Surgery Date, May 6, 2016

Yes, I have a date to start stomping out the cancer....I will be at Medical Park Hospital for one night on May 6, 2016.  After the surgery they will dissect and find out exactly what kind of cancer, during the surgery they will check lymph nodes and take out any involved...I never understood exactly what they do, but have since found out they drain liquid from areas of your body....it would be good not to have any involved....after the surgery I will go back to Dr. Hines the oncologist and we will look at the options for treatment if necessary and go from there...so essentially I am on hold about what the summer holds until that time.

Other than having the 2 C-sections, I have never had major surgery and  or had any extended recovery times...this is the scariest part of what May 6th brings....I won't be able to drive for up to 4 weeks....I am so thankful to my cousin for putting her life on hold to come and take care of me and keep my house running for the first couple of weeks....and to Keely for taking the dogs and returning them one at a time as I can deal with them....I can not start to list everyone who has reached out, I have gotten some wonderful cards and lots of encouragement on Facebook.

I have met some of the most remarkable women who have been at the same scary place and are willing to return to that time so they can give me advice and tell me how things really are...thanks to you all as well.

Most of all I am grateful for all who have prayed for me and added me to prayer lists....that I the way I will be able to beat this disease....

So here is a happy photo from the fall visit to Disney World...it is exciting to think that the next time we go we will have one more little person with us!  (and I wanted to put a photo in so the blog wouldn't be just blah, blah, blah from me....

If you look below you will find I haven't written on this blog for 7 years.....sometimes that seems lifetimes ago and others it seems like it is just yesterday.  There have been several quilts finished in this time and several lost in a house fire 18 months ago, but I will get back to quilts later. 

Primarily I thought I would put the details of my illness and treatment here and keep it off Facebook as much as I can.

On March 24th I had a mammogram...it was a 6 month follow-up for a spot they were watching on the left side.  The afternoon of the 25th they called me to come back in on 29th for some spots they wanted to look at further....that lead to a 3 site biopsy on the 31st and the results of the biopsies were presented to me by a nurse navigator on April 5th.  It was the word no one ever wants to hear and to hear the words "two spots tested malignant" was truly horrible.  It took me a couple of minutes to start listening to the nn again as she was explaining size type and what was next.  The cancer is called ductal cancer...one spot has not spread out of the duct and in that form it is called stage 0 and the other one had spread out of the duct and was 1.9cm and considered stage 1/2....there are things about the tumors on the path report, but the most important will be when they operate and get all the tissue out and see what is in there.  Right now they don't think any lymph nodes are involved, but that could change as they check them during surgery.

I met with the surgeon last week and the oncologist today.  I really connected with both and the oncologist was very positive with the current facts and will be able to tell me more about possible chemo after the surgery.  I meet with the plastic surgeon on Wed. and hopefully will get a surgery date that day or the next. 

I am thankful that God has given so much knowledge about cancer to the doctors for quick and effective treatment, but most of all I know that I will come out of this better and will have more faith that I did before. 
James 1 2-4    Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

References for James 1:2

• Cross References
• Footnotes

• 6 1:2 - ver 12; S Mt 5:12 ; Heb 10:34 ; 12:11 ; 1Pe 1:6

• a 1:2 - The Greek word for "brothers and sisters" ("adelphoi" ) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in verses 16 and 19; and in 2:1, 5, 14; 3:10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19.                                                                                                                                                            

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.

I am just being "refined" again, as my friend Carol MacLeod would say!  (and thank goodness this time it doesn't involved a real fire!