Blog # 19

I am totally blown away at how God takes care of details! I shouldn't be!! He truly is a Master of details it is just hard to imagine that He does all this for me. And I guess if there is anything that I could share that truly should be shared is that He will do the same for you as well!!

When I arrived at the hospital they couldn't tell exactly what the tumor was doing. If it was in the bone, beside it, eating through it, or what. So for the first two days we heard so much good news and bad news it was hard to hold on emotionally. We did cry a lot because it would go from "we'll be able to take care of this" to "you may not make it through this". When they finally got through a 3hr long MRI and could tell exactly what was going on in there we found out that I wasn't going to need re-constructive surgery and that radiation would be all that was required. But, it just happened to require very precise radiation and they just happened to have the machine that I needed there at ST. Thomas. (There were only two in Nashville...the other was at Vandy) Then they shared that the tumor wasn't growing into the spinal column but around it (which is unheard of because tumors want to grow into the blood flow not away or around it) and it wasn't restricting any blood vessels. Also incredible!!! Because it was growing around the vertebrae there was no structural damage to the bone and that was there biggest concern because reconstruction of the C1-C2 vertebrae is so risky they want to do anything else they can before they try that.

Well when they were ordering my MRI, my oncologist on call came running back into the room to share that the neurosurgeon specialist for the area was on my floor and she had just ran into him and he said he would look at my films when they came out. She was so excited that he was there because he was the best in the area!! How awesome of God to have him waiting outside my door!!

So, I now know that I can radiate this horrible thing and I don't have to have reconstruction. They took me down to radiation and explained that it would require only one very concentrated dose of radiation and it would slowly break down the tumor over a period of two months. How incredible is that? They also learned through all the other scans that none of the other spots have grown and if we took care of this one tumor it would eliminate the immediate threat to my life. Again, wow!! God is Sooooooooooo AWESOME!!

The only downside to my visit was that several doctors asked me why I hadn't done anything yet with my ovaries. Apparently I really need them removed and all the estrogen they are producing even with the hormone inhibitors I am taking. That alarmed me a little. I asked as soon as a started again about that and I didn't get any concern showed at all. But as soon as I get into the hospital every doctor I saw said it would stop the growth immediately if I had them removed!! Needless to say I am scheduled to have them removed on the 3rd of September.

I am being very calm relating these events to you all now, but it was not the case as it happened. It is so good to be home and doing what I can to fight this cancer the way that I know will work! Every one of the doctors recommended Chemo and every one of them said there was no guarantee it would help, but it would eventually kill me. Then what is the point? They all said that taking my ovaries out would stop the growth immediately, yay! So let's just start with that and let me get back to my oxygen treatments and all natural remedies. I know they work! I have seen it work!! And you know what? I totally believe that it is what has kept all the rest of my spots at bay. And I truly believe that the tumor at the base of my skull grew because of the estrogen in my body. How like the Father to take care of that for me and let me know what I needed to do to stop the growth so I can kill the rest of this horrible stuff in my body!!

Yeah, it is really good to be home! :)