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Showing posts from December, 2018

CANCER: Taxotere Chemo Round Two......

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My Precious Father, I thought I was close to You before, but it was nothing like now. I am so aware of You in every aspect of my life. Throughout the day, I find myself talking to You, asking....which way to go? What to do with my time? What to say to a friend? What to write? It is as if during breast cancer You have drawn my heart into Yours in an unimaginable way. I have felt broken many times in my life, but You must have felt I needed a deeper, more intense breaking to truly know You. Not that you caused my cancer, but you have allowed it to happen to me for a greater purpose. I know there was still so much of me....and it needs to be just about You. It is so easy to let life and the world catch our attention and take some of our focus away from what is truly important. Thank You, precious Father, for continuing to break me in all the right places. I want my heart to beat with Yours.....and, yes, break with Yours. Please continue to do with me what You must. I know you are forging

Cancer: No Hair - First Wig.....

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Made my first wig purchase.  Haven’t really styled it yet, but it will work for now. (I even drew me on some eyebrows.) LOL The color is a Ginger Blond....different from what I am used to.  I was wanting to get one quickly for church Sunday, December 23rd, and it arrived just on time. I had told the seller that I was a bald chemo patient and wanted it quickly so she shipped it Priority.  In the package today - December 22nd, she sent me a note on a pink card and shared with me that she is a breast cancer survivor! Was it a “coincidence” that I found her? No way! First of all, her seller identification is “Christ-Eternal.” As soon as I saw her seller name, I knew God was moving before me in this purchase. I just had to share this story.  God is always amazing! #GodisLeading   #BreastCancer  #DoubleMastectomy  #IBelieve #BeatCancer   #GodisHealing    #PrayforaCure     #PrayerWarriors #BilateralBreastCancer  #BreastReconstruction  #HeProtectsMe #WhereHeL

Cancer: Chemo Free Week....A Blessing From God!

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I did not want to miss a week of chemo, but God knew what He was up to! This has been such an amazing last few days! Not only did He bless me, but not having to take chemo has blessed my family so much. It gave “me” to them….not the sick me, but the whole of me that is feeling great and enjoying every minute of every day! Today, we gathered at Cracker Barrel for lunch…..and John Franklin blessed us with such a precious blessing over the meal. After, we came back to my house and had a fun-filled time of opening gifts and eating all kinds of luscious desserts. Tonight, we rode to Trussville, went to Starbucks, and then saw some magnificent homes all dressed in their glorious tribute to Christmas….and one even had a huge manger scene that was beautiful. Tomorrow we will gather at Ashleigh  and Joey' s for more Christmas fun and in the warm of their home, we will again gather around the table to share a meal with all the foods and trimmings of the holidays.  At the end of ope

CANCER: Always the Unexpected.....

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"But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal (Natural, Earthly) bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." - Romans 8:11 Take a close look at this Scripture. This is talking about your body that you and I have now, not the one we are going to receive one day in eternity! Notice that the will of the Lord IS to impart His resurrection life into our natural, earthly body as we place our faith in His finished work of the cross. Praise Him for this promise as you receive this as your very own. My chemo appointment for this week was scheduled for December 18th at 12:45 pm. I thought that my routine would be my normal flow, but it was anything but the regular appointment. I was called back to get weighed, blood pressure, and temperature taken. Then, I was hooked-up with the line to my port, had it flushed out, and had vials of blood taken. I showed my lab nurses pics of how t

Cancer: Three Months Later

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Reflecting back. Yesterday, three months ago, my life and the lives of my family changed forever as we knew it. Now, I have Bilateral Breast Cancer. Three months ago I had my hair...I spent so much time fixing it and caring for it, but now it’s gone. But, when it’s life and death, you really learn what is and isn’t important. Now, I have no hair, but I have more time to spend in other ways.  I didn’t realize that my faith could get stronger, that my prayer life could become more bold, or that my relationship with my Father, my Savior, and His Holy Spirit could become deeper and closer. But, cancer has shown that I had room to grow. It has made me appreciate prayer warriors more than I could have imagined....to appreciate all the things that you all are doing for me day after day. Thank you all for walking this journey with me, for encouraging me every day and for lifting me in your prayers so faithfully.  God is leading and He is healing me. Some days, when I am in so much pain or

CANCER: Chemo Side of Chemo Taxotere -Effect: Hand-Foot Syndrome: Palmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia

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Friday – Post from Facebook: Prayer Request: As I shared in my blog post last night, I woke up yesterday morning with sensitivity in my right hand and severe feeling of needles and heart pulsating. By the evening it was much more swollen and red and had also moved to my left hand. I did not get much sleep at all last night because of the pain. This morning I am also feeling a sensitivity to the outer right side of my right foot. I am pretty sure that it is the Hand-Foot Syndrome which is also known as Pa lmar-Plantar Erythrodysesthesia. It is one of the more severe side effects of the chemo drug Taxotere. I have put in a call to my Oncologist to see if she can call in a prescription, if there is any over the counter medication that I can use, or if she needs me to come in. Putting my hands in and out of cold water temporarily eases the pain and sensitivity. Please, please pray that this does not also go to my feet and that it does not get worse than what it is right now, bu

Cancer: Chemo Treatment #5 - Traveling a New Path with Taxotere

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Tuesday my appointment was later than normal. My normal is 9:00 am or 9:30 am. Tuesday my appointment was set for 11:30 because instead of taking two different chemos as I have been doing for my last four treatments, I will now be on one chemo per session. It was a different dynamic today as the waiting area was not packed; however, the staff seemed to be moving a bit slower.  I arrived feeling really great. It was my second day since my last treatment that I really felt good again. My body felt like I did prior to chemo treatments. Soon I was called by for my normal weigh in, blood pressure check, and temp check. They always ask if I am having any issues and they note them on my chart for Dr. Bondly. I then get my port hooked up for chemo and the nurse flushes it and then takes several vials of blood. Just the normal routine. How quickly our lives change and what you would never imagine as part of your routine actually becomes your "normal."  I go back into the waiting r