Laptop Information Retrieved!

Wow, it's been about 3 months since I last blogged. My laptop crashed and I had no idea how to get to this spot. I had it saved on Favorites. I tried to reboot this evening and on the second try it stayed booted long enough for me to retrieve my "Favorites" list!

So much has happened since late August. Let me see if you can relate to this. You are thinking of buying a car and there is a certain kind you like. You start checking prices and looking around. Now you are "tuned in" to this adventure. You never realized how many there were right in your town! It happens with lots of things that have your focused attention. That is how it has been with breast cancer. It seems as though it has become an epidemic--and just since I was diagnosed!!

I am so thankful to know Christ. I don't say that casually. Just last week a friend told me about a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer. She does not know Christ, so she just got drunk to not have to deal with this shock. I know one part of how she feels. Sticking my fingers in my ears and saying,"Lalala" is better known as "denial"!!! We both experienced that. But how I wish I could tell her it is okay; God can carry you through. Oh how I wish she knew Him before this shock came. Then there are many others I have been told about. Even my friend who helped me so much when I was diagnosed. She had already had breast cancer twice. Her calm demeanor and wise counsel was a huge help to me. It has now returned in her chest and she is receiving chemo. What do we do with these things without Christ? Oh how sweet to trust in Jesus!!

Well after lots of research and much prayer, we decided to not go with the oral chemo drugs or the chemotheraphy. I am not against these measures. My cancer did not appear to have spread to the lymph nodes. I also have had PET scan and CT scan that does not pick any up. I am staying with visits with my chemo oncologist for checkups. We have a peace about not going the chemo route. I do not feel like my way is the only way to go. That would be foolish. Each person's story is different. Each has to be convinced in their own heart. We researched for hours upon hours and I tried to keep it balanced with being in the Word of God and prayer. Sometimes the study outweighed the Word and prayer. I would feel the effects of that. Soloman said, "Much study is a weariness of the flesh" Ecclesiates 12:12b. Amen Solomen!!

I also have loving family members in the medical field that researched for me. My brother, a pharmicist, researched Tamoxifen and my sister, a nurse at a cancer research hospital, had all my reports studied at their breast center. I was so pleased that my doctors gave the same recommendations as this prestigious cancer hospital. I am ever so grateful for their love and care for me. I battled with not going the chemo route strongly because of their expertise and my vunerable state. In the end, with fervent prayer, I just could not find the peace of God in going that direction.

We have done a little studying into glyconutrients. We researched many alternative methods but felt inclined towards glyconutrients. It would be hard for me to explain here what we learned. It would be best to try to study it yourself. A short explanation would be that they are carbohydrates that are essential to having a healthy immune system. If your body is not receiving these needful carbohydrates from the food you eat, then your body will have a tough time trying to fight invaders. For me that has been most of my life. I seem to get sick easily and stay sick longer than others. So I am taking glyconutrients and lots of other vitamins too.

In October I was able to have surgery for the final implant. I have a wonderful plastic surgeon who does beautiful work. She is an artist. I thank God for her. I still have to wait till early December before I can resume any kind of exercise for upper body. It has been 6 months since I have been to Curves or done any workout. I do not like that!! So I am really looking forward to gettting back into it!

Home life has been wonderful. All my kids still live at home (or on the grounds!). I love that! Every time we sit down to eat dinner and everyone is home, I feel blessed. It excites me to see each one of them. I know this is not forever, but I want to relish it while I have it. Some day I want to sit in my rocker and remember all these good times. Actually the way my memory is these days, I may just have "warm fuzzies" about these years!! Only kidding!! The memories are too precious to forget!

That's all for now. I may start fresh at this point. This was a journey I did not expect. I would not have chosen it. But God did and I always like to walk with Him. It confirmed to me that He is all I thought Him to be. He can be trusted. My trial was hard as I walked through it. In hindsight, it was not that big. Someday, we may call it a bump in the road (an expensive one!!). I also realize bigger ones can be ahead. My desire was to document this season with hopes that my loved ones will see a powerful God and a God who can always be trusted. To Him be glory!