"Creation sings the Father’s song. He calls the sun to wake the dawn and run the course of day, ‘Til evening falls in crimson rays. His fingerprints in flakes of snow, His breath upon this spinning globe; He charts the eagle’s flight, commands the newborn baby’s cry.
Creation gazed upon His face. The ageless One in time’s embrace unveiled the Father’s plan of reconciling God to man. A second Adam walked the earth, whose blameless life would break the curse, whose death would set us free to live with Him eternally.
Creation longs for His return, when Christ shall reign upon the earth. The bitter wars that rage are birth-pains of a coming age. When He renews the land and sky, all Heav’n will sing and earth reply with one resplendent theme: the glory of our God and King.
Hallelujah! Let all creation stand and sing. Hallelujah! Fill the earth with songs of worship, tell the wonders of creation’s King." (Getty)
"The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much. The Cross is the point where God and sinful man merge with a crash and the way to life is opened-but the crash is on the heart of God." (Oswald Chambers)
Creation sings of the Cross and God's redemption plan for all who believe! What a wonderful Easter Season!
My bone scan showed no signs of cancer and my Echo showed normal heart function! Praise the Lord! This was a specific answer to prayer-that my heart would stay strong while I continue Herceptin and Tykerb. I will be having a PET scan within the next 4 weeks to check for any signs of cancer in tissues or organs. The PET scan only shows large areas of concern, so we are not expecting to see anything on this scan. If the PET report is good, then I will continue Herceptin and Tykerb and plan to have more surgery in June after school is out.
Thanks so much for the prayers, cards, and words and deeds of encouragement!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Children of the Promise
"By faith this mountain shall be moved. And the power of the gospel shall prevail. For we know in Christ all things are possible, for those who call upon His name. We will stand as children of the promise. We will fix our eyes on Him, our soul's reward. 'Til the race is finished and the work is done; we'll walk by faith and not by sight." ("By Faith"-Getty)
This has been my morning praise song lately and I hope it is an encouragement to you, as well. I haven't updated this in quite some time, but I have been very tired and the normal activities of work and home are about all I can handle! My hemoglobin is back up, my white blood cell count is a little low, and I should have my timber marker back on Monday. I am having a bone scan and ECHO between now and my next Herceptin on March 13. I've been having some joint and muscle pain and shortness of breath, so he just wants to check things out. My hair has started to grow back and is soft and fuzzy. I have eyelashes and eyebrows again, which is nice! I have been able to work every day since we returned from Christmas break, so I've accrued enough hours to be able to take my personal days on March 15 and 16 for the SCACS Fine Arts Festival in Columbia. I'm so glad I'll be able to be there to see Joey and Anna perform for both days. Thanks so much to all who have prayed for our family and continue to pray for us. I see it as a privilege to pray for many of you who are experiencing difficult health problems, too. It is the best thing we can do for each other as we walk by faith and not by sight!
This has been my morning praise song lately and I hope it is an encouragement to you, as well. I haven't updated this in quite some time, but I have been very tired and the normal activities of work and home are about all I can handle! My hemoglobin is back up, my white blood cell count is a little low, and I should have my timber marker back on Monday. I am having a bone scan and ECHO between now and my next Herceptin on March 13. I've been having some joint and muscle pain and shortness of breath, so he just wants to check things out. My hair has started to grow back and is soft and fuzzy. I have eyelashes and eyebrows again, which is nice! I have been able to work every day since we returned from Christmas break, so I've accrued enough hours to be able to take my personal days on March 15 and 16 for the SCACS Fine Arts Festival in Columbia. I'm so glad I'll be able to be there to see Joey and Anna perform for both days. Thanks so much to all who have prayed for our family and continue to pray for us. I see it as a privilege to pray for many of you who are experiencing difficult health problems, too. It is the best thing we can do for each other as we walk by faith and not by sight!
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Before and Behind You
"For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12
I don't profess to be a football expert by any means and what little I know I've learned from comments between my "boys" as they watch games. But I do know this...if that quarterback isn't protected, before and behind, it is trouble!
As we all look to this New Year ahead, let's never forget that no matter what we are facing, the Lord goes before us and He is our rear guard! I'm glad we're on His Team!
