May you be Strengthened ....

Recently I have spent a great deal of time pondering one of my favourite Bible verses.
Ephesians 3:16-19 ...

¹⁶ That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;

¹⁷ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸ May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

¹⁹ And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Such a wonderful promise.  It is amazing that we can ask for so much.  I also pray this prayer...  that God may strengthen all those around me (especially my friend who recently when through a cancer surgery and is in ICU)  according to the riches of His glory.  There is nothing else that we need than to have than to have God fill us with his strength and love. When I feel overwhelmed by the events around me these verses give me a feeling of total calmness. God is our awesome Heavenly Father.  He is in control and that all we need to do is ask and He is with us, strengthening us, and helping us with whatever we need. 

I am loving being drug free and looking forward to returning to work in January 2015.  On January 6, I have an appointment with my surgeon to have my armpit checked, again.  I have such a deep need for my life to be normal.  Normal for me would be to be able to go to work and contribute in my community.  If it is God's will, my wish will come true.  

Christmas blessings, love, strength and happiness to one and all!  

  

Remission! Yes! Remission!

"Lord, my God, I called to You for help, and You
healed me." Psalm 30:2

Wednesday, September 3, 2014 started out as any usual day except that I was scheduled for an appointment with my oncologist.  The alarm rang and I rolled out of bed.   After a quick shower, breakfast and bottle feeding our two little goats, I made sure that my 16 year old son was out of bed and getting ready for school before I hopped into the truck for the drive into the Tom Baker for my appointment.   During the morning rush, I did take time to talk to God.  And part of my morning prayers included the following request ....
"Dear Heavenly Father, Please, bless Dr. P. and give him the wisdom to know the best treatment plan for me...."

I parked and walked across the street to the Tom Baker. As I approached the back door entrance, I spotted Dr. P. darting to the door.  He held the door open for me, I entered the building and turned to take the shortcut up the stairs. Dr. P. followed. He said something about being late and I thought to myself this means that I better pick up the pace.  So I trotted up the stairs to the second floor.  He kept pace behind me and mentioned as he went by on his way to the third floor that it was nice to see me skipping up the stairs.  I had just raced my medical oncologist up the stairs and I think I won! :) Being drug free sure suits me.

Later at my appointment with Dr. P., he was going over my last test results and then started talking about the new drug and the not so nice side effects when suddenly he got up and said ... "just a minute" and walked out of the room.  I sat there nervously thinking about the cancer drugs and hoping for no side effects.  When he returned he had in his hand the pathology from my surgery in March which he started to go through ....."Negative, negative, negative ....".  He looked up at me and quietly said, "All the test results indicate that you are in remission. And so with your last test results there is no cancer and no need for any drugs."   I was stunned!  He had said REMISSION! I am in remission!  God is good!  From my understanding the cancer morphing into a triple negative cancer was actually a good thing.

So here I am in remission and drug free!  It is better that I could have wished for.  Life is good! God is good! My cup runneth over with gratitude! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

May all glory go to God!   I am in his hands and once again he has delivered me.

Clean CT ..... Yahooo!!

Good morning! and yes it is an amazingly good morning!!

I am loving summer! I am loving the sunshine and flowers and fresh veggies from my small garden.  I am also very excited about my sister and cousin and aunty coming to Canada! We have a fun family picnic planned.

Less than a week ago, I sat in a chair waiting from my blood draw.  While chatting for the nurse, I mentioned that I was feeling nervous about the CT scan results that I was about to receive at my oncologist appointment. . She told me, "You look amazing and your body knows what is going on.  So you do not need to be nervous."  I responded with 'Thank you'.  The nurses kind words had given me that little boost of faith that I needed in that moment.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:24 NIV).  My CT scan was CLEAN!  It is an answer to prayer.  My oncologist is very happy and that makes me happy, as well.  God is good!  A friend said to me, "You have beat it!" .... my response is ... "No.  God has beat it.".  All glory be to God the great healer and master of all! :) Praise the Lord! The strange thing is that even if the scan results had been the opposite, I still would be praising the Lord. (Though I am sure that it would be with tears in my eyes.)  I know that He is taking care of me and that I am in his hands.   My treatment plan has again, changed.  So Carboplatin and Gemcitabine chemo treatments have been stopped and I have been given 3 weeks off.  On September 4, I go in to see my oncologist again and the plan is that I will start on Everolimus and Exemestane.  These will be taken orally for the rest of my life.  The goal is to stop any cancer from growing.   I asked, "When can I go back to work?" and was told that we need to wait and see.  About 50% of the patients have no problem with these drugs.  The other 50% ... well we will see.  I continue to pray for wisdom for my oncologist when he is making choices for me and that I am in the 50% that has no issues. :)  Thank you everyone for your support, love and prayers! I am sure that is why God has put us on this earth is to be kind to one another.  Love and blessings to all! :)

