Surgery Tomorrow - 12/30

 

Surgery is tomorrow. I am nervous but hopeful. 

 

“Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.”

Lamentations 3:21-22 NIV

 

This 6-hour outpatient(!) surgery plans to accomplish a double mastectomy and reconstruction and should be a final big step in this season of cancer. Recovery from surgery will be 2-6 weeks. The big window is because 1 in 3 patients have complications. So it’s actually likely I will have some issue causing a longer recovery time. So while we pray for a quick recovery, we know that healing may come more slowly. 

If you asked about helping after surgery, 

there is a meal train here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/q23mer 

and a sign up to babysit me here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10bIpOLSaK4iYpi-bXvhUawloufU7FaTuw4TwT_PlJDM/edit 

Scott has been taking excellent care of me and him working from home has been extremely helpful. But since I will be unable to use my arms for a bit I need some extra help so that he can actually get work done! So the sign up is to come to our house and hang out with me (babysit) for a few hours. I don’t completely know what I need yet but I know Scott will spend all his time serving me if I need it and don’t have other help. 

Additionally, after surgery, I will continue to have immunotherapy treatments every 3 weeks at the chemo infusion center. This will continue until August making 1 complete year of treatments. 

Two of the 4 drugs I received every 3 weeks at the infusion center were immunotherapy while the other 2 were chemotherapy. So although chemo is done, I will still get treatment there every 3 weeks. This treatment should be easier - not causing nausea and allowing my hair to grow back. Theoretically I get to go back to “normal life”. 

I am so thankful that, as of Christmas Eve, I am eating more normally and starting ti feel better. My exhaustion is lifting though I am still experiencing GI issues and my fingernails are trying to die making my fingertips all swollen and painful. It’s hard to do anything with your hands when your fingers all hurt!

 

Please pray for surgery and recovery, for GI issues that will likely continue with immunotherapy and for my fingers!

 

“I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Lamentations 3:24-26 NIV