As the confusion has cleared over the past week, I now have a "flight plan" for the next few months. I will continue with Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks, beginning on Jan. 12. They will do blood work that day to check my timber marker but the results will take a few days to come in. Surgery has been delayed until summer at the earliest. They want to see me go "disease free" for a longer period of time before they attempt another surgery and this is in the Lord's Hands so He will heal and protect. At some point between now and then, they will do a PET scan. And finally, I have started on Tykerb, a chemotherapy drug similar to Herceptin in that it will block the growth of cancer cells that are positive for the Her2 antibody. I will work my way up to 5 pills a day by next Monday. I take them all at the same time and I believe I will take them before my evening meal. Last night when I started with 2 pills, I was nauseated within 30 minutes. Side effects can vary and I would appreciate your prayers as I begin this treatment. My body and all its organs need to be strong and hold up under the effects of these 2 drugs so I can continue to take them as long as needed. I am looking forward to getting back to school tomorrow and starting the downhill slope to the end of the year. It's hard to believe the year is almost half way over! Once I see how I'm going to respond to this new drug, I hope to be able to return regularly to church. Thanks for all of the Christmas wishes and cards. May God bless you all as you begin this year with the Lord!
"Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him"!
Oswald Chambers
I don't profess to be a football expert by any means and what little I know I've learned from comments between my "boys" as they watch games. But I do know this...if that quarterback isn't protected, before and behind, it is trouble!
As we all look to this New Year ahead, let's never forget that no matter what we are facing, the Lord goes before us and He is our rear guard! I'm glad we're on His Team!
As the confusion has cleared over the past week, I now have a "flight plan" for the next few months. I will continue with Herceptin infusions every 3 weeks, beginning on Jan. 12. They will do blood work that day to check my timber marker but the results will take a few days to come in. Surgery has been delayed until summer at the earliest. They want to see me go "disease free" for a longer period of time before they attempt another surgery and this is in the Lord's Hands so He will heal and protect. At some point between now and then, they will do a PET scan. And finally, I have started on Tykerb, a chemotherapy drug similar to Herceptin in that it will block the growth of cancer cells that are positive for the Her2 antibody. I will work my way up to 5 pills a day by next Monday. I take them all at the same time and I believe I will take them before my evening meal. Last night when I started with 2 pills, I was nauseated within 30 minutes. Side effects can vary and I would appreciate your prayers as I begin this treatment. My body and all its organs need to be strong and hold up under the effects of these 2 drugs so I can continue to take them as long as needed. I am looking forward to getting back to school tomorrow and starting the downhill slope to the end of the year. It's hard to believe the year is almost half way over! Once I see how I'm going to respond to this new drug, I hope to be able to return regularly to church. Thanks for all of the Christmas wishes and cards. May God bless you all as you begin this year with the Lord!
"Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him"!
Oswald Chambers
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Grace for Every Hurdle
“So Spirit, come, put strength in every stride, Give grace for every hurdle, That we may run with faith to win the prize, Of a servant good and faithful." (Getty, "O Church Arise")
"And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." John 1:16
Today is "Jingle Bell" Day! As I finish up my 6 rounds of the tough chemo I get to ring the brass bell in the Cancer Center. I've struggled with whether I should or shouldn't ring it. Part of me did not want to because it would seem odd to ring the bell and then say, "See you in three weeks!" But then I realized I needed to praise the Lord with that bell for his "grace upon grace" to me as I complete this hurdle.
As I continue this journey I am looking towards the next hurdles. It's been a hard 2 weeks of confusing comments from doctors about the next step. And when I called and asked them to please meet and come to a consensus, it seemed to irritate them. We are still praying about the possibility of doing more surgery, Spring Break at the earliest. Both surgeons and the radiation oncologist felt, as I did, that we need to try and go back in to get "clear margins" if possible. Now they are telling me their recommendation is to do the surgery only if I want the reconstruction and not for getting clear margins. It is very confusing, but I know that our God is not the author of confusion. He will make it clear in his own time.
I will begin doing just the Herceptin alone on Jan. 12. The other hurdle they introduced was the possibility of starting me on a chemo pill 4x a day called Tykerb. It works similarly to the Herceptin to block the Her2 so there is a chance the insurance company will not approve it. The possible side effects are moderate to severe and nothing I would want to endure. This was a big shock to me, but not to My God. My timber markers also went up again by 6 and a half points. This represents a cancer antigen marker and you do not want to see this go up. He will check it again in 3 weeks to see if it has dropped or continued to rise. Thanks for your prayers for wisdom as we look ahead to the New Year.
Thanks to all of the dear ladies that are spending some of their vacation time to purchase or make meals for us. All of your Christmas cards and verses have been so encouraging. I would very much like to be at church on Sunday morning because Joey is playing his marimba solo for the offertory. We hope you and your families have a blessed Christmas season!
