Celebrating 2 YEARS!!!!

-

 Let me start off with a brief update on the Cardiac Rehab thus far. I had a bit of a scare a couple of weeks ago. My heart rate went crazy and it felt a bit like my heart was flopping around in my chest. I have had a few instances of this in the past, but nothing to this magnitude. I was a little worried given that I do have some heart damage from chemo, so I called the nurse who then sent me to the ER just to be safe. After many tests and about 6 hours, I was finally released to go home. My cardiologist believes it was due to my potassium being low. I will see him again on the 23rd of Dec. so that he can "remedy this issue and talk about the implications". As of now, I am feeling much better and all my Cardiac Rehab Sessions have gone very well. The nurses seemed pleased with my progress. Hooray!

Now on to the celebrating!! Today I have officially hit the 2 year mark!! On this day two years ago, the last of the cancer was removed from my body! I remember my Oncologist saying at one point..."If we make it to the 2 year mark without recurrence, the odds of it coming back will go down dramatically." The risk of breast cancer recurrence is highest during the first 2 years and it is well known that the vast majority of patients who have not had a recurrence by that time have a relatively low risk of recurrence at all. Well, here I stand cautiously raising a YAHOO!! 

There is a common thread of thought from people who have never dealt with cancer that once you get through chemo, radiation & surgeries, that your "treatment" is over. That however, is not true. Many women still have to take medication for years after active treatment in order to keep the cancer from recurring. I am in that phase now. I take a medication every day that keeps my body from making estrogen. This is because the type I had fed off of estrogen and we certainly don't want to give it a chance to come back. Unfortunately, the side effects of this drug are rough. It causes joint pain, severe hot flashes, mental fogginess, weight gain, thin hair & causes you to dry out all over. My voice is affected, often causing me to sound like I've got laryngitis and often affects my singing voice. I get to take this lovely/awful miracle drug for at least five years. I'll hit to the 2 year mark on that timeline in April I believe. 

This has been the hardest road I have ever had to navigate. I am still navigating parts of it, but there has been one constant that has kept me on the right path, moving forward, picking me up when I stumble, taking my hand when I start to sink...and that is my Savior. Oh how blessed I am to be loved by Him! And you loved ones, through YOU God worked and blessed me in return. You have been His hands & feet, His LOVE to me!! I thank Him every day for putting such amazing brothers and sisters into my life! I am realizing more and more every day that there are so many things I cannot remember from those days of active treatment. Chemo brain is a real thing, trust me! But know this loved ones, when you do something kind for someone else, even if they don't remember you did it, you have done the work of God!! Thank you for all you've done for me!

There are so many things I hope for in the future. I simply cannot WAIT to celebrate the wedding of my middle son, Taylor to his lovely fiance, Peyton next year! I look SO forward to when my youngest son, Jarod, pops the question to the other "Aimee" and makes her a permanent part of the family! And, if I am blessed enough, I promise you that on the day a Grandchild is placed in my arms for the first time, I will cry like a baby and my heart will grown three sizes! There's just so much to live for, so much to look forward to, and so one day I hope to look back on this post and read those words knowing that they have all come to pass. 

Today I challenge you to take a step out of your comfort zone, don't delay, do something you've never done before, stop being afraid of change! Color your hair, eat the cake, try for that promotion, take that trip, say you're sorry, forgive, tell those you hold dear how much you love them, don't leave any doubt...if 2020 has done nothing else, it has at least made us stop and realize what is important in this life and it's NOT things! Love God, Love each other. 

Finally, I want to say that I love YOU and so does God! If you don't know His love my friend, you cannot begin to fathom the difference He can make in your life. He's not some old fashioned myth. He is REAL. He is the one who put all the stars in place and He knows YOUR name. He loves YOU. If you want to know more, feel free to reach out. I'm happy to talk to you. 

Love,

Amy


Today's Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray that the Dr. will be able to help with the low potassium issues.
  2. Praise that cardiac rehab is going well!
  3. Continue to pray for Jarod as he looks for a job.
  4. Praise for 2 years and prayers for many, many more!!
Today's Verse:



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Music Within Us

-
Image
The Music Within Us Johann Sebastian Bach's life was marked by profound personal tragedy. He lost his young daughter, then three sons, and later his wife. Despite remarrying, he and his second wife, Anna Magdalena, endured the heartbreaking loss of four more daughters and three sons—11 beloved children in total. Many researchers have pondered how Bach managed to cope with such profound loss. How did his spirit not break, how did his heart keep beating, and most intriguingly, how did he continue to compose? Bach's resilience and creativity stemmed from his deep faith. At the beginning of each score, he inscribed 'Lord help me,' and at the end, 'Soli Deo Gloria' ('Glory to God Alone'). For Bach, music was a form of prayer, a sacred dialogue between man and God. Listening to Bach’s compositions invites you into this profound conversation, a testament to the enduring power of faith and music. In the ancient times of the Bible, the Levites held a unique and s...
Read more

Let Me Tell You About This Man I Love...

-
Image
Sometimes, you just have to stop and recognize the amazing people in your life, and today, I want to take a minute to tell you about my husband. He is good to the core—fiercely loyal, endlessly kind, deeply loving, honest to a fault, effortlessly funny, incredibly driven, and insanely talented. Am I biased? Probably. But is it 100% true? Absolutely. And would anyone who really knows him agree? Without a doubt. He never stops thinking about his calling—always creating, learning, and discovering. I have no idea how he does it! I’ve often wished I had even half of his relentless drive—and his level of patience. Most nights, you can find him in his home office, creating click tracks, soundtrack videos, and discovering new music to bring to his ministry. We are opposites in many ways, yet so much alike in others—like most couples who balance each other out. I thrive on spontaneity, love changing things up, and admittedly have a quick temper. He, on the other hand, is calm, cool, and collect...
Read more

Promise Me...

-
Image
A friend recently posed a thought-provoking question on Facebook: "If you woke up today knowing it would be your last day on earth, what would you do? Who would you spend your time with?" This question made me pause and reflect, as many of her posts do. She is incredibly kind, true to herself regardless of others' opinions, unafraid to try new things, and extremely intelligent and I admire her. Thanks friend. There is something I want everyone to know. I want my sons and their wives, my beautiful daughters-in-love to know. I want my future grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and all future generations to understand this without a shadow of a doubt. If you're reading this blog somewhere out there in the future, know that if there is one core message in this blog, this is it. Please, read this. All of you. Promise me that if you don't know God in this way, you will think about it deeply. If you are struggling because the church has treated you or someone you love po...
Read more