I thank God for you.
Please continue to pray for God's healing. Our Jehovah Raffa, God the healer, does it everyday. Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous ones run to it and are safe.
I've had a rough few days. The pain continues to hopscotch around my body. Its as if I can feel this stuff spreading. A new pain everyday just scares me. My biopsy & port-a-cath op sites are just about healed in a weeks time. Pain meds are becoming a regular part of my day.
I just want to take this moment to thank all my friends who care so much for me. You know who you are. Whether you call, bring food, or just are here for me! I love you guys & I thank God for you.
Please continue to pray for God's healing. Our Jehovah Raffa, God the healer, does it everyday. Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous ones run to it and are safe.
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