"And from His fullness we have all received grace upon grace." John 1:16
Today is "Jingle Bell" Day! As I finish up my 6 rounds of the tough chemo I get to ring the brass bell in the Cancer Center. I've struggled with whether I should or shouldn't ring it. Part of me did not want to because it would seem odd to ring the bell and then say, "See you in three weeks!" But then I realized I needed to praise the Lord with that bell for his "grace upon grace" to me as I complete this hurdle.
As I continue this journey I am looking towards the next hurdles. It's been a hard 2 weeks of confusing comments from doctors about the next step. And when I called and asked them to please meet and come to a consensus, it seemed to irritate them. We are still praying about the possibility of doing more surgery, Spring Break at the earliest. Both surgeons and the radiation oncologist felt, as I did, that we need to try and go back in to get "clear margins" if possible. Now they are telling me their recommendation is to do the surgery only if I want the reconstruction and not for getting clear margins. It is very confusing, but I know that our God is not the author of confusion. He will make it clear in his own time.
I will begin doing just the Herceptin alone on Jan. 12. The other hurdle they introduced was the possibility of starting me on a chemo pill 4x a day called Tykerb. It works similarly to the Herceptin to block the Her2 so there is a chance the insurance company will not approve it. The possible side effects are moderate to severe and nothing I would want to endure. This was a big shock to me, but not to My God. My timber markers also went up again by 6 and a half points. This represents a cancer antigen marker and you do not want to see this go up. He will check it again in 3 weeks to see if it has dropped or continued to rise. Thanks for your prayers for wisdom as we look ahead to the New Year.
Thanks to all of the dear ladies that are spending some of their vacation time to purchase or make meals for us. All of your Christmas cards and verses have been so encouraging. I would very much like to be at church on Sunday morning because Joey is playing his marimba solo for the offertory. We hope you and your families have a blessed Christmas season!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Christmastime
We enjoyed the wonderful "Christmastime" Program at HPCS last night. Anna and Joey sang and played along with all of the other talented students and directors. We especially enjoyed being able to visit with Paulette, Joe's sister, and Madison, Joey and Anna's cousin. It was a great time of fellowship and worship of Christ.
I went for a check of my hemoglobin after experiencing extreme fatigue this week. It was unchanged which means I will not need a blood transfusion. They expect the increasing fatigue is due to the cumulative effect of the chemotherapy as I approach the last treatment on Dec. 22. I have an appointment with Dr. Wilcox, the radiation oncologist, next Tuesday to discuss possible electron radiation of the skin for our next step in this battle. It is different from the kind I had in 2009 for 7 weeks but I’m not sure exactly how. I should know more next week. I would most likely begin 4 to 6 weeks after my last treatment. After fully healing from that, I will most likely have surgery, maybe as late as next summer.
Thanks for your continued prayers. I had to take a half day Tuesday to go home and rest but that is only the second time I've had to take an extra day off apart from the 2 days of chemotherapy for each round. That is a wonderful testament of faithful prayers on my behalf. I praise God for all of the wonderful prayer warriors that help me to "rise on wings of faith". I would appreciate your prayers for my mom who is recovering from hip surgery this past Monday. And for Rach, my middle sis, who will continue her battle with breast cancer next week as she gets her port placement and begins chemotherapy on Thursday. Praying and trusting God for your healing! He is faithful!
I went for a check of my hemoglobin after experiencing extreme fatigue this week. It was unchanged which means I will not need a blood transfusion. They expect the increasing fatigue is due to the cumulative effect of the chemotherapy as I approach the last treatment on Dec. 22. I have an appointment with Dr. Wilcox, the radiation oncologist, next Tuesday to discuss possible electron radiation of the skin for our next step in this battle. It is different from the kind I had in 2009 for 7 weeks but I’m not sure exactly how. I should know more next week. I would most likely begin 4 to 6 weeks after my last treatment. After fully healing from that, I will most likely have surgery, maybe as late as next summer.
Thanks for your continued prayers. I had to take a half day Tuesday to go home and rest but that is only the second time I've had to take an extra day off apart from the 2 days of chemotherapy for each round. That is a wonderful testament of faithful prayers on my behalf. I praise God for all of the wonderful prayer warriors that help me to "rise on wings of faith". I would appreciate your prayers for my mom who is recovering from hip surgery this past Monday. And for Rach, my middle sis, who will continue her battle with breast cancer next week as she gets her port placement and begins chemotherapy on Thursday. Praying and trusting God for your healing! He is faithful!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
All Things Work Together for Good
"O church, arise and put your armor on; hear the call of Christ our captain; for now the weak can say that they are strong in the strength that God has given. With shield of faith and belt of truth we'll stand against the devil's lies; an army bold whose battle cry is "love" reaching out to those in darkness.
Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet, as the Son of God is stricken; Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, for the Conqueror has risen! And as the stone is rolled away, and Christ emerges from the grave, This vict'ry march continues till the day ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.
So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride, Give grace for ev'ry hurdle, That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful. As saints of old still line the way, retelling triumphs of His grace. We hear their calls and hunger for the day when, with Christ, we stand in glory." (Getty and Townsend 2005)
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God...And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself interceded for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:18, 23-28
I am having my 5th chemo today and will have the last one on Dec. 22. I will have the Neulasta shot again tomorrow because my white cell count was still marginal. My hemoglobin is low so I am taking the alfalfa tablets (6 a day). They give me horrible nausea and heartburn but I need to do all I can to keep it up to avoid a blood transfusion. I was thankful this week to read the verses above that remind me we really don't know what to pray; our prayers are imperfect. But we have the gift of the Spirit to intercede for us according to God's perfect will. And God's plan works together for our good. Thank you as you join our Intercessors, the Spirit and our Risen Lord, in prayer for us as I continue to pray for you!
I am scheduled to see Dr. de Brux next week and hopefully the radiation oncologist soon. Dr. Gococo is still contemplating the electron radiation at some point and has some reservations about surgery without more consulting with Rippon, de Brux, and Wilcox. Hopefully by my next chemo we will have a game plan and be ready to start the next step in 4 to 6 weeks after my last chemo. Thank you for praying for all my doctors as they put their heads together to come to a decision. I know that the answer will be from the Lord!
"When faced with trials on ev'ry side we know the outcome is secure. And Christ will have the prize for which He died, an inheritance of nations."
Come, see the cross where love and mercy meet, as the Son of God is stricken; Then see His foes lie crushed beneath His feet, for the Conqueror has risen! And as the stone is rolled away, and Christ emerges from the grave, This vict'ry march continues till the day ev'ry eye and heart shall see Him.
So Spirit, come, put strength in ev'ry stride, Give grace for ev'ry hurdle, That we may run with faith to win the prize of a servant good and faithful. As saints of old still line the way, retelling triumphs of His grace. We hear their calls and hunger for the day when, with Christ, we stand in glory." (Getty and Townsend 2005)
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God...And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. Likewise the Spirit helps in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself interceded for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:18, 23-28
I am having my 5th chemo today and will have the last one on Dec. 22. I will have the Neulasta shot again tomorrow because my white cell count was still marginal. My hemoglobin is low so I am taking the alfalfa tablets (6 a day). They give me horrible nausea and heartburn but I need to do all I can to keep it up to avoid a blood transfusion. I was thankful this week to read the verses above that remind me we really don't know what to pray; our prayers are imperfect. But we have the gift of the Spirit to intercede for us according to God's perfect will. And God's plan works together for our good. Thank you as you join our Intercessors, the Spirit and our Risen Lord, in prayer for us as I continue to pray for you!
I am scheduled to see Dr. de Brux next week and hopefully the radiation oncologist soon. Dr. Gococo is still contemplating the electron radiation at some point and has some reservations about surgery without more consulting with Rippon, de Brux, and Wilcox. Hopefully by my next chemo we will have a game plan and be ready to start the next step in 4 to 6 weeks after my last chemo. Thank you for praying for all my doctors as they put their heads together to come to a decision. I know that the answer will be from the Lord!
"When faced with trials on ev'ry side we know the outcome is secure. And Christ will have the prize for which He died, an inheritance of nations."
Saturday, November 19, 2011
A Higher Throne
"There is a higher throne than all this world has known, where faithful ones from every tongue will one day come. Before the Son we'll stand, made faultless through the Lamb; believing hearts find promised grace; salvation comes.
And there we'll find a home, our life before the throne. We'll honor Him in perfect song, where we belong. He'll wipe each tear-stained eye, as thirst and hunger die. The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King; we'll reign with Him.