Spring Flowers and Summer Growth

I am so grateful the miracle of spring and the amazing green growth that summer brings.  Every blossom, every leaf, every blade of grass is a reminder to us of God's love and his caring for us. July is such a month of amazing warmth and growth.  This summer we have had very few mosquitoes. So I have been enjoying every minute of it.

This Thursday will see the start of round 7.... I can not help it but I have been counting days ... days to my last treatment and if I get day 8 treatment of my 8th round the last treatment will be on September 11.... I am so close
and so happy!

My body has been struggling with blood counts so I have missed the day 8 treatment for the few couple of rounds.  My sweet homeopath says that my body is trying to tell me that it is enough.  My oncologist says that 'yes' I am getting enough of the chemo drug and he is happy with my progress. I hate to say this but I really do not mind missing the day 8 treatments. I know from experience day 8 is not far enough from day 1 ..... I personally need more time to forget what happens on day 1.

Last Monday, I went for a CT scan.  It is to see if this latest bout of chemo treatments is working (cancer has not spread) or not working (cancer has shown up elsewhere).  So far so good.  I am thinking positive and continue to pray for, once again,a clean CT scan.  Wednesday I will find out my results so I am already making sure that someone will be with me.

I am very much looking forward to my sister visiting and our annual family picnic on the 23rd.

John 16:33  I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

Life is good. May I always remember that no matter what tribulation I experience,  God is with me.

Happy summer and many blessings to all! :)

Let Us Love One Another

It is Sunday, May 4, 2014.  There is snow on the ground and frost covering everything.  Our forecast predicts that snow showers will continue for the day.  All I can say is that ‘I love Canada’ and I really do.   Spring will come quickly when it does show up.

As of now, I have just finished round 2 of my Carboplatin and Gemcitabine chemo combo.  I am not sure what I think about going for treatment on both day 1 and day 8.  The main issue I see with it is that I do not have time to forget what the last treatment was like before I am going in for my next.  Last week my 19 year old son was driving me in to the Tom Baker and in a moment of anxiety I said to him, “Why am I doing this?”.  He replied quite frankly, “Because you are not stupid, Mom”.

That was exactly what I needed to hear to walk into the cancer centre with renewed confidence.  My blood counts are currently somewhere below where they should be and so tomorrow morning I will be starting on antibiotic to protect me from infections that I do not have, yet but that may be lurking.  I am assuming that the doctors have done this before and so I will do as they request.

I am so blessed with wonderful friends and family!  This includes my homeopath, Lynda for her constant attention, the kind people from church who cleaned my house this past week and my family doctor who told me, “If anyone can beat this, it will be you”.  Thank you to everyone for the love that you show me. Even small gestures of caring are very much appreciated. I pray that I can reflect that love back to you.

1 John 4:7-8  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.  Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.

May we all love and feel loved! God bless! :) 

Capcitabine Home Remedies

I was on Capcitabine for long enough to figure out a few things.  So I am going to briefly share the home remedies that helped me through the months that I was on the chemo drug Capcitabine.

Issue:  Feet and hands

* wool socks
* moisturizer 3 times a day. Let it soak in.
*hot spots on feet mean "STOP" walking. Walking on hots spots = BLISTERS!
*soak feet in water with epsom salts and baking soda twice a day when feet are reacting to the drug
*rub the goo from inside an aloe leaf on my hands and feet
*wear shoes one size too big
*line bottoms of shoes with raw wool


Issue: Burning Stomach

* drink club soda
* 1/8 tsp baking soda in warm water

Issue: Acid Reflux

*Gaviscon

Issue: Aching legs

*drink beet juice (4 oz a day)

Issue: Facial Eczema

*coconut oil (1 - 2 tbsp a day)

Issue: Uncertainty

*pray and pray some more


It is kind of ironic but they way most cancer treatments work causes the cancer patient to become quite ill.  For me it helps to remember that the chemo drugs may make me sick are making the cancer sicker! Actually what makes the patient sick, will KILL the cancer.

