Update on CT scan and other things

I just wanted to update you all. The CT scan shows the tumor is SHRINKING!!!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord! My doctor is very pleased. He can see where the chemo is actually working on the left scapula and healing it. That area has not been hurting in a long time, so that must be why.   Also, praise the Lord that there is nothing new seen on the CT of the chest!  

I had my third chemo treatment today and that went well. I also was able to get the PICC line removed so now I have my left arm back in full use. Another praise! I can take a real shower in a couple of days! Yahoo!!! 

I will go back on Friday to get a shot of Neulasta which is the same shot that I had last month after chemo. It's the one that boosts white platelets so I don't end up in the hospital again.

There was mention today that I might begin radiation sooner than later so please be praying about that. Pray that there will be minimal side effects from it. The area they will be radiating is near the esophagus and I've heard of people having trouble with radiation in that area. I will be getting low doses of radiation for 15 days.

There was a problem on Friday with getting the port put in. My white platelets were too high due to the fact that I had a shot of Neulasta, which builds up white platelets. Now I will get the port put in on November 1st. Dr. Walker has already sent in the order and highlighted that the white platelets will be high because I am getting shots of Neulasta. I could've actually had it done this past Friday but the nurse didn't call Dr. Walker to question why the white platelets would be so high. 

Another praise is that I have been able to use less pain medicine. This also shows us that the chemo is working throughout the body to heal it. 

Thank you again for your faithful prayers! Rejoice with us about this good news! God is good!

Love you all,

Molly

An Update on Me.........

Well, I'll try to be brief, but that may be hard.   Lots of things have happened with me since my last post.   The MRI I have last three hours!!!  I was so tired of laying in the same position and it was FREEZING in there!   I was glad I had taken 20 mgs. of Valium before I went in.   Trust me, I needed every mg.   I'm a trooper with the CT scans now and they don't bother me.   Yay God!   The results from those tests didn't reveal anything new, just confirmed what we already knew, so that was actually a praise!   The cancer has spread to my thoraic area and I will be having radiation on that area.   I have changed doctors since my last post as well.   This doctor is a lung cancer specialist and I just love him.    He's a precious man, very compassionate and such a fighter for my life!  I am thankful the Lord led us to him.    I've had two chemo treatments since I posted.   The first one was a whammer and made me really sick.   I spent 11 days in the hospital.    My white platelets took a nosedive and it took a while to get them back up so I could get out of the hospital.    Apparently my body can not handle the level of drugs he gave me the first time, so he rearranged things for the second chemo and so far things are going fairly well.    I am having some nausea and tiredness, but so far none of the symptoms I had with the first chemo. I can tell you that I don't like hospitals.     I've never been away from my children more than three days, so that was very sad and depressing for me.   Hospitals are lonely and depressing.   I was blessed with great nurses who genuinely care about their patients.   I came away with a great respect for healthcare works in general.   They all earn ever dime they make.   Most everybody on my floor worked 12-14 hour shifts and were still kind when they left in the evening or morning. I don't know if I could be that good.  LOL!    Those workers are on their feet most of their shift, constantly meeting patient needs.   Kuddos to the healthcare workers!

Well, that about sums up what's been going on with me.   Please continue to pray for complete healing from all this.   Pray my broken humerus heals properly, that the next chemo treatments go well and that they kill the cancer cells.    I am so ready to get back to my normal way of living.   I've been sleeping in a recliner due to my broken arm since July.   It helps to have it propped up and having support behind my back helps keep the pain at bay.   Pray for my family as they deal with the stress of all of this.   It's taking it's toil on us all, but we are trying to persevere through the test.

Also, please pray for a special older friend of mine who was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago.   She's a precious, wise Christian woman who loves the Lord immensely.    Pray they caught it in time and that she will get well.    I'm not ready for her to meet Jesus yet.   She's a widow also, so pray she can get the help she needs as she recovers.

May God bless each of you as you seek His face and walk with Him!

