Prayer Request

It's been a long time since I've written, but believe it or not, life has been fairly uneventful for the past couple of weeks. I'm recovering well and have even been running again. I decided this week that rather than run every other day, I would run every day until the chemo starts next week. When I run I feel like I'm actually doing something to fight this cancer thing. It's definitely a battle and I want to be in tip-top shape so I can be the victor! (I know, I've always been a bit competitive.)

My prayer request is for protection from the strep throat that has just entered our home through our eldest...Jodie. She got it hard and is feeling pretty punky. We've got the antibiotics going, so she'll be perking up here in no time. But, I know the docs won't start chemo on me if I'm sick. Sure some may think that might be a relief. However, I'm at the point now where I just want to get this show on the road so I can get it over with. Plus, I've got plans...I'm teaching CORE 100 in the fall and we have our Cedar Bend date all scheduled.

I have learned from things like botched surgeries, that I can rest in the knowledge that Jesus is in control of it all and no matter what happens, I will trust in Him and His timing. But I also know that we can take every matter to Him in prayer and He will listen. So my prayer is that the rest of the family will remain healthy and my chemo will start next Thursday as planned. Yippee.

Here's a cool passage of scripture that I am working on memorizing. Want to memorize it with me? Pastor Mark read Psalm 91 to me while I was lying on the gurney waiting to go in to surgery (at least I think it was this scripture...uh, and I'm pretty sure it was Pastor Mark...I was medicated at the time. :-)

(I changed the "he's" to "she's".)

Psalm 91:9-16
If you make the Most High your dwelling -
even the Lord, who is my refuge -
then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpant. (cancer)
"Because she loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue her;
I will protect her, for she acknowledges my name.
She will call upon me and I will answer her;
I will be with her in trouble,
I will deliver her and honor her.
With long life will I satisfy her
and show her my salvation."

Oh, and I've got to tell you something about this scripture. When I first started memorizing it I was saying, "and no disaster will come upon your tent." Then I looked closer and realized it said, "no disaster will come near your tent." That's even better! Not only will disaster not come upon my tent/house, but it won't even come near it. I'm glad the Holy Spirit pointed out my error because I wouldn't want to short change God's promise...I want the whole enchilada, and the great thing is, He wants it for me too! (And for you! :-)

With Joy and Victory,

Janice

Unexpected Blessings

Yesterday I spent most of the day at U of M (my home away from home). It's a love/hate relationship for sure. I love the doctors, nurses and staff. They are angels in disguise. They treat me with kindness, respect, care and even hugs. But I hate going there. Every time we get in the car and head east on I-94 out of Jackson, my stomach starts doing flips, my heart races, my breathing shortens and I just want to turn around and head west...literally. I'd like to drive until I hit the mountains of Colorado where I'd settle on a ranch, remove the word cancer from my vocabulary, and never look back. Ahh...fantasies can be good therapy.

Anyway, back to the unexpected blessings. My appointment yesterday was with the medical oncologist. My team of doctors reviewed my case and have determined that my chemo treatments can be cut in half!! I had no idea this was even possible. This is an answer to a prayer that I never even knew to pray. But the Holy Spirit did and He was interceding to the Father on my behalf. Because my kind of cancer is essentially non-aggressive, low grade, well differentiated, and only affected one lymph node, the protocol for me is only 4 rounds of chemo over an 8 week period of time. That's instead of the standard protocol of 8 treatments over 16 weeks. That's great news!

I begin August 3rd and go every other week until the 4 treatments are done. Three of the treatments will fall in August with the final treatment being on September 14th. Praise the Lord! I am very excited about the fact that my family and I will be able to go to the first ever Gallogly family reunion at Thanksgiving. I have been praying about this and told the Lord I would sure like to go, but I was praying more for strength during chemo so that I could go. Instead He answered by changing the treatment schedule!!

I must admit I am still pretty scared about dealing with chemo and there's still the possibility of needing radiation once chemo is finished. But, I am utterly and totally depending on the Lord to give me the strength and courage to make it through.

With Joy and Victory,

Janice

Romans 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Give Thanks to the Lord for He is Good!