The Right Choice?

Joshua 1:9

"Have I now commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." KJB

This week I have been snowballed with good news.  On Tuesday my surgeon told me that the margins were totally clean. This means that the cancerous tumour has been removed successfully. And on Wednesday my medical oncologist told me that my CT scan was clean.  YES!!! MY CT SCAN IS CLEAN!!! Yahoo!!

There was surprising news that my cancer had for sure morphed into a triple negative cancer.  There was not HER2+ cells in the tumour that they removed. So the chemotherapy protocol  has been changed once again.  Oh yes, the new chemo started on Thursday.  I prayed that the medical oncologist would make the best decision for me and so I am trusting that God guided his decision and that this chemo will work.  It is the right choice.

There is a Dr. Kelly A Turner who has recently written a book called Radical Remission where she indicates that there are 9 key factors in remission.

1. Radically changing your diet.

2. Taking control of your health.

3. Following your intuition.

4. Using herbs and supplements.

5. Releasing suppressed emotions.

6. Increasing positive emotions.

7. Embracing social support.

8. Deepening your spiritual connection.

9. Having strong reasons for living.

I think that Radical Remission is the next book that I want to read. :) I am very interested to seen how my life fits into these nine factors.  

May God bless you and your loved ones.  <3

Whirlwind ....

I am just back from a CT scan.  Yes, a CT scan booked on Saturday night.  All I can do is just contemplate how these past few days have been a whirlwind and I feel like I am just along for the crazy ride.

I saw my medical oncologist on Wednesday, March 5 where I was told that 'the new chemo starts tomorrow'. The chemo that I had been on since August 2013 had not done its job.  So on Thursday I went in for a dose of Herspetin and some Vinorelbine.  After three hours in the chemo treatment area, I was allowed to go home.  It is a good thing that my husband was driving because I was shaking and had severe chills.  On the trip home my surgeons office called.  Surgery was booked for Tuesday, March 11 as long as my blood counts were good enough.  Blood work needed to be done on Monday, March 10 and I needed to book an appointment.  Then I was to see the medical oncologist on Wednesday with the possibility of more chemo on Thursday.  Things were suddenly falling into place. Whew!

Happy Face drawn by Surgeon

Surgery went well enough that my surgeon, although he had to go deeper than he had anticipated, was quite happy and felt that he got it. However, I am still sore and let out a yelp when the technician at the CT lab tonight wanted me to put my hand above my head.  My medical oncologist has decided that I need to be on a new chemo drug.  The trick now is to get funding for it even though it is approved for use in Canada. And the really good news is that the second chemo was cancelled which means two weeks off of chemo.  The doctor thought that I had been through enough in the last few days.  For now, I am waiting for pathology results and praying lots that God continue to travel with me. In 9 days I see my surgical oncologist and in 10 days I see the medical oncologist to get the details of my new treatment plan.

I am currently inspired by the following ....

 "Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,
 Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?"
  Jeremiah 32:26 and 27

God is the God of all and nothing is too hard for Him! God is good!

I continue to pray.  All is well! :)

Happy New Year, Happy Valentines and the Cancer is Back....

Ugh!! there is no other way to put it.  The surgeon told me on Tuesday that the biopsy of the lump that has appeared on the incision at the back of my left armpit has come back as "Trouble".  Ugh!!

Wednesday, I will have my regular 3 week appointment with my medical oncologist.  The plan is that with his stamp of approval I will be having an MRI this week and surgery the following week.  I really want to get this lump removed.  However, I will follow the advice of my doctors.

Life is Good! and I want to be alive and so I will continue treatment and hope for the day when I can walk away from this.

Panic with cancer diagnosis is normal.  However, I must be getting desensitized because I am not feeling the same feeling of panic and dismay that I had felt with my previous diagnosis.

I have accepted that God is in control so somehow, even though I do not understand, this is a part of His plan.  I have nothing to fear.  God is love and wants the best for everyone.

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."  Proverbs 13:12

I am very hopeful and know that God has put me in good hands.  I am praying that He help my doctors decide the best course of action for me.  This might be asking for too much, but I am also praying that when the surgeon comes to do surgery that there is nothing there! That's correct ... it is gone!
Right now, I am hoping for 30 or 40 more really good years. All is well.  God is in control.

May God bless you.