I had my first check-up of the year with the oncologist. Praise God, everything looks good. I’m healthy, fit, and only a few pounds heavier than I was three weeks ago. (December will do that to you.) I am now 2 years cancer-free. The best news is that my quarterly check-ups can now be stretched out to semi-annually. God is good.
Last week I had something medical-related every day except Wednesday. The week started with a chest X-ray, blood draws, bone density test, and ended with appointments with the oncologist and the plastic surgeon. The bottom line is that I am doing very well. There are two more steps for reconstruction, mainly for aesthetic appearances, both fairly minor procedures. This time last year a cold postponed my first reconstruction surgery. This year the cold is all outside (Yes, it has been snowing all day today.) and the major surgeries are behind me. God is Good.
It has been two and a half weeks since my surgery. Any thoughts that this surgery might be as quick and easy as the last one were put to rest within 24 hours. It was hard both physically and emotionally. Physically, there was more pain and discomfort and the pain medicine zonked me out. Emotionally, this was the final surgery. What I have now I was stuck with. I’m still not sure I’m completely happy with the results. Things will evolve over the next few weeks and months and I need to face the reality that my expectations may not be realistic.
My drains came out last Tuesday and since then I have felt much better. I am cleared to resume light aerobic activity after next Tuesday, the three-week mark.
As I study Isaiah in my weekly Precepts Bible study, I see God repeatedly impressing on His people that He is sufficient. They are not to trust their military might or the capabilities of the nations around them as potential allies against the Assyrians. These past few weeks, God took away the things I like to trust in—my strength, my productivity, my self-reliance, my intellect—and I had to decide, would I trust Him and still worship Him or would I wallow in self-pity? It took the whole two weeks for me to come around. God is graciously restoring those things to me slowly. May I not forget the lesson, but learn to depend on Him more and more.
Thank you all for your prayers. God is faithful. Please continue to pray for complete healing and that I can become comfortable with the results of the surgery.
You’ve all heard of YACC, Yet Another C Compiler (OK, maybe just a few of you geekier types have), well, it’s now time for YARS, Yet Another Reconstructive Surgery. This will be number 3. The main goal is to even things out in the up-down direction. It should have been the last, but due to the fact that God does very unique work that is difficult to reproduce, I will most likely have one more early next year to put some final touches on.
It has been discouraging as I had hoped the whole process would be done by the one-year mark of this whole ordeal. I had also hoped for better results after the last surgery, though I’ve been thankful that physically everything went smoothly. This surgery should be similar in down time and recovery. I thank God I have stayed healthy in the last month in spite of the swine flu swirling around so that the surgery can go ahead as scheduled. Please pray for wisdom & skill for the doctor, good results, and a smooth recovery. Also pray for patience on my part through this process. And if you want to put in a good word for the Phillies while you’re at it, that would be just fine.
Update: I met with the surgeon today and he was hopeful that he could do everything in one surgery rather than spread it over two. That would be wonderful.
I didn’t have to study for this test. All I had to do was show up, contort myself in awkward positions, then wait around for the results. What sort of test was this, you ask? It was my yearly mammogram. And I passed. I was not too worried, but getting a clean bill of health was still a relief. It is hard to believe that this whole saga of breast cancer started just about a year ago. Thank you all who continue to pray for me and offer your support.
Before I started a blog, I had all sorts of blog posts percolating in my head with no where to put them. Now that I’ve started a blog with grand hopes of updating it about twice a week, the blog muse seems to have gone to sleep. It’s been three and a half weeks since my last post. Blogging and procrastination just don’t mix. It is like the news, once the “story” is a few days old, it is not worth posting. It is good discipline for me.
So, what have I been doing instead of blogging? Recording my LPs into the computer; cleaning up iTunes to make it easier to find and listen to music; sprucing up the yard; picking and canning cherries, raspberries, and strawberries; camping a second time in Yellowstone; getting ready for the school year; and getting back into shape after 6 months of not being able to be as active due to my surgeries.
People keep asking my how I feel. I feel well. Life is returning to normal, though I pray it is a new normal, with greater trust in God, greater empathy for others, and less stress.
Last Tuesday I met with the plastic surgeon, marking 2 weeks since my surgery. Things are healing nicely, though it will take a few months for things to settle into their final form. He also said I could return to normal activities. I didn’t expect to be able to do that until 4 weeks out. So, since Tuesday, I have started tackling the yard and the house, trying not to do too much all at once. I am also plotting my course for getting back into shape, as I have not been able to do much cardio or strength training since my surgery back in May.
It is strange to be at this point. While I had surgeries pending or my activities were restricted I could feel like I was “doing something” about the cancer. Now, I am left with getting back to “normal life.” All I’m left with doing about the cancer is continuing to take a pill every day and being vigilant to any changes in my body that might signal a recurrence. It is a good reminder, though often hard to accept, that I really have no control over my life. God alone knows the number of hairs on my head and the length of my days. May He get the glory.
Thank you all for your prayers. God is good.
The morning started off unexpectedly when we had to scrape ice (yup, you read that right) off our our car before driving to the hospital. Our thermometer showed it got down to 32 degrees last night but thankfully I haven’t seen any frost damage to the garden or flowers.
After that all went more or less as planned. The surgery went well, though a little longer than expected and I have no drain!!! It is indeed less painful than the last surgery and the implant is a whole lot more comfortable. I had no nausea this time, though coming out of anesthesia is never fun. My throat is more sore this time from the anesthesia, but that should clear up quickly. I got home around 1pm.
It will take several months for things to settle into their final form, but so far things look promising. It is good to be this much closer to normal than I have been in 6 months. All that remains at this point is some aesthetic (cool, the blog spell-check wants the British spelling, not the American spelling) touches that are optional and won’t have to be done for a few months.
I’m allowed to slowly work back into normal activity as I feel up to it, though after 2 weeks is when I don’t need to be quite as careful.
God has been faithful throughout this trial. Thank you all for your thoughts & prayers. Keep them coming—they do indeed make a difference.
I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. — Psalm 121:1-2
The reconstruction process continues tomorrow morning with surgery to replace the tissue expander with the final implant. I am looking forward to completing this next step. I should be done and home before lunchtime. Recovery is supposed to be fairly easy, easier than the last surgery.
Even though I am getting used to the surgery routine, I still value your prayers for a smooth surgery & speedy and complication-free recovery.
My second surgery, to take out the tissue expander and replace it with an implant, has been scheduled for June 23. God was gracious—I did not expect to be able to schedule the surgery so quickly. It should be a relatively quick surgery with a short recovery. I am really looking forward to getting the tissue expander out, though I’m nervous as to how it is going to look. There is as much art involved in this process as science.
Please pray