Thank you for praying!

We are thanking and praising the Lord the pathology reports came back with the lymph nodes showing no cancer!  The surgeon said the lump was small at 7mm.  The pathology reports did show that the lump has non-invasive cancer cells in the margin of tissue around it so I am tentatively scheduled (waiting for an exact time) for next Friday, April 3, to have additional surgery to remove the remaining cancer.  The surgeon said this surgery won’t require general anesthetic; all I care is that I don’t feel it :o).  Before this next surgery we will be meeting with the surgeon on Monday, March 30, for a follow-up appointment to discuss treatment and to get scheduled with a medical oncologist.  I am assuming that the medical oncologist will be the one to dictate the radiation schedule but we will see.

There is much to be thankful for!  I am so thankful that the Lord cares for me!  He knew that we would be facing this cancer and He has been preparing each step we have walked before the diagnosis and now as we walk through it.  We are thankful that He is in control and He knows what is best at this time.  The prognosis could be dim but the Lord has allowed it to be brighter than we feared.  Our desire is to allow His light to shine through us during this time, so that He will receive all the glory and others will come to know Him. 

Thank you for supporting us in prayer! 

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Like the blog title states: “Not as bad as I thought”

Thank you all for your prayers!  Your prayers were definitely felt and were a great encouragement as we faced what is new unchartered territory for us.  I’m feeling better than expected and we are praising the Lord for the initial report that shows no cancer in the lymph nodes!  We are still amazed and blessed how the Lord orchestrated every detail to bring everything together in a week’s time.  As one of the technicians told us, it was unusual that we were able to get everything done in a week.  It is quite obvious that our Father was working out the details!!

Friday ended up being a very long day; we were at the hospital at 9am and left around 8pm to head home.  Each procedure leading up to surgery went well.  It was around 2pm when they started prepping me for surgery and probably around 4pm when I was returned to my outpatient room to recover.

As Dan waited for me to come out of surgery my surgeon came and spoke with him.  He said that everything went well and that there was no cancer in the initial testing of the lymph nodes.  This is a huge answer to prayer and we trust the Lord that the pathology reports show this too.  As an interesting side note; you always wonder if you have been directed to a good doctor; you obviously trust the Lord to place you in the hands of the best doctor.  When my surgeon came to see Dan there was another man in the waiting room whom the surgeon interacted with on a professional level.  After he left the room this man told Dan that my surgeon is one of the nicest doctors and that doctors send their family members to this surgeon.  Just another confirmation among the many from this past week that we are in the right medical hands, although we already know we are in the greatest Physician’s hands of all, our Lord and Savior. 

It took me almost 4 hours to recover enough from the anesthetic to be allowed to go home.  I wasn’t fully awake but it was a blessing to finally get home to give hugs and kisses to the kids before they headed to bed. 

What I am experiencing from the surgery is more discomfort than pain.  I think all the tape that was stuck on me was more uncomfortable than the incisions and stitches themselves.  The discomfort I’m feeling is more like pulled muscles from trying to lift too much weight.  Like the surgeon said, this surgery would be nothing like my hip surgery and it wasn’t. 

We are praising the Lord for a successful surgery and a good report.  I am scheduled to meet with the surgeon on March 30 when we will discuss treatment and all that goes along with that.  I will keep you posted on what the next steps are.

Thanks again for your love and prayers!

Kelly's Home and resting

Kelly is home and resting after this afternoon's surgery.  Initial results indicate she will not need chemo therapy.

We thank God for His ever-present grace.

Dan

Now that was fast!

We received the results of the MRI yesterday morning.  We are very encouraged that it appears that the cancer is only located in and around the area of the tumor and the lymph nodes look fine. This morning I received the results of my thyroid test; the thyroid is slightly underactive which is the result we have wanted to be heading towards since having the radioactive iodine treatment in November.  The surgeon called my endocrinologist this afternoon and was given the OK on the thyroid in order to proceed with surgery.  I was shocked when the surgeon asked if I would like to try to get on the schedule for surgery tomorrow morning (Friday, 3/20/09) or wait until next Friday (3/27/09).  The sooner the better for me, let's get it done tomorrow!  I just want this cancer removed as soon as possible!