Yahoo! God is good! We always knew that, but here's why I'm rejoicing this morning. I got the call about my pathology report from the surgery. They took 9 lymph nodes and there is no cancer in any of them!! That's great news because more affected lymph nodes would have meant more surgery to remove more of them. When the Physician's Assistant read me the report over the phone she was a bit surprised that all were clear and said, "Congratulations, good for you!" I replied, "No, praise the Lord!". I have learned that lymph nodes are really very important and that removing them can cause life long complications. There's always the chance of developing lymphedema even 20 years after surgery. I can no longer have my blood pressure taken or blood drawn on my right arm; the back of my upper arm is numb and may stay that way; and infections from cuts and scratches can be a problem. So, all that to say, praise the Lord that I don't have to have any more removed. And even more good news...the tissue taken from the mastectomy showed no other cancer in any other area! Praise the Lord again!

As I wrote before, I am improving in strength everyday. Yesterday I was able to go to my parents' house and sit by the pool while all the cousins swam. My brother and his family are here from Kansas and I am so thankful that I could spend some time with them.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. There's still the chemo journey ahead, but I know that "The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies." Ps. 118:7

With Joy and Victory,

Janice

Psalm 118:15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous; "The Lord's right hand has done mighty things! The Lord's right hand is lifted high; the Lord's right hand has done mighty things!"

Thankfulness

I have so much to thank the Lord for today. First, I am recovering well. I think being run over by a truck might be comparable to how I felt at first, but now the pain is totally manageable with Tylenol. Second, the correct surgery was performed! I was quite confident that nothing would run amuck in the OR due to your prayers and the note Ena helped me sneak onto my chest right before they took me into the operating room. It included everything that was to be done with emphasis on which side it was to be done and cautioned them to be careful with my throwing arm. I also let them know that many people were praying for them and then as a PS asked them to wake me when it was over! :-) The doctors and nurses got a big kick out of it. They taped the note up in the operating room.

I came out of the anesthesia fast and was wide awake within a few minutes. The nurses kept commenting on how surprised they were at how quickly I was alert. I told them I had places to go and people to see.

After 3 hours in the post-op of the Cancer Center I was taken to “Slot 22” where I spent the rest of my stay. The hospital was packed, so I wasn’t able to get a room. Slot 22 is actually the post-op area at U of M’s main hospital. It’s huge and was full of people right out of surgery. We were a sorry looking bunch.

Because Slot 22 wasn't a room Brent, my parents, sister Dawn H., and friend Mary D., could only come in one at a time to visit. The good news about this adventure is that the nurses gave me my own portable dvd player with a list of movies to choose from. The miracle of modern pain medicine, (but mostly the annoyance of the snoring woman next to me), allowed me to comfortably watch 5 movies before dawn broke. (She kept complaining of pain, but for someone in pain she sure could saw some logs.)

They also gave me a nice U of M tote bag with a bathrobe, slippers, bath towel, washcloth, water bottle, and a bag of toiletries, just for all the inconvenience. Go Blue! All in all, Slot 22 turned out just fine. It also allowed me to meet a young woman who had surgery right after me. She has breast cancer and will undergo chemo as well. I’m sure our paths will cross again at the Cancer Center. Please remember Bethany in your prayers.

I’m still laying low and not doing much of anything which is driving me nuts, but even minor activities wear me out. My new hobby, Sudoku, helps to pass the time and now and then I shuffle out to the back yard to sit. But then I long for my “spot” on the bed which consists of 7 pillows propping up my back, arms and legs, my Sudoku book, the tv remote, snacks, drinks, drugs, 2 seasons of the Mary Tyler Moore show, and one season of Frasier.

Everyday shows improvement. I am amazed that each day there is some other task that I can do by myself (like getting dressed, combing my hair, pumping the soap out of the soap dispenser with one hand, picking up my coffee mug – that was a biggie!) which I attribute to the healing power of Christ.

Again I thank you all for your prayers and support. Thank you to my parents who have persevered and been by my side through 3 surgeries in the last 2 months. Thank you to Brent who is trapped in the house with the kids and all that goes with that! Thank you to all who are bringing meals; to great neighbors who invite my kids over to swim and play; to Kathy for taking Jodie horse-back riding; to Lissa and Micki for all the beautiful pink and purple ribbons adorning my front yard; to all who have sent cards and brought surprizes – they mean so much; to my manager and friend Lena :-); to my friend Suzanne who came all the way from North Carolina to have coffee with me; to Julie who has already been through this journey and is a great source of encouragement; to Mary for spending an entire day at the hospital; to my CORE 100 students who keep emailing; and for all the beautiful flowers and plants. I am so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. And most of all I thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whose power works best in my weakness. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Love and Blessings,

Janice