Pretty Much a Normal Day

Since I had received my Big News, it seems like each day has been rushed or burdened or I've been tired. Oh, I had a quick trip out to see my children,in the Midwest, so there was traveling involved. It just seems like I've needed to take a moment and breathe.

I was able to do that a bit this afternoon. It was just a nice relaxing afternoon. I had my annual eye exam this morning, so with eyes dilated and sunglasses on, I drove home, made some lunch, plopped down in my recliner and enjoyed my soap opera, which needed some major catching up on.

Later, to make my day even easier, I popped some chicken and rice in the crock pot for an easy supper.

I think for the first time, my condition hasn't been in the back of my mind for most of the day. It's been a normal relaxing day and I continue to rest in the peace of God.

My calendar is already getting full of doctor appointments. I have two tomorrow. So, it looks like a busy fall is ahead for me.

I enjoyed my somewhat normal day.

Meeting Dr. Times And A Little Fear

I met with my surgeon today. It was exhausting. I was there for two hours and most of the time was with the nurse telling me stuff that went over my head. There was so much information it finally became "blah, blah, blah". She sent me home with yet another folder. Everyone has folders and I'm supposed to put them in my big notebook. That's overwhelming and I don't want to mess with it, so it's all in a stack. I feel like I need a personal assistant just to control their print outs!


Dr. Times came in for about twenty minutes of the two hours. Things don't sound so bad. I guess if you're going to get cancer, I have about the best situation a person could have. Praise God for that one.

Here's a cool video about a day in the life of Dr. Times. I really enjoyed talking with him and like him a lot.

Apparently, prior to the outpatient surgery, I have to have two procedures that help with the surgery. I am so not looking forward to those, as they involve needles and I have to be awake, although, numbed. They said I'd be numbed for the biopsy, too, but I could feel it for a bit. It's not going to be a fun morning. But, from the sound of things, after those two procedures, it seems as if I'll be comfortable with very little pain even after the surgery.

Those of you that pray for me, pray for those procedures, as just the thought of them make me anxious. I won't be thinking of them - except at 2:00 a.m.  You know how that goes!

I know I'm not alone in this. God has assured me that He is with me and before me. So, here's my song for today, "You're Not Alone".

I am determined not to fear - even if it's a needle (or several). Because fear is the opposite of faith and God has already been so good in all of this. There's certainly more to praise than fear and I determine to concentrate on that. Faith sustains life and if I keep my eyes on what God says I know any fear can be defeated and driven out of my life. The fear, anxiety, stress - that's not what God wants for me, so I have to keep my eyes on Him. There's really no choice. And that's where I'll find my peace - keeping my eyes on Jesus and what the Word of God says.

One thing I read in my Bible today says, "The LORD delivers me, and under His wings I take refuge. His truth is my shield and buckler. I am not afraid of the terror by night; nor of the arrow that flies by day. A thousand may fall at my side, and ten thousand at my right hand; but it will not come near me!" (Psalm 19:3-7)

I have a couple of more doctors to meet in my near future. I'm just taking it all one day at a time, one doctor at a time, one paper at a time. And when I get overwhelmed or stressed or fearful, I'll look to my God, who comforts me.

The Big News

So, I went for my yearly mammogram and it's a good thing I did. (If you haven't, go!) Usually, I get a phone call with a follow up letter that says everything is A-OK and they look forward to seeing me again next year.

But, this time was different. This time I got a phone call to come back in. They wanted a biopsy. They found a little something. I wasn't worried. They've found somethings before, but never a biopsy. So, okay, I'll play along.

The next phone call was asking me to come in and speak with the doctor. I knew, now, that it wasn't going to be good. The doctor let me know the results from the biopsy came back positive and blah, blah, blah - that's about all I heard for awhile. She left the room and I was sitting there with a Nurse Navigator (Kathy) and my husband. The Nurse Navigator began to explain everything to me and it was way over my head, but I listened. I really didn't want to be educated in this. Just get the thing out.

I love my Nurse Navigator. I think her role is so cool. She is assigned to me for anything I need, any questions I have to ask, any support. We hit it off and I look forward to working with her.

I looked over at my husband while she was talking. My main concern was what he was going through at the moment. He had lost his brother and his best friend to cancer within six months of each other a few years ago and I just wanted to hug him and tell him it would be okay. (I did later.) I didn't want him to go through this all over again. But, the look on his face told me that he was doing okay with the information we were being given. (Cancer doesn't affect just the patient. It affects everyone who knows the person that has it. I hate it!)

But, as my nurse kept talking, things started sounded positive and okay. I didn't feel dread or awful when I left the room. It was one of those things that smack you in the face on a beautiful and day and you think to yourself, "Okay, now what?" I knew God was with me. He had let me know that He is with me through all of this (and that is what I want to share on this blog) and that He has gone before me.

God had let me know that He was before me that day even before I left that room because it turns out that Nurse Navigator Kathy shares the same faith that I do and loves God just as much as I do. She's my sister in Christ and I truly believe that God went before me and had her assigned to me that day just to let me know He's got this.

At first, I didn't let this stuff get to me during the day, but at night when I laid down to sleep, my mind would start to race and my head kept hearing the words over and over "breast cancer, breast cancer". Based on 2 Corinthians 10:5, which says to take every captive thought to Christ, I decided this was not God's will for my mind to continue doing this and started to fight this thing as a spiritual battle, which I believe all disease is. The Bible says, "no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD". (Isaiah 54:17 ESV)

That "weapon" is disease and I condemn it based on the words of Scripture, in the name of Jesus. His name has authority over ALL sickness and disease and He is bigger than any of that. Jehovah Rapha is the Lord who heals and is my Great Physician.

In reading my Bible, I looked up a lot of verses where Jesus went about healing people. Did you realize that every time He was healing people He healed ALL the people? He didn't turn anyone away. Even when He was tired, He would still take the time and effort to heal ALL the people. He doesn't want us sick. Our bodies are not our own and, as a Christian, we are housing the Holy Spirit. Light and dark don't exist together and my God has got this!

So, I'm okay with The Big News. I'm just going to have a little outpatient surgery and possibly some radiology. God has given me peace and assurance and I don't have to worry about my husband or any thing at all, but I know God has this! He had it two-thousand years ago at the cross when He died for my sin and disease. He healed EVERYTHING right then and there and that's why He said "It is finished". His work was done. He doesn't have to work on me
today, because He already did that for me years ago.

Romans 8:11 says, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."  Wow! That is awesome! Doesn't that just give you chills all over? God is so good.

I just love this song. Click the link and listen to it. The words are powerful and so positive.

Thanks for reading my blog. Please leave your comments and questions, if you have any, and come back for more. Share with others, if you find any thing inspiring. I hope there is inspiration in these words.

And thanks to all my friends and family for all the wonderful support. I know you will all be there for me as I go on this adventure.