Catching up

“The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.”  Psalm 29:11


We apologize for a quiet week on the blog, but in some respects, that is probably a good deal. Alexa and I spent the first part of the week in Dallas with my parents, so I could focus on getting some rest, building my strength and gaining more weight. I have to admit, it was a blessing to get away from all of the reminders of my reality. I enjoyed some HGTV, opportunities to sleep in and was blessed to hang out and pray with a dear sister who has walked my road victoriously. What an encouragement you were to my heart, Melinda! I also felt the best physically that I have since this all began at the end of March. If my back weren’t hurting, and my right hand didn’t look like a claw, you would have a difficult time convincing me I have the “C” word.

The week wasn’t all R&R, both Chris and I (okay, let’s be honest, really Chris) spent several hours on the phone trying to get the final pieces to MD Anderson. The end result … more frustration and confusion about how things work there. Hopefully Chris will be connected with the right person today and we can ensure my final biopsy slides (C7 vertebrae) will arrive at MDA this week. I also found out my MDA doctor will be out of the office until June 3. This was a bit disheartening as we were told we could not meet with another MD doc to discuss my diagnosis/treatment plan until his return. When I initially read this news from his nurse, I was very upset. But, the Holy Spirit reminded me God is still in control even if I feel like this is a huge setback. He is not surprised by this waiting, rather He is sovereign in it. This brought peace to my heart and helped me to focus on the positives of this “waiting.” I can continue building my endurance and gaining weight before chemo treatments begin. I can also focus on my new diet (more on that later). It also allows me some time to feel a bit normal before the real fight starts.

We headed home for an appointment with my OKC oncologist on Friday morning. It was an encouraging appointment as Dr. Keefer is definitely my advocate and wants to work with my MDA doc to get a treatment plan in place as soon as possible. Although the diagnosis is not solidified, the treatment plan will probably look something like this . . .

-- 2-3 rounds of intensive chemotherapy (I will receive chemotherapy in the hospital for 4-5 days each round). I will go home for approximately 3 weeks to recover, retest and see if I am ready for the next round and chemo was effective.
-- Surgery to remove my primary tumor and possibly radiation around the site.
-- Targeted radiation on my spine.
-- My prayer is that I will be clean at that point, but they may want to do an additional 2-3 rounds of chemo after that.

So that is what we know at this point. More waiting. More trusting. As we have enjoyed some crazy Oklahoma thunderstorms these past couple days, I have been encouraged by the magnificent displays of God’s power. This same God is the One to whom we are praying for healing. He can do this. I think He wanted to remind me of that in the face of not-so-promising statistics.

Prayer requests:
-- God would heal the pain in my upper and lower back.
-- God would continue to orchestrate all the details of the treatment plan.
-- I would be disciplined in getting rest, building endurance and gaining weight.
-- The missing pieces to come together at MD Anderson for a proper diagnosis.
-- Wisdom for the doctors as they devise an effective treatment plan.
-- God’s continued healing of my body. No more cancer spreading!