Back to the Surgeon

Yesterday I had another ultrasound on the lump in my breast and then saw the surgeon again. The ultrasound showed very little change. The radiologist that read the images thinks that it could be scar tissue. Dr. Hardy has decided that he doesn’t want to remove it yet. He feels that the high risk of healing complications is not worth doing another lumpectomy at this time just to find out what it is. The probability of cancer is very low especially since the lump has not grown in the last three months and all the blood tests have been normal so far. He wants to just watch it and see what happens. I go back in two months for another re-check.

Visitors from Hawley

We have great friends, Mike and LaVaye Luthi, visiting us. They came in last night and we went to Applebee’s in Ames for dinner and then later to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard. We had a good time chatting, reminiscing, and catching up.

The Luthi’s were one of the families from our church up in Hawley. Jeff and Mike were fishing buddies and just seemed to hit it off from day one. The friendship has grown ever since then. When we go back to Hawley to visit, we always stay with them. During the time that we moved, they were such a blessing. They helped Jeff with the packing and watched over our house for us while we waited for it to sell. It is so good to have friends. Thanks for coming to visit us, Mike and LaVaye!!

Easter Time and Ministry

Easter is such a busy time for anyone that is in the ministry. We have been preparing for this weekend for sometime now, but the week before is always so crazy. Today I had a friend from church, Rhonda, come in and help me with some of the preparations. She made sure there were enough pens in the sanctuary, folded bulletins, etc. I'll be glad when we get back to just the regular stuff. Well, it's off to Hy-Vee now. Of all days to be working an 8 hour shift!

A Nice Day

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. The temperatures were in the low 50’s, the sun was shining, and it wasn’t too windy. Jeff and I went to McHose Park and took a long walk with the dog. Yes, it was slushy and wet and the dog came home totally filthy, but it felt so good to get outside again. We topped off the day by grilling hamburgers for dinner. Oh, I can’t wait until spring!

Character

When I was first diagnosed with cancer, I decided that I was not going to be one of those people that turned bitter and angry because of the circumstances of my life. I found a passage, Romans 5:3-4, that talked about being glad for our suffering because it’s through them that we build our character. Through all my treatments I clung to this verse. Well, a year later I guess God decided that I needed a reminder of my decision.

I do my devotions out of the Daily Bread every day. I am always amazed how from a devotional book that millions of people use daily, I know that God meant a passage just for me. Yesterday’s passage was from Galatians 5:16-26. It’s talking about a human’s sinful nature and how with God’s help we can have a Godly character, the fruits of the spirit. I realize that my attitude has been looking more like the list from the sinful nature as opposed to the character of God. From here on out, I am determined to set my eyes on God and to work on building more of those Fruits of the Spirit in to the character of my life.

More

So I went to see an orthopedic surgeon today for pain and stiffness in my elbow and shoulder. As expected, I have tendonitis in both. He gave me cortisone shots in each of the joints. I was really nervous about the shots since I've heard how painful they are. Actually, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Some of the shots I got during my cancer treatments hurt a lot more. That being said, I sure hope I don't have to get anymore!

I am so tired of all this doctor stuff. Honestly, I see doctors more now than during my treatments last year. In the next 5 weeks, I will see a physical therapist a number of times, have another ultrasound and see the surgeon, have blood work done, see the radiation oncologist, the medical oncologist, an OB/GYN, and back to the orthopedic. On top of all of that, my insurance company didn’t want to pay for one of my drugs and put me on an alternative medication. Now I’m having asthma problems, too. I won’t even get into the memory problems that I have.

Okay, okay, that’s enough whining for today. I keep telling myself that I did nothing to cause this and I am right where God wants me to be. I’m thankful that I am alive and relatively healthy, even if I do have a lot of size effects. I’m trying to have a positive attitude through all of this. It’s just sometimes hard.

Mr. Handyman

Tonight I was upstairs talking to my parents on the phone when I heard tools clanking and a lot of banging. In my house, that can be a really scary sound! I came downstairs to find the sofa turned upside down and Josh was hard at work fixing several springs that came loose from underneath. He removed the staples that were supposed to be holding them and used screws instead. He did a great job repairing it. Josh is actually quite handy. He just seems to have a natural ability to build and repair things. He’s taken several construction type classes at school. I should have known that he was going to be mechanical. After all, when he was just 5 years old, he found a screw driver and removed the doorknob from his bedroom door just so he could “see how it worked”.