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.