Incorrect date

The following was posted on July 11, 2008

Psalm 41:3

Psalm 41:3  "The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health."

I now have a date for surgery.  July 29.  I met with my surgeons on Thursday, all 3 of them:

Dr Heppell - colorectal surgeon

Dr. Andrews - urology surgeon

Dr. Fowl - vascular surgeon

plus Dr. Callister - radiology

Each doctor has reviewed my scans and they have a plan for my surgery.  They agreed that the location of my tumors makes the operation very sensitive, and only when they can view with the eye will they know how difficult or easy it will be.  The tumor that is active has grown near or maybe attached itself to the wall of the urthera.  If it has attached and has grown inside the urthera it may be impossible to section out the affected area and put it back together. The reason this is important is that the urthera connects the bladder to the kidney.  If they cannot save the urthera then they will have to remove the right kidney. This is the absolute worst that can happen.  But the good news is that I have a very healthy left kidney and that I can live a very active life with only one.  Another factor is that this tumor is very small, so this could be in my favor. 

I am so blessed to have such wonderful doctors!  I was not aware until yesterday how blessed I am to have this team.  In preparation for surgery, I had several appointments starting with the financial office. She asked me who my surgeon was and when I told her Dr Heppell she said, "my goodness, he is wonderful", and then she said there was a recent article published about him, then she proceeded to look it up.  As it turns out, he was just named Vice-President for the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and he is also Professor of Surgery at Mayo. (Not bad for someone I did not like at first who I nicknamed the Bad News Bear.....what do I know?)  Not only that, but she went on to say the other 2 doctors were also Mayo's best. Then she laughingly said, "What are you, some kind of VIP?" All I can say is that God is in the picture and all the glory goes to Him. 

This may sound odd, but I cannot wait until I have surgery.  Please pray that I keep this attitude and that doubt does not creep into my thoughts.  Also, pray for my family that they know without a doubt that this is God's will for me and that He is in complete control of my life. Thank you for praying for me and thank you Lord for healing me!!!!

Psalm 20:1-4

Psalm 20:1-4.  "May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!  May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!  May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!  May he remember all  your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!  May he grant you your heart's desire and fulfill all your plans!"

I just got home from Mayo after seeing Dr Callister and Dr Parapati.  It has taken me time to digest the results of the scans.  At first, I was disappointed because one of the tumors is still active and is the one closest to the urethra.  But is it small, the size of a marble, and even tho it has increased slightly in size it has decreased in intensity.  What ever that means.  As you know, I was only thinking the best..no active tumors.  However, the largest tumor is not active and has died. Hurrah! Both doctors agree that surgery can be successful and that I can become cancer free with this surgery.  So, what am I thinking?  I am blessed because my cancer has not spread to any other part of my body, I am blessed that the largest tumor has died, I am blessed that surgery and radiation will remove this cancer, and I am blessed that the area on my lungs does not show cancer.  I have always known that I would have surgery.  So, nothing has changed, we are still on tract.

Of course, there is risk with any surgery, which I will not go into now.  I will hear enough of this when I see my surgeon, better known as the "Bad News Bear."  Yes, looks like I will have him after all.  He may be the best, so I will just have to get used to the idea!

Thank you for your prayers!  I love all of you and thank the Lord that he has given me such wonderful friends and family!!

Romans 8:27-28

Romans 8:27-28. "......the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose".

All things work together for good.  Even cancer.  I thank God for this cancer because this is the journey He has allowed for me at this time in my life.  I have learned to trust Him and to encourage and be encouraged by other people.  Paul writes in the beginning of Romans 1:11-12 "For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine." I am so blessed when I see someone that I don't see often and they say to me that they have been praying for me.  This happened yesterday and I would not have had any idea that this precious person was praying for "me", but she is and there are so many more like her.  Prayer is God's gift to us.  We must always take the time to pray for others in need.  Who knows, someday we may need prayer ourselves and we will understand how important this gift really is!!  Thank you for your prayers!!!

I have my CAT scan tomorrow at 12:30, the PET Scan on Wednesday, and I see my oncology doctors on Thursday to find out the results and discuss time-line for surgery.  I have a simple prayer and that is I want to hear the doctors tell me that the scans could not look better, and that the surgery should not be complicated.  Hopefully that is not too much to ask since I have been thanking God from the beginning for healing me.

I Corinthians 7:17

I Corinthians 7:17.  "...let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him."

I thank the Lord for the life He has given me, especially the cancer.  I can only take the view that it has strengthened me in my faith and deepened my relationship with Him.  I know without a doubt that I am not alone in this journey, and that I am loved more than I can ever imagine.  As I write this, I feel Him with me now.  Praise God!  He gets all the glory!

I had a follow-up appointment this week with Dr Deleeuw, the oral surgeon.  The lump turned out to be a benign mucus-filled cyst consistent with mucocele.  In other words, I bit my cheek and it became infected.  Who knew this could happen!

I am scheduled to have the cat scan on Monday June 23 and the pet scan on Wednesday June 25.  Then I see the radiology oncologist, Dr Callister and the oncologist Dr Parapatti on Thursday.  Get this!  I wrote a few months back that I had met with the surgeon, Dr Heppell and did not like him AT ALL , but that he did come highly recommended.  Guess who is on vacation the month of July?  Is this God's timing or better yet, his sense of humor!  I had a feeling that he was not the best doctor for me but I also wanted to go with my oncologists viewpoint. I don't think that my surgery will wait on him.  Interesting!  Guess my comment to him that he was a "bad news bear" was rather funny after all!  Also, I would guess that he has never been called this to his face by a patient in his life!

I ask your prayers for these scans.  My surgery depends of the outcome of what the scans show. I pray that the scans will show the tumors have shrunk considerably and that it will be a routine surgery to remove all traces of the tumors and that the radiation will forever remove cancer from my body. I also pray that there is nothing new and that the tiny shadow on my lung has not gotten larger but is actually nothing. I have been thanking the Lord for healing me. I look forward to hearing the good news!

1Corinthians 1:3

1 Cornithians 1:3. "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

God's grace is perfect and not only gives us peace that we feel inside but peace on the outside for others to see. Even though I was not enjoying the thought of oral surgery, it was much easier than I had anticipated. It was much like going to the dentist, the area was deadened and after a few minutes, surgery began. It did not take long, maybe 10 minutes, and then the doctor put in 4 stitches. There never was pain involved, just slight discomfort. I have a bruse on my left cheek, much like I have been in a fight, but other than that, no pain.

I have an appointment tomorrow with Dr Parpati and I hope to find out more about the scans.

Proverbs 1:33

Proverbs 1:33. "but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.

I have an appointment today with the oral surgeon to have the lump in my mouth removed. As you can imagine, I am not looking forward to this procedure, but I know that it is necessary and part of the plan God has for my health. Once again, I can trust that I am not alone and that He is with me. The hope is that this lump is nothing more than a lump and of no concern to my health.

I have received phone calls and text messages with your support, and I want you to know how much I appreciate the loving messages that I have received. Not only do I have the Lord watching over me, but I have all of you. What more could I want?

I have an appointment with Dr Parapati this Friday. I hope she will let me know when my cat scan and petscan is scheduled. As far as I know now, surgery should be sometime in July. I am feeling good but I do require a nap most days because I am very tired. But I have the afternoons off and this is working out very well for me.