Hello all,
Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and that some of you may have even remembered to dance in the rain! Yesterday marked my 7th week out from the mastectomy/reconstruction surgery and I pray this will be my last update for a while. The final answer is …. I will not be going forward with the chemotherapy treatments. The small benefit percentage (2-4%) was not high enough for me personally. I called my general surgeon last week to go over it all with him again and he said it like this: “Liz, if you don’t take the chemo and the cancer is back in 5 years, you are going to kick yourself for not taking the chemo.” I agreed; but then he said, “On the other hand, if you do take the chemo and the cancer is back in 5 years, you are really going to kick yourself!” I really like this surgeon and his dry humor. Please note that he has been very honest in his opinion, along with the rest of my doctors, that they really do not know what the right answer is for chemo in my category, and that it all comes down to my own personal decision.
Each person must face their own battles and decisions and this one was mine. I have held out making the decision hoping and praying to hear what I thought the Lord was leading me to do. To be honest, I did not receive any great revelation or the supernatural answer that I was hoping for. What I do feel, and have felt in my spirit since the beginning, is His supernatural peace in all of this. Truly, that is enough for me because I know that nothing is going to happen to me that He does not allow. Therefore, I really cannot make a “wrong” decision when I trust Him with my life. I feel that I have taken the best advice from the medical doctors to have a total mastectomy and there are no regrets. Also, the reconstruction is great to the point that no one would guess that I had undergone a total mastectomy if they passed me on the street. Thank the Lord for the miracles of modern surgery!
Friday, I called to tell the oncologist no to chemotherapy and he started me immediately on my hormone therapy Tamoxifen, which gives me the second highest percentage of no recurrence behind the mastectomy. So far, I am not having any problems with this medication, and I will see him back in 10 days for my blood work. Also, had my last appointment with the plastic surgeon until another 4 months as long as there are no problems.
Although I am doing really well, I do still have abdominal swelling, which they said could take another month or two to go down. Reclining and walking is relatively easy, but sitting straight up is the hardest for me and that is what I am working on trying to improve right now. It is hard not only on my abdomen but also hard on my back. So, please continue to pray for my recovery anytime you think of me.
Thank you again so much for all of the love shared with us during this time in our lives and especially for all the prayers sent to the throne room of God on my behalf.
Love to all,
Liz
P.S. Please remember that two weeks prior to my cancer diagnosis I was standing in the church parking lot talking to our Associate Pastor about the number of people on our prayer list that had cancer. Of course, I had absolutely no idea that cancer was sitting in my own body at the time and that I would be the new name at the top of the list 2 weeks later. Do not take anything for granted and stay on guard!
Hope you all had a great Memorial Day weekend and that some of you may have even remembered to dance in the rain! Yesterday marked my 7th week out from the mastectomy/reconstruction surgery and I pray this will be my last update for a while. The final answer is …. I will not be going forward with the chemotherapy treatments. The small benefit percentage (2-4%) was not high enough for me personally. I called my general surgeon last week to go over it all with him again and he said it like this: “Liz, if you don’t take the chemo and the cancer is back in 5 years, you are going to kick yourself for not taking the chemo.” I agreed; but then he said, “On the other hand, if you do take the chemo and the cancer is back in 5 years, you are really going to kick yourself!” I really like this surgeon and his dry humor. Please note that he has been very honest in his opinion, along with the rest of my doctors, that they really do not know what the right answer is for chemo in my category, and that it all comes down to my own personal decision.
Each person must face their own battles and decisions and this one was mine. I have held out making the decision hoping and praying to hear what I thought the Lord was leading me to do. To be honest, I did not receive any great revelation or the supernatural answer that I was hoping for. What I do feel, and have felt in my spirit since the beginning, is His supernatural peace in all of this. Truly, that is enough for me because I know that nothing is going to happen to me that He does not allow. Therefore, I really cannot make a “wrong” decision when I trust Him with my life. I feel that I have taken the best advice from the medical doctors to have a total mastectomy and there are no regrets. Also, the reconstruction is great to the point that no one would guess that I had undergone a total mastectomy if they passed me on the street. Thank the Lord for the miracles of modern surgery!
Friday, I called to tell the oncologist no to chemotherapy and he started me immediately on my hormone therapy Tamoxifen, which gives me the second highest percentage of no recurrence behind the mastectomy. So far, I am not having any problems with this medication, and I will see him back in 10 days for my blood work. Also, had my last appointment with the plastic surgeon until another 4 months as long as there are no problems.
Although I am doing really well, I do still have abdominal swelling, which they said could take another month or two to go down. Reclining and walking is relatively easy, but sitting straight up is the hardest for me and that is what I am working on trying to improve right now. It is hard not only on my abdomen but also hard on my back. So, please continue to pray for my recovery anytime you think of me.
Thank you again so much for all of the love shared with us during this time in our lives and especially for all the prayers sent to the throne room of God on my behalf.
Love to all,
Liz
P.S. Please remember that two weeks prior to my cancer diagnosis I was standing in the church parking lot talking to our Associate Pastor about the number of people on our prayer list that had cancer. Of course, I had absolutely no idea that cancer was sitting in my own body at the time and that I would be the new name at the top of the list 2 weeks later. Do not take anything for granted and stay on guard!
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