On the road again...

Hey guys! So, we are on the road again...we were hoping to get my expansions and drains taken out in West Monroe, but we have decided to just continue with getting all of my medical needs done at MD Anderson. They are the ones familiar with my treatment, and that is where we feel comfortable:) So, we will just have a few more trips to Houston. I counted it up the other day. We have traveled to and from Houston over 25 times in 7 months time. Isn't that crazy? I got my oil changed about 3 weeks ago and Josh got my oil changed a few days ago. I felt sure he forgot I already had it changed, but no, it was time for a change!! So crazy...I don't say that to complain, but I've just begun to realize how much traveling we have done. So thankful we are able to travel though. I have heard of others that want to get treated at MD Anderson, but live too far away, or don't have proper transportation, so we are blessed!

 Tomorrow will be a pretty simple day in that I am just getting expanded and hopefully getting a drain or 2 out. I was able to get one drain removed last week, but I still have 4 in. I am so ready to get these drains out, but I know they must come out at the right time. My sleeping has gotten pretty rough, as I can't get comfortable because of the tightness in my chest and the drains...so please pray for better sleep. In the scheme of things, this is a small issue, but you just feel better when you sleep better! And poor Josh has about an inch of the bed to sleep on because I take up most of the bed with all my pillows. So, needless to say, sleep has been pretty tough for the both of us. Outside of the sleep and pain, I am doing better day by day. I am having back pain..probably because the way I have been sleeping, but please, please pray that this will go away. Satan tries to lie to me about different symptoms, but I rebuke him and put him in is place. If you only knew the spiritual warfare that goes on in this little girl's mind! God always wins. Vctory is won. Praise the Lord!!

 I talked to my nurse today on the phone, and she said it could take up to a year to get to feeling like myself again. Typically, patients begin to feel better 4 to 6 months after surgery. Great, right? She explained to me that my body has just basically been through the ringer..to have chemo flowing through it for 6 months and then a radical surgery...so that made me feel better in knowing I feel as I should feel. I just wish the time table was just shorter. Everythng is relative now that I'm cancer-free. And oh yeah, I can officially use that term now. I asked my nurse when I would be deemed cancer-free by tests and such, and she said that my pathology is what deemed me cancer free. She explained that I wouldn't have any body scans unless I was having any persistent symptoms that occurred. At that point, would have scans(which will never happen, in Jesus' name..the persistent symptoms part). She explained that I will not have any full- body scans until closer to the time of trying to have a baby. So, I'm cancer free. Yep, that's me.

 We also have a date for the potential start of radiation- May 30th! Pending that all of my expansions are done by that date, as well as proper arm movement, I will start radiation on the 30th. So, until then, I will get expanded on both sides, and deflated on the left before the start of radiation. I will also be moving there for 6 weeks. I'm really looking forward to being in Houston. I will hopefully get some good alone time with God, as well as working on my dissertation. I'm so thankful to the ULM MFT department working with me on making my classes work... I will be attending a dissertation seminar class via video feed. So thankful and relieved for that. I am DONE with my 1st year of PhD school!!! What a year it has been! I turned in my final paper and presentation today and am so relieved to have all of my school stuff done. I am looking forward to the week next week where I can fully focus on recovery without the thought of papers needing to be done. I am SO happy to be done....for a while:)

 So, we will continue to make trips to Houston weekly until May 30th, which by the way is only 3 weeks away!! Craziness ! God is so faithful. I had a client ask me today if I was nervous aout radiation, and that was truly the first time I really thought about it. I told her that I am slightly nervous, but I'm mostly excited. It brings an end to my cancer/ healing journey. It is the final step in the cancer treatment process. Although I still have a long road of reconstruction, that is cosmetic and not related to treatment itself. So, I am kind of looking forward to it. A time to reflect on what all God has done for me and all He will continue to do. I love Jesus so much.

 One more thing...I walked in the relay for life walk this past Friday and that was a neat experience. I got to meet Tabbby Soignier, who is a girl in our area that just fought cancer and won, and that was wonderful to get to visit with her. She is about my age and we walked the survivor lap together. I think because my news was still so fresh, it hadnt really hit me that I was a "survivor", but it is pretty amazing. I have survived death. All glory to my God. I also got to visit with Donna Tarver, who is also a recent breast cancer survivor that has helped me so much. It was a great event, and Josh and I want to get more involved next year. It was fun for kids too. We look forward to the day we can take our kids to an event like that and get to tell and re-tell God's story of saving me. Josh and I love you all so much. I know there is a way to reply to the blog comments, and I will be figuring that out soon. We can't say thank you enough for the words of encouragement you all give to us. I remember when Josh first started the blog, and I wasn't so sure about sharing my life with anyone that chose to read, and now I am so thankful.