The news of Monday was shocking. My sweet husband was very busy at work & didn't even know I'd gone to a doctor in California because I thought I was going in for a cold & antibiotics, so I didn't mention it! He was shell-shocked when Taylor & I called him! Then, he drove to Randi's & to my parent's to tell them. Called our siblings & the shell-shock continued.
As I said in the previous post, I got a flight to Texas Monday night. Mike met me at the airport & we spent the evening & well into the night just being together & talking. He & I are in a good place with one another. We talked about life, death, family, & being prepared. We shared our hearts, concerns, fears, & anticipation of the unknown. We talked about our dreams of growing old together & the utter joy we have in our grandchildren. We discussed time being cut short for what we want but being secure in God's timing, as it's always perfect. Sometimes these sort of journeys can hurt marriages instead of drawing them close due to the sheer stress & emotion of it all. I'm thankful we are as close now as we have been in nearly 35 years together! (When you know couples going through trils, take a moment to encourage them in their relationships. Husbands have breast cancer along with their wives!) Monday night was a blessing because Mike & I were together.
Tuesday brought an incredibly busy schedule as Mike began the day by sharing this information with the church staff who have been prayers warriors with us all along. Then, right away, a CT scan was first on the agenda. This was needed to confirm the California doctor's x-ray finding & identify any additional cancer, which it did & was followed by a visit with Oncologist. Lots of information followed, then bone scan and finally labs (lots of bood drawn with results coming later in the week.)
So, here's what we know & what we don't know. We DO know there is breast cancer (same one I initially had) in the lining (plurel) of my left lung. This is what was producing all the fluid. We know there's an additional 2cm tumor under my right arm & "thickening" of my chest wall. We know I have metastatic disease (chronic cancer) I will have the rest of my life. We know this will take my physical life at some point. Medically, tumors will now re-appear & we'll face each event as it comes. We DON'T know if the "thickening" on the chest wall is cancer or result of previous radiation treatment. Nor, do we know how long I can live with this. We don't know if the upcoming chemo treatments will work because women with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer like I have have some drugs to try, but none that are proven, yet. (Drugs & research are constantly being tested, so hopefully, breakthroughs will come quickly.) The new PARP Inhibitors are showing great promise for Triple-Negative patients & my name is being submitted for the "lottery" in these testing stages of the drugs. Please pray we win the "lottery" & are chosen for this treatment! LOL!
OK- so, there's some we know, & some we don't. Medical science is not that exact when it comes to some cancers. There are so many variables! So, with the doctors, we will listen, learn & choose the best course of action we know & they'll watch me closely to see what tumors are doing. We'll change course as needed & make decisions as we go. Mike & I ask you to pray for wisdom as we navigate these waters. What may work for us may not work for another's circumstance. We'll do the best we can as we're in constant communication with doctor's we trust.
Draining the left lung has to be done Wednesday morning, so that is scheduled by my Oncologist. That's the medical news of Tuesday. Whew!
I can't end this post without saying that this is the MEDICAL news only. The SPIRITUAL news is that Almighty God ALWAYS has the last word. He is the one dictating my days. He is the One providing a medical path for me. There is a medical path & we can benefit from that earthly knowledge but He may take me home another way through another illness or accident. He may speak me into 90+ years. He's not promised me any day but today. He is sovereign. He's in utter control & I'm good with that!
Blessings!
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