1 Year and 7 Months Out...Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Good morning loved ones! I was just thinking this week, as I sat at my Oncologist for my 4 month check-up, about all of you and how you prayed me through the worst days of this journey to healing. I thank God for each of you every day in my prayers. Prayer is mighty! We studied recently in Sunday School about keeping it simple when we pray. In other words, taking out all the ambiguous text in our prayers and just tell God what we need. Just praise Him for who He is and leave out all the fancy words. One of the simple prayers I prayed frequently when I was in the dark days of chemo was, "God help me." He didn't need me to be specific. He knew. He knows. He doesn't need fancy language, big words, etc. to know our hearts. I don't know about you, but that is of great comfort to me! So my prayer for you today is this..."God bless you." I don't even have to be specific. He knows! 

As I said, I had my 4 month checkup. I had lots of questions. My oncologist is such a calm, kind and patient man. I really like him. He sat and answered all my questions. I had no sense that he was in a hurry to move on to the next patient. He didn't leave until he was sure he had answered all my questions and I understood everything. That is rare these days. So here are the things I asked and the answers he gave me for anyone interested:

Q.  What is the plan from here on out? How often will I be checked?

A. I will be seen by my Oncologist every 4 months for the first 2 years. (Note 

    for next visit: I totally forgot to ask when they started counting those 2 

    years!) After that every 5-6 months until I reach 5 years and after that, once 

    a year. Of course, any time I need I can message, call or make an 

    appointment in between those scheduled appointments. There is no specific 

    schedule of tests they will do. I am just to let them know if anything unusual 

    happens, I find a lump anywhere or have strange symptoms and they will 

    order the appropriate tests. Chances of recurrence are fairly low for me. The 

    final analysis of the cancer I had was somewhere between stage 1 & stage 

    2a. In other words caught early and that is good. He also recommended I
    inform my GP of the mild heart damage that the AC (red devil) chemo
    caused. (I take meds every day to keep this from getting any worse) so that      he can keep an eye on my heart health. I will also likely have an         
    echocardiogram once a year and then see my cardiologist, and I will see my
    radiation oncologist once a year as well. Whew!

Q. Which doctor do I call first when I have an issue? (I have so many!)

A. If I have a problem, I am to call my Oncologist first. He will let me know if it 

    is something I need to contact my GP about, or if he wants to see me. He 

    is my first point of contact. 

Q. What are things I need to look out for?

A. Lumps, bumps, sores, rashes, unusual pain I didn't have before or any other 

    new symptoms that worry me. He explained that there is a 1-2% chance that
    I could get a sarcoma on the skin from radiation, but it's very rare. There is 

    also a rare chance that the chemo I had could cause Leukemia. These things 

    are very rare but it is good to be aware of them. 

Q. Do I really need to continue having the Prolia shots for Osteopenia 

     considering the negative reactions I had to the last injection? (I had 

     extreme fatigue, slurred speech, mental fog for a week 

     following the last injection.)

A. We will discontinue the Prolia injections for now. My next Bone Density Scan 

     will be in June, at which time we will see if the Osteopenia has progressed, 

     gotten better, or stayed the same and reevaluate the need.

Q. I am having a lot of pain, all the time, especially in my feet and 

    hands. It is causing me to be unable to sleep at night because both 

    my hands and feet go to sleep and then throb. Also, after I have 

    been sitting for a while it is extremely painful to get back up and get 

    moving again. The Celebrex I am taking is not helping with this pain. 

    It feels like nerve pain.

A. This is likely peripheral neuropathy pain which is nerve damage caused by 

     the chemo. He put me on a new pain medicine specifically for nerve pain 

     called Gabapentin. It is non-narcotic and non-habit forming. I am going to 

     give it a try and see if it helps. 

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     Overall it was a great visit and I am still N.E.D. (No Evidence of Disease), praise the Lord! Although the surgeries and treatments for breast cancer have left me with Osteopenia, Peripheral Neuropathy, joint pain, brain fog & weight gain...I'm just thankful that I am still alive! These things can be treated and I can move on with getting used to my new normal. I won't ever feel like I did before, this much I know and I have accepted that as best I can. That doesn't mean that sometimes I don't have bad days and feel sorry for myself. I'm human. But, I have such a wonderful support group in my family and friends and I know that God is not finished with me yet. I am trying to write a book and have a pretty good start on it. I want to be able to help and support others going through similar experiences through my writing. To help them see that no matter what they are facing, God can help them through it. I don't mean God will definitely heal them either, I mean that God will carry them through whatever is to come. 

Today's Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray that the new pain meds will be helpful so that I can sleep better and feel better during the day. My main issue now is dealing with pain. I may look good on the outside, but inside, some days, the pain is screaming. I'd like to tame it to a dull roar if possible.
2. I've started back to the gym to try and regain some balance control and strengthen my bones. Please pray for me to be consistent and have a hunger to go work out so I will feel better overall. Some days, I fully admit to just being lazy! 
3. Please continue to pray for the cancer to be gone for good!
4. Please pray for my Grandmother, Mary Helton & my mother, Diane Hartman, as she cares for her.
5. Praise God that I am still in remission and have no evidence of disease. Pray for me as I try to write my book, that God would give me the words people need to hear.

Today's Verse: Luke 18:27