Hello everyone! I'm sorry it's been so long between updates, but there has been a lot going on and little time to do one of my favorite things ... tell of the incredible blessings I have received from the Lord since my last update.
When I last wrote, I was excited that my CT scan did not reveal anything new and actually the liver cyst was actually a little bit smaller. Hooray! However, the doctor did want me to have my numbers check in about a month to see if they went lower.
Then work got crazy busy and I traveled to Birmingham, Alabama for our company's annual meeting. This was a big year - 40 years in business. It was a 70's theme and I was able to dance to "old" music that I hadn't heard in several years. It was fun to see my teammates and friends from past years. On Saturday afternoon is our awards ceremony. They give awards for top producers, top customer service providers, and several other categories. Since the account I work on will never be busy enough to be in the top producer category, I just cheered wildly for the ones who won. The last category was for the top customer service providers that are calculated from our "Fan" surveys at the bottom of each itinerary. They divided the year into two parts - January through June and July through December. Unfortunately, I didn't qualify for the first half of the year, but I was one of about 12 that qualified for the second half of the year. As we all stood in anticipation to see whose name was drawn from the "hat," I kept thinking, "It's not me, it's not me, it's not me." Next to me was my manager. She keeps saying, "It's you, it's you, it's you." Well, after the president picked the name of someone who already was going, and then with a long, dramatic pause ... he said my name!!!! I WON!!!!!!!!!! I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What did I win??? A 6 day/5 night all expenses paid trip to the beautiful Grand Princess Riviera Resort in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico in May. I'm excited and I am blessed!
I came back from the meeting and had my blood drawn on February 6. Unfortunately, my CA125 had gone up again to 79. Although not a great number, I was just told to have another blood test in one month. Work was extremely busy and the month went quickly, but not without a little bit of drama. We had a new roof put on our home to hopefully satisfy the insurance company, but we didn't find out until the final day that they had restored our policy and we were good. Another blessing! Then less than a week later, our heater died. Thankfully, we were in a bit of a mild spell and we toughed it out and now we have a new heater. Another blessing!
March was another busy month, but still found blessings when & where least expected. At the end of February, I started a new Bible study with some of the girls from the fall semester. We are doing the "Names of God" by Tony Evans. It is a fantastic study! Then "out of the blue," a friend, NB, contacted me through Facebook and asked if I would be in church the following day because she and her daughter, NR, had something they wanted to "show" me. We planned a meeting place & time and I went to bed intrigued. After church the next day, I meet with NB who told me NR was not there, but she told me this story. You see, NB makes beautiful jewelry and she had made this necklace for a customer. NR commented that she should make one for me. And so, this is the fabulous & beautiful necklace that NB made for me.
But notice the words -- Jehovah Rapha, God Our Healer. NB didn't know I had just started a Bible study on The Names of God. And that's just how God works & blesses. I know I certainly felt loved, encouraged, and truly blessed!!! Thank you NB & NR from the bottom of my heart!!!
Clinging to my new necklace, I had another blood test on March 6 for my CA125 number. Up and up the number goes. It was now 116. Since the number was over 100, my doctor ordered a PET scan. No longer would the just the cats be scanning me, I say jokingly, I now have all kinds of pets scanning me. But if you don't know what a PET scan is, here is the short definition from Healthline.com: A positron emission tomography (PET) scan is an imaging test that allows your doctor to check for diseases in your body. The scan uses a special dye that has radioactive tracers. These tracers are injected into a vein in your arm. Your organs and tissues then absorb the tracer.
After waiting to get "pre-certified" by my insurance company and then finding out that I really didn't need to get "pre-certified" at all, I scheduled my scan for first thing on Thursday, March 23. After I got checked in, they escorted me back to a private room where they prepped me for the test. After failing to find a good vein to shoot the dye into, the opted for my hand. That was special!!! Then you relax in a nice reclining chair with a blankie in a dark room for an hour. Nap time. After about an hour, they lead you into the room where the PET scan machine lives. You lay down on the "tray" that will be transporting you through the machine for about the next 25 minutes or so. After they make sure you are comfortable, the test begins. That's when I did my PET scan prayers and some singing in my head. Throughout the test, the technician kept telling me how much more time. The first time she said something, it was 18 minutes left. Then I fixated on that number. Why didn't she tell me at 20 minutes? Or 15 minutes? I just kept thinking ... 18 minutes was an odd amount of time. Next thing I knew it was 6 minutes. Again I thought ... what an odd amount of time. But soon the test was over and I was on my way home to eat something and log in to work for the day. I was just thankful that I had no side effects from the test.
After a fun weekend that included lunch with a friend and then attending a high school production of "The Importance of Being Earnest," it was finally Monday morning and I would find out the results of the PET scan. Again, I'm convinced that it's the silly little liver cyst and they should just schedule surgery and cut it out of me. I was extremely confident that this was the culprit for my rising numbers. Well ... I was 100% wrong. It was not the liver cyst that "lit up" in the scan, but a new, tiny spot in my LUNG!!! I was just so shocked, I had to ask my doctor several times if he did indeed say lung. And yes, a teeny spot that has cancerous properties, not truly cancer, but it could become cancer. UGH!!!!
With that diagnosis, his first words were we need to start chemo again ... different drugs, but chemo again. Before the appointment, I had already prayed for wisdom and made up my mind that chemo would be the very, very last option once all other options had been explored. So, untypical of myself, I asked what other options were available. The next option was a prescription for a pill that is taken daily called Tamoxifen. I'm currently taking this drug with the hopes & prayers that this will kill whatever is "feeding" this little spot. And that this little spot in my lung with shrivel up and disappear ... permanently. Although it was not the news I was hoping for, I feel blessed that I had an option and that I'm not facing chemo at this point in time.
Now, back to my Bible Study group. This past week, we were focused on the names -- Jehovah Nissi, The LORD My Banner and Jehovah Tsaba, The LORD Our Warrior. This was exactly what I needed to hear after my news on Monday. Jehovah Nissi is from the story in Exodus 17:8-16 where Israel is fighting Amalek. While Joshua and the army are fighting in the valley, Moses, Aaron & Hur are at the top of a hill overlooking the battle. As long has Moses holds up the staff of God, Israel wins. When he lowers the staff, Amalek wins. So, what do Aaron and Hur do for a very tired Moses? You guessed it ... They find a big rock for him to sit on and they hold up his arms so the army of the Lord prevails against Amalek.
My friends, YOU are my Aaron's & my Hur's. As I continually raise my hands to the Lord on this long and sometimes tiring journey, you stand with me, you allow me to rest, but most importantly, you surround me and uphold me with all your love, encouragement, hugs, and many prayers.
Over the years, I've been on many trips. I would really like to get to all 7 continents before I die. I'm only missing 3!!! However, the past 3 years has been a trip like no other. In my last post, I mentioned that God had given me word and a task for 2017. The word is journey and the task is to write a book. I don't know if it will ever be published, but I know that I need to do what 2 Corinthians 5:7 states, "for we walk by faith, not by sight."
Prayer requests for my Mighty Prayer Warriors (MPW's):
* Blood work & follow-up appointment to see if the Tamoxifen is starting to work
* No side effects from the new drug
* That I will have dedicated time to begin the research phase, that I will have wisdom to search in the correct locations, and that the truth would be known.
Once again, I am humbled and honored that you are praying for me.
Only by His Strength,
Sandy