Hear Heaven's voices sing, their thunderous anthem rings through emerald courts and sapphire skies; their praises rise. All glory, wisdom, power, strength, thanks and honor are to God, our King who reigns on high, forever more"
These words from "A Higher Throne" by the Getty's were wonderful to sing as I took Anna to her Saturday voice club today. After the past week as I was coming out of the "fog" of chemo, I could hear God whispering once again, "O, ye of little faith". I ended up having two MRI's this week, one from 8:30-10:30 Friday night at GMH and the other Tuesday afternoon after my appointment with Dr. Rippon. They needed "a closer look" which at the time was frustrating. I am claustrophobic, especially in the old MRI machines. The noise is like machine gun fire and jackhammers rolled into one! I could barely look up and see one, old light bulb shining in the "pit"! I struggled to recall scripture and songs but the noise makes it hard to remember and concentrate. I just kept looking at that light and thinking of everything about the Lord to do with light: light of the world, this little light of mine, light from the tomb as the angel announced "Christ is risen", etc. When the tech came in to inject the contrast dye, she said, "I didn't realize this light was so bright, do you want me to turn it off?" And I screamed, "No! Don't touch my light!" But the extra detailed films now give me assurance that at this time there are no places on my left chest area (bones, muscles, chest wall) to suggest metastatic disease. It is a great boost to my spirit as I press on toward my last 2 chemos. It is so hard to remember during those "down" times that "there is a higher throne". Dr. Rippon suggested that we move forward with looking at another surgery early next year that will include biopsies of skin and tissue in the lymphatic’s that may still contain cancer. I will meet with the plastic surgeon in December. He will work together with her to do skin grafts and reconstruction at the same time. Joey was finally fever-free on Friday after 8 days. He had "walking pneumonia" and missed 4 days of school this week, but is hopefully on the way back on Monday. He has been highly contagious at a time when my counts are at their lowest, so we appreciate your prayers for all of us as we try to stay well. Congrats to Joey, Craig, Levi, and Matt (the HPCS percussion ensemble for placing third at BJU Festival! Also, to Joey and Matt for placing second in piano duo and duet! The concerts were fantastic and Joey enjoyed "the college life" for a week as he roomed with two sweet boys from our church, Cody and Andrew.We are so thankful this Thanksgiving for all of the generous offerings of food, prayers, cards, and thoughts for our family. May the Lord bless each of you and your families as you rest and enjoy this upcoming week of Thanksgiving!
And there we'll find a home, our life before the throne. We'll honor Him in perfect song, where we belong. He'll wipe each tear-stained eye, as thirst and hunger die. The Lamb becomes our Shepherd King; we'll reign with Him.
Hear Heaven's voices sing, their thunderous anthem rings through emerald courts and sapphire skies; their praises rise. All glory, wisdom, power, strength, thanks and honor are to God, our King who reigns on high, forever more"
These words from "A Higher Throne" by the Getty's were wonderful to sing as I took Anna to her Saturday voice club today. After the past week as I was coming out of the "fog" of chemo, I could hear God whispering once again, "O, ye of little faith". I ended up having two MRI's this week, one from 8:30-10:30 Friday night at GMH and the other Tuesday afternoon after my appointment with Dr. Rippon. They needed "a closer look" which at the time was frustrating. I am claustrophobic, especially in the old MRI machines. The noise is like machine gun fire and jackhammers rolled into one! I could barely look up and see one, old light bulb shining in the "pit"! I struggled to recall scripture and songs but the noise makes it hard to remember and concentrate. I just kept looking at that light and thinking of everything about the Lord to do with light: light of the world, this little light of mine, light from the tomb as the angel announced "Christ is risen", etc. When the tech came in to inject the contrast dye, she said, "I didn't realize this light was so bright, do you want me to turn it off?" And I screamed, "No! Don't touch my light!" But the extra detailed films now give me assurance that at this time there are no places on my left chest area (bones, muscles, chest wall) to suggest metastatic disease. It is a great boost to my spirit as I press on toward my last 2 chemos. It is so hard to remember during those "down" times that "there is a higher throne". Dr. Rippon suggested that we move forward with looking at another surgery early next year that will include biopsies of skin and tissue in the lymphatic’s that may still contain cancer. I will meet with the plastic surgeon in December. He will work together with her to do skin grafts and reconstruction at the same time. Joey was finally fever-free on Friday after 8 days. He had "walking pneumonia" and missed 4 days of school this week, but is hopefully on the way back on Monday. He has been highly contagious at a time when my counts are at their lowest, so we appreciate your prayers for all of us as we try to stay well. Congrats to Joey, Craig, Levi, and Matt (the HPCS percussion ensemble for placing third at BJU Festival! Also, to Joey and Matt for placing second in piano duo and duet! The concerts were fantastic and Joey enjoyed "the college life" for a week as he roomed with two sweet boys from our church, Cody and Andrew.We are so thankful this Thanksgiving for all of the generous offerings of food, prayers, cards, and thoughts for our family. May the Lord bless each of you and your families as you rest and enjoy this upcoming week of Thanksgiving!
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