The Power of Prayer

I am feeling GREAT! The second chemotherapy was no harder and maybe even easier than the first one. I have had two weeks of feeling very good, I've been exercising and eating well. (I did have pepperoni pizza one night and Al challenged me to eat better, but I think pizza will have to be in my diet occasionally.) I have been working and keeping up with my grad class work also. Some people who have had chemo before have asked me about sleeping, I do have some insomnia, but a basic Tylenol PM makes a huge difference for me. My blood pressure seems to have settled into the low 140s and upper 130s which is much better. I know that all of your prayers are making a difference for me.
I am beginning to research the effects and science of radiation for cancer. Please pray that Al and I would be able to talk about and make a wise decision in this area. My natural lean is to not undergo radiation, but I want to be open and to understand fully the science behind this course, and I want to be open to God's leading here as well.
I'm getting use to the wig, I can go hours without thinking about it and the itch is gone. I may look into a shorter style for the summer. I have some great hats to wear and have been reading up on different ways to wear head scarves. :-)
Here are some images of things I'm thinking about. Just for fun. :-)

Tired, but two down.

I was able to have my chemo treatment on Tuesday. My white blood cell count was very good, almost normal, and so after a quick visit with the oncologist I was able to complete the 2nd of 8 chemo treatments. My mom was my visitor this time and we were given a private room in the cancer center. We watched HGTV shows and talked about redecorating and other things. It was nice to have company and the treatment went pretty quickly, we left about 4 pm. I slept in on Wednesday but worked a half day and worked both Thursday and Friday. I am tired, the anti-nausea medication causes drowsiness and I am really tired. Oops - I said that already. :-)
So I'm hoping for  a quiet weekend, and then I have two full weeks to recover again before the next treatment. There will be a blood work check up on March 25th, a week from today, to make sure I'm staying healthy. On that note, if I don't take you up on a social opportunity please don't feel bad. I may just be resting and staying away from germs.
Oh, a deer decided to jump in front of Al on his way to work Thursday morning, so my little Vibe is at the body shop. Al is fine, no injuries there. The latest news on the car is that is it to be totalled and we should start looking for a new car. Yuck. Please pray that we can figure out what to do with that news. Thanks again for your prayers and love.

Raining

Matthew 5:44,45 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. In the words of Jeff Manion, "It doesn't rain in squares." This verse helped me when I was initially diagnosed with cancer, you know when you ask the famous "why me?" question, I had to turn it into "why NOT me?"  And because I like my hair, now I am asking it again. My hair is raining too, just like the weather outside. My little quiet unspoken hope that maybe my hair would stick is not to be. Luke says "Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows."
Okay, moving on. My new blood pressure medication seems to be helping. So far my numbers are down 15-20 points pretty consistently. Not in the all clear area yet but getting there. I have been exercising consistently also so maybe that is helping. I have been eating orange food a lot this week, that is supposed to help with my immunity system and my white blood cell count. I feel good, yesterday was 6 weeks after the surgery and my arm is starting to get more feeling back, less of the numb, falling asleep tingling feeling. My range of motion is good, I am doing stretching exercises to keep the right arm moving. I need a quiet weekend with no germs so I can go to the cancer center on Tuesday and receive the next round of chemo. 
Prayer requests? I would like to stay healthy so the chemo can go as scheduled, every three weeks. Our food schedule is coming to an end, and I think that's okay, as Al really enjoys cooking and my appetite has slowed some. Each week now will be food focused on helping my blood counts so we may need to swing into and out of certain food groups to adjust for that. Thank you all again for your prayers.

Mondays, why do they come after Sunday?

You all know what Mondays feel like... Today was Monday.
Last Friday I had some blood work done and my white blood cell count is down a little. I need to get plenty of rest, eat well ( I read on a couple of websites the orange food is good when chemo patients have lower white blood cell counts- so we bought oranges, sweet potatoes, salmon, and carrots!) and keep up some basic exercise. I have been using the workout room at work, it's a good way to end the day, and then go home and rest.
Feel free to pray for the white blood cell count, it wasn't low enough to put off the next chemo session but they will check it again on the 15th before they give me the next batch of chemo so it needs to stay the same or go back up.  Also, I would really appreciate prayer for Andrew, Annie and Al that they would stay healthy and not introduce germs at home. I have already told Annie if she gets sick she has to go to Grandma's to get better! :-)
The nurse also told me to stay away from big groups (like the Middle School Choir concert I went to the night before that appointment) and other areas where I might be exposed to colds and flus. Where would be the most germ free place? I am open to suggestions? Maybe somewhere warmer?  Based on articles in the Press and on the local news I'm not even sure staying home would help. I do have a bottle of hand sanitizer on each of my two school desks and have a bottle at home in my green room.
I have started my new blood pressure medication and wanted to give it a couple of days before I checked my pressure. I will do that later today.
I feel good, I again have so many of you to thank for meals and cards and prayers. I know it helps. Thank you for hanging around me and for lifting me up.
Peace,
Mary

The waiting and the blood pressure

“What makes us heroic? Confronting simultaneously
our supreme suffering and our supreme hope.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
I just read this quote in my grad class book. I was hit by the truth of it, not that I am even close to supreme suffering but I know what my supreme hope it. This is a perfect description of what Jesus did for us. Amazing.

I am waiting, the first chemo treatment was amazingly easy, and only left me slightly tired this last weekend. We did not have school on Friday and so I took a great long nap and we had an easy Saturday and Sunday which helped a lot. I have been back to work this week, and it feels good to have a "normal" week.

I went to my general doctor today to talk about my blood pressure and the meds I'm taking for that. Once again I was impressed with the quality of the care I received. I was listened to and given time to ask questions and process information and the doctor was a convincing partner in my care. God is being so good to me in this regard. I now have a slightly different medication, hopefully to help bring the blood pressure down some, and will check back with him in about a month. I know some of you were praying for my blood pressure and that appointment so - Thank you!

Thursday I go for a 5 week check up with the plastic surgeon and Friday I go back to the cancer center for blood work. They are looking to trace how well the chemo is working and how my body is handling it. If everything looks good then my next chemo treatment is March 15th. The schedule is once every three weeks, four times for the first "chemical cocktail" and then the same again for a second chemo drug, once every three weeks, four repeats. If I stay healthy and all goes well  I will be done in late July.

I am still praying about the option of radiation after the chemo, I need to learn some more and the radiation doctor wanted more details on the pathology report concerning the one involved lymph node.

Wow, lots of details. 

Again and still- the meals and cards that you all have provided mean so much to me. I am amazed and overwhelmed and as someone suggested today- humbled by your generosity and care for me. I am keeping all the cards, thinking that I will use them all to create a celebration party invitation list. :-)

Thank you - I need to think about another way to say that, those words seem inadequate to relate to the care you all have given me.

Peace,

Mary