6 weeks post op

Today has been a good day. We met with Dr. Albright bright and early this morning. We have officially switched from all air in my expander to all saline and we are at maximum expansion. After finishing that he did the best thing - He removed my last drain!!! 6 weeks and I am finally drain free!!! I came home and laid on my side without a wedge! It was amazing. He wants me to take off one more week to fully heal the drain sites and to stretch my arm and shoulder a little more and then I will start back to work March 4th! 

We will have radiation mapping some time next week and a consultation with a Physical Therapist who specializes in lymphadema therapy. I should start radiation on March 4th as of today. 

Trials

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:17-18‬ 

We will all face trials. In fact the Bible says we will face many trials. Some trials we will face cause momentary pain while others we face cause lengthy pain. So the question is not if we will face trials but When we face trials how will we handle them? We must shift our views from the worldly views and look at them how God views them in light of eternity. They are such brief moments when you look at them in that light. And it’s so easy for God to see them as brief, and so hard when we are living them and they feel like forever. God desires us to face those trials with Him as the leader of our lives. James 1:2-4 says this “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

He is growing us through our trials. He is growing us through our pain. Making us mature and complete! Giving us perseverance so we may push forward. As our pastor said this Sunday - we already know who wins in the end, so live like it! 

Cancer has been a hard battle. BUT I knew going into it that I had already won. There were weeks that each day brought a brand new trial to face and I longed for it to be over. But, I am so very thankful for cancer. God has taught me so much through this season of my life. My prayer is that in 6 months when everything is back to “normal” I will remember the joy of facing the trial and that it brings me even closer to that completeness. 

Whoever needed this tonight please know I am praying for you. I pray that you would allow our Heavenly Father who desires to love and lead you to do so. If you don’t have a relationship with Him and want to know more please reach out to me I would love to share with you the Hope I have in Him. 

Dann@homlivingston.org 

5 weeks post op

On Sunday it had been a full month since my surgery. Fastest month ever. Maybe not the fastest but I don’t remember a lot of it. This week we had my first meeting with my radiation oncologist- Dr. Morgan. He and his staff are amazing. They were kind, understanding, explained a lot, and answered countless questions for us. We have to start radiation with in 8 weeks of surgery so we are kind of on a timeline now. He seemed to think that I would be ready to go by then so that was promising. 

Today we went for my weekly appointment at the plastic surgeon. And drumroll please - he took out one of my drains! It was not the one he wanted to take out, but, this drain had started leaking and the skin around it had really started hurting so he removed that one instead. I still have a pretty serious hematoma that he wants gone. The drain he removed was the one draining that one - but the existing drain should start pulling that out as well. The good news is, my medical team works fabulously together and they all meet every Friday to discuss their patients. So he was well aware of the 8 week deadline and also felt like I would be ready to go. 

The body is such an amazing thing. Hearing Dr. Morgan explain to us how radiation works and how it kills possible cancer cells and not your good cells was just amazing. And, can only point to one thing - God created our bodies in a miraculous way. I also firmly believe that the guy who found that radiation treatment killed cancer but not your good cells was put on this earth for that very reason by our amazing God. 

4 weeks post op

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is the key verse of my almamater - DBU. For so long I’ve looked at this verse when God has called us to something new, or when things change, but most of the times for good times in my life. I’ve occasionally used this verse when things aren’t going my way or when not so good things happen. But, God is teaching me so much more through this verse. You see, I was going back to work as soon as my drains were out. I even had you pray that I would heal quickly, get my drains out, so that I could go back to work. And from everything my doctors had said I should have been drain free and teaching the 100th day of school. But, as of today, I still have 2 drains, no driving privileges, and no weight with my right arm. We know I tore the muscle back in the hospital, we know that I had a lot of “trauma” to my lymph system,  but we are not sure of why I am still having access fluid draining. And as I was starting to get frustrated today I heard the whisper in my heart - “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” You see, I would have gone back to work whether my body was ready for me to or not. I most likely would have put my body in harms way rather than rest and take care of myself. I know God is taking perfect care of me. That He sees my future, knows what I need, and takes perfect care so that I don’t rush things. 

So, I’m resting. I’m allowing my body to heal. Taking time to allow God to finish the work that He has started. His promise was that I have already won. 

Thank you for praying for me. The doctor seems to think that we will take one drain out next week and the other drain out the following week or 2 weeks after that.