Game On!!!

I do believe God is teaching me patience...by drowning me in it! Oh, but I guess it is all worth it, I think? I am glad to finally now know where this road is taking me and I have a clearer understanding of where I am going to end up. Monday made this experience very real to me when I went in for surgery for my port placement. I now have a bump on my upper chest that will be for specifically accessing my main arteries to flow in all the chemo they want to give me! Do I sound excited? I actually am. If you can imagine knowing that something will make you dramatically better by the first dose you would want it too. I am not excited however for the side effects to ensue, but there is a price to pay for everything. I most likely will have to say goodbye to my long luscious locks of hair and start doting a trendy head scarf. I will most likely be tired and grumpy...hehe. Other things could happen but I know that no matter what I face, God is surely by my side and he must think I am strong to put me through this. My hats (and hair) are off to all my predecessors in this noble fight! Let the games begin!

The Game Plan...

Tuesday I went in to see my Oncologist to find out my treatment plan and what all my testings came up with. A HUGE HALLELUIAH that my bone marrow came back negative for cancer. The other scans showed that the cancer is still concentrated in my chest and neck area and nothing below! The doctor was able to now stage me and he said I am at a "2" but a very big "2". This means that he will treat me as if I am at stage 3 only because the lymph-nodes are so big although still in one area. Monday I begin my first dose of chemo which will be a very intense concoction but will dramatically shrink my lymph-nodes and alleviate my current symptoms of itchy skin, night sweats and a lot of discomfort. I don't know exactly how I will fair but mostly likely it will knock me out for the day. I'm taking Tuesday off work too just in case its too much. I will be receiving chemo every-other week just one time that week for 4 to 6 cycles. That is the equivalent to 4 to 6 months of chemo. To top that off like a cherry, they have ordered me up 3 solid weeks of radiation to make sure this cancer is a goner! luckily for me, the radiation should be half the dose that most other cancer patients get only because of the type that I have. Some of the downsides to the radiation is the possibility of getting other types of cancer like breast cancer or certain neck cancers. These likelihoods are low, but I will be at a higher risk than most people.

I understand that the doctors have to disclose to you everything that could go wrong. For all of that, I simply look heavenward and give a nod. Yep, my God can take care of those things for me when I have no control of them myself. Do I have to lose my hair? No...I will prepare myself in case it does happen but will rejoice in an answered prayer when it doesn't. I don't know why God has put me on this road, but isn't he the author and finisher of our faith? I can only trust him that he knows what he's up to. I can only imagine what it was like for Job. "Have you considered my servant Job?" God says. The devil reply's " You have a hedge around him...let me touch his person and he will curse you" but Job did not curse God. Even when he had no clue in the world why this happened, he came out victorious after enduring the hardship.

When you pray for me, and PLEASE pray for me...pray that I will sail through the chemo treatment without the unnecessary side effects. Pray that I will qualify for financial aid since insurance will not cover everything. And pray that God will give me courage and strength for not only me, but for my husband and other family members to endure this with me. Fight with me!

Shannon