Gratitude

My Day

a poem by Alan Casey

Each morning I wake up

looking for those golden rays from the skies,

Hoping that I will not see the color of gray

closing off the view from my eyes.

So, then I am thankful for a sky of blue

with funny shaped clouds floating along,

Brightening up my day, making me smile,

giving me the feeling that nothing can go wrong.

Then each night before I go to sleep

my heart fills with that certain feeling

I find myself thanking the Lord

for giving me something to believe in.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect."  I Peter 3:15

Quest(s)

Alternatively titled:  To blog or not to blog

Did you think I'd totally given up on this whole blogging thing? 

My lack of attention to posting information directly correlates to a lack of new information on this end.  Like most of you in the area, the primary goal of the last few weeks has been to stay reasonably warm and dry.  And to steer clear whatever the gusty winds might be blowing around outside.

We did however, make an important decision this week.  After follow up appointments with several doctors, and after a long talk with our oncologist, we've made the decision to forgo chemotherapy treatment.  The Oncotype DX test for which we were awaiting results was helpful in that the final numbers were not high. 

To be honest, the facts of our particular circumstances put us in a position to be fully supported by our oncologist whether we chose to move forward with the chemo or not.   Tough choice, with pros and cons on both sides.  We've prayerfully made our decision, and have peace.

This journey (so far) has been filled with quite a few questions that have multiple choice answers.  Isn't that just like life?  A good friend reminded me of a scripture from the book of Isaiah:  "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it'."  (30:21) 

And now, how to communicate to all of you who have prayed, and continue to pray for our family.  We are humbled that you would continue to keep us close.  We are grateful for every prayer, every card, every expression of love that you have shared with our family, and are very much honored to call you friends.

Much love and Merry Christmas to all.

"I thank my God every time I remember you....He who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus".  Philippians 1:3,6

How are you?

A simple question, really. 

Asked often, and with sincerity.

Often, we're not certain how much information a person wants to share, and to ask in this way gives the answerer the freedom to respond with "fine", or "let me tell you my story", or something in-between.

All things considered, we are good.  Thanksgiving was peaceful and crazy.  (If you know or are a part of my father's family, you know about the crazy part.  Those Bolings.  Gotta love 'em.)

We were able to spend time with Alan's family as well.  We had a sweet time together, with plenty of love and laughter.  (For those of you unaware, my husband passed away last February, and we're all navigating these holidays with some trepidation.)  

Elves showed up and helped to assemble and decorate the Christmas tree, since lifting and stretching are activities that are prohibited.

Recovery continues without complications.  We are so thankful, and have been enjoying time with friends, getting acquainted with Panera's holiday drinks and eats.  Doctor visits are few and far-between.

Our insurance company has approved the further testing mentioned in our previous post. (more info, see HERE) We appreciate your prayers regarding the accuracy of the results, and  wisdom regarding our decision.

We are so very appreciative of  your support, and are aware that many of you, our family and friends, are experiencing exhausting challenges- physical, emotional, financial, etc.  We pray that...

"...the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  Romans 15:13

Pathology, Perspective, Progress

Another week has passed, with progress in recovery from the surgery of two weeks ago.  We are very thankful for continued healing with no complications!

Remember when, back in your school days, you were assigned vocabulary words?  Each Monday, you were assigned a new list to spell and use in a sentence.  The goal was not only memorization--the Friday test revealed whether or not you understood the meaning of the words.

We met with our Oncologist this week, and have several new words.  Our new vocab list includes words like hormone (estrogen) receptor positive, tamoxifen, cytoxa, and taxotere.  We're learning to use these words in context, and our brains have been stretched.

That pesky spot of invasive cancer, measuring 1.2 centimeters, was removed during mastectomy two weeks ago.  Though gone, it's certainly not forgotten.  Because the tumor was hormone (estrogen) receptor positive, tamoxifen will be prescribed for a period of five years.

A little less certain at this point is whether or not chemotherapy will be prudent.  An absence of family history of breast cancer, the presence of clear margins around the removed tumor, and clear sentinel nodes all point to a reduced risk of recurrence.  Low probability of recurrence gives us the option of declining chemotherapy treatment.  Assuming our insurance company approves further testing of the tumor, the results of the Oncotype DX test (genetic markers test) should give us further direction in our decision regarding additional treatment. 

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, we are so very grateful for each of you that have come alongside us in this journey.  We are blessed by your continued prayers and encouragement.

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations."  Psalm 100: 3-5

Out of the Fog

It's been a week!  Haven't updated the blog for fear that anything written would be senseless.

Follow-up appointment with the plastic surgeon today was good, healing is going well.  The nurse that removed those annoying drains is my hero.

I have been blessed by your notes, blessed by food (my fridge and freezer are overflowing), blessed with fresh flowers, and very blessed with quiet telephones.  (Thankful that my recovery is post-election, those endless political calls made me want to permanently ditch my land line.)

Most especially, however, I have been tremendously blessed by your prayer support.  We have peace.  Peace for now, peace for later.

Initially, our diagnosis was DCIS (see first blog post), determined after biopsy.  Additional testing was ordered (MRI) and confirmed that diagnosis.  MRI results gave two more important bits of information:  (1) the right breast was unaffected, and (2) there was an additional spot of concern in the affected breast. 

Post-surgery pathology is giving us good news/bad news reports.  The good news:  lymph nodes are clear.  The bad news:  that additional spot of concern was an invasive cancer.  The good news:  that invasive cancer was removed, and with clear margins.  The bad news:  the previous existence of that invasive cancer means that further treatment will probably be necessary.

We'll see an oncologist next week to determine the next treatment steps, based on the full pathological report.

Prayer requests:  continued healing without complications; rest; clear understanding of medical information; wisdom for oncologist for future treatment.

We've laughed this week too, but some things simply should not be shared on a blog...

"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."  Hebrews 13:20-21

Home.

Glad to be home.  Have more mobility than expected.  Being well cared for.  : )

Remember Snow White's seven dwarfs?  I've been Dopey, Sleepy, Grumpy.  Forget about Bashful- not a chance with doctors and nurses poking, prodding, writing on parts you'd just as soon keep to yourself.  But most certainly Happy to have the surgery behind me.

Tough road of healing ahead, we'll take it one day at a time.

Your prayers, notes, support, love...priceless.

Janet

Lightly Salted

Hello! It's Alyson. Judy and Mom and I were sitting here chatting, and Dr. H came in to check up on Mom and tell her that she's looking great, healing nicely, and can go home today. Woohoo! (this was at 9:15, we were driving away by 10:15. Double woohoo!)

In the process of reviewing how Mom is doing, the doctor asked her to rate her pain on a scale of 1 to 10, using this picture that is posted on the wall above the bed:

I personally don't think that's a very helpful pain scale. My friend at Hyperbole and a Half blog created a much more helpful pain scale. Disclaimer: She does use a bit of salty language, but not every other word. More like lightly salted.