This week has been a whirlwind for us with our first consultation with the surgeon on Monday, the MRI on Tuesday, the MRI results yesterday, the thyroid results today and now surgery tomorrow. The morning will start at 8:45 a.m. with an appointment with Nuclear Medicine, then on to Mammography and finally to surgery at 1:00 p.m.  

Thank you for your prayers as we take another step towards battling this cancer.  We will let you know how things go.

Lamentations 3:21-23 "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Didn't Realize Turning 40 Would Be This Stressful

It is hard to believe that I've finally turned 40.  Growing up I thought many long awaited milestones would never come: like turning 16 and getting my license, heading to college, getting a dream job (that never came until I became a mother!), marrying the man of my dreams and starting a family. Turning 40 has never been one of my long awaited milestones but it also hasn't been a dreaded event until now.  God has always been so good and faithful through the good times and the stormy times and there is no reason to expect anything differently in 2009!

We thought that 2008 was busy and "exciting" with my successful hip replacement surgery and having my thyroid radiated to reverse the affects of my Graves Disease.  Both of these health issues have been more of an annoyance than a serious concern.  As I have turned 40 we face another year of more "excitement" but with a little more seriousness and urgency.

In early February I discovered what I thought might be a lump in my breast and in mid February I went to have it checked out.  At the time the doctor thought it might be connective tissue but along with the already scheduled mammogram he ordered a diagnostic ultrasound.  The mammogram and ultrasound showed the lump to be suspicious so I had a needle biopsy on Wednesday, 3/11/09.  On Friday, 3/13/09 I received a call from my doctor with the results and the dreaded news that the lump is malignant.  This was obviously our worst fear and the worst day in my opinion to receive the news; it was Dan’s 40^th birthday.  It will definitely be a birthday to remember!  We are resting in the Lord knowing that His timing is perfect and His strength and grace is sufficient for today and the days ahead.  Our complete trust is in Him!

This past Monday, 3/16/09, we met with the surgeon for the first time and we were really impressed with him, especially his willingness to answer to questions.  After our meeting with him we weren't even out the door and he was already on the phone trying to gather some answers to a few questions that we had.  It was a relief to receive a little more information so we aren't completely in the dark on the diagnosis and future treatment.  The surgeon referred to the tumor as small and that I have both invasive ductal carcinoma and ductal carcinoma in-situ which means the tumor developed in the milk duct and has now spread outside the duct.

Yesterday, Tuesday, 3/17/09, I had my MRI to determine if the cancer has spread anywhere else.  We were supposed to get the results in the afternoon by 4pm but the MRI hadn't been read yet (they are only read on Tuesdays and Fridays).  The surgeon called and stated that one of the people who reads the MRIs is a friend of his and he was going to ask him to read mine in the morning so we could get the results and start moving forward.  I received a call this morning (Wednesday) from the surgeon and the MRI showed that the cancer is only located where the tumor is and that the lymph nodes looked fine.  We are praising the Lord for a good report today, a good doctor and one with connections!  We are now waiting for my thyroid labs to come back so that we can determine how it is functioning before I can schedule surgery.

Even though this past weekend was a roller coaster of emotions for me as I was trying to get my mind around this diagnosis I thank the Lord for the blessings He brought my way.  The many prayers for our family from family, friends and people I have never met have been a source of encouragement and strength to us at this time.  God is gracious in the good and the bad times.  We will choose to rest in him and trust him for each new day!  Although we are not looking forward to this process and would never have chosen this illness we do look forward to what the Lord has in store for us in the future.  

Psalm 18:30

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." 

Psalm 9:1-2

“I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done.  I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.”