Blessings,

Molly

I'm still here.  I've been very busy with summer activities,  trying to do some catching up around the house, and do school planning.  I have been enduring several health issues as well, so I have been trying to get well from those.   I'm learning that it is VERY HARD to walk through trials, especially several at a time, when you don't feel well.   I have either fractured or broken my arm and am waiting for an MRI on Friday morning as the doctor thinks there is something suspicious on the xray.  It's hard to type with one hand, so I doubt I'll be on here much.  Please pray for good MRI results and that what he sees is nothing but scar tissue from a lesion that was in the same area.  I honestly am tired from all these trials and am trying to live what I have shared on this blog.   Some days I just fail, but I am still human.  It's hard to count it all joy when you face trials.  Some days I can walk this walk of faith and some days I battle my mind in a BIG way!  Thanks for letting me be transparent and real and share how it really is right now.

Your prayers are appreciated!

Blessings until I post again -

Molly

Perfect and timely devotion for this season

"Now to him who is able to keep you from falling" …  Jude 24a

When the bottom is dropping out, we have a source of strength that can keep us from falling all the way.  God is our safety net, a very present help in times of trouble.   When we feel as if we cannot find our footing again, God catches us and carries us when we cannot walk the path on our own.  When we find ourselves in a free fall, there are arms already reaching out for us to lift us from our distress.

When I think about it, I do know that you have reached out to catch me before, dear God.  I have been rescued in more ways than I can count.  I am grateful for that and I pray for the help to remember those times more and more each day.  Amen. 

Blessings,

Molly

Just need to say this....

I've received comments since I started this blog about how strong I am and what a great attitude I have about all of this.   I just need to say that I don't want anyone to think I have conquered this situation.  I do have days where I am really battling my flesh while fighting this fight.   I have had times where I have soared through the day with amazing faith.  I have also had times where I am down in the dumps and fighting hard to walk by faith.   This is by far the hardest thing I've ever walked through.   These posts are written to encourage myself as well as anyone who reads this blog.   I often go back and read through them to remind myself where we have come from so I can see God's faithfulness in this journey.   I must remind myself of the great things God has done for us and what I've learned through this.   I'm thankful that my Father is strong when I am weak.  I'm also thankful that He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me.  He is with me always.    May God continue to grant us strength for the journeys we find ourselves walking.  

Blessings,

Molly

Consider it joy when you face trials of any kind.

When we found out I had cancer, I can tell you that we experienced a peace that went beyond understanding.   It enveloped our whole being.   I had never experienced that kind of peace before, but it was very precious.   It gave me the energy I needed to press through each day, to have an attitude of gratitude and joy for each new day I was given, and to be able to deal with the unknown future we were facing.   It was a precious gift.   I still have peace, just not the same level as when all this first happened.   God has been very good to us and I'm so thankful for the grace He gives us.  I'd like to share this devotion with you.   May it encourage you along the way!

"My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy."

 ~  James 1:2
Don’t mistake what this passage means. No one expects you to be happy about your difficulties.  The word happy comes from the word “happenstance”, meaning our feelings depend on what happens to us.  But we are expected to strive for joy.  Joy is a sense of well-being, a sense of security, a sense of peace, no matter what happens to us.  Joy is the feeling we want to achieve.  Joy is feeling secure and content in every situation, in every challenge and in every way, knowing that God is taking care of us even in the most difficult of days.

God of joy, help me to know your peace which passes understanding.  Help me to feel your security beyond compare.  Help me to be well within my spirit no matter what challenges come my way. Amen. 

May your day be blessed beyond measure -

Molly

An attitude of gratitude

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." ~   Philippians 4: 8

Our thoughts have deep significance to our well-being.  When we put our focus and energy on what is wrong in our lives we do nothing but stand against something.  It paralyzes us when we are focused on all the bad in our lives.  But when we put our attention on all that is good, on all that is right, it helps our attitude change and it changes our lives.   There's enough bad going on in the world today that affects our lives daily IF we let it.   We must make a choice to have an attitude of gratitude every single day.    An attitude of joy and gratitude will always enable us to do so much more than one of opposition and defiance.  Each new day is truly a precious gift!

Thank you, Lord, for the infinite ways in which my life is good.  Help me to focus on them so I see my life in a more positive and triumphant way.  Amen.

Blessings,

Molly