1st 3 month check up on Friday

Hey guys,

My post- op check up went well on Thursday and everything seems to be looking really well from surgery. I got 2 of my four drains out and that felt much better to get out. My other 2 are draining well, but still not ready, so hopefully they will be out soon. It really is feeling great on my right side. Not anything close to what I expected it to feel like, so I am so, so thankful.

More of the issues come in right now with my left side in regards to reconstruction. The skin is very tight and somewhat immobile from radiation and they are scared that what happened on the right will happen on the left. Their thinking is ,"if problems happened on the non-radiated side, problems will most likely occur on the radiated side." Because of these concerns, they are just somewhat watching and waiting.

I thought I would get expanded on the left side last week, but they are just being super conservative and cautious, so I did not get expanded. It looks like the lat-flap surgery will happen eventually on that side as well...we just don't know when it will happen. It may happen sooner than 6 months if there are problems. It may happen with an expander if we can't expand before the surgery. If we are able to expand before surgery...we may do the lat flap surgery with an implant...It may happen soon or it may be a while...there are just so many options that just simply depend on how my skin and tissue responds on the left side. I really don't even know what I want. The one thing I do know is that God is worthy to be praised and worthy to be trusted. I thought I knew the best thing for me, and to me, that was not having the lat flap surgery. Thus far, it hasn't been too bad and I have super healthy tissue, skin, and will eventually have a more natural looking breast. God knew what was best for me, when I really had no clue. So, I can kind of waste my time thinking of all the things I want. I am praying above all that I am cancer free FOREVER, and I am trusting that is his will for me. Of course I want to look great and somewhat like my old self, and he knows the desires of my heart. I am trusting him to give me those desires in whatever way he sees fit. He has proved himself faithful over and over and over again!

Psalm 37:4 "Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart's desires."

I am having some pain/discomfort on a part of my left breast that I was concerned about at last week's appointment. It felt sort of lumpish, but I was trusting that it was part of my expander, and that is just what it was. My plastic surgeon and the P.A. felt it and said that that was where expander was sutured and it is OH SO SORE! To barely push it can feel excruciating. I'm not sure why it is so sore, but it is. I think it may be putting pressure of some of my ribs, because I have had some "clicking" when I take really deep breaths and it is right where the expander is so sore. Please pray that this goes away!

I have started physical therapy here in West Monroe and it is going really well. I am getting much movement on my right side after this surgery and my left arm range of motion is getting better too. Before this last surgery, I was favoring my right side so much because I had much more limited movement on the left. Well, now that I had surgery on my right side, it has made me use my left side more, which has been a blessing for sure. I had been scared to move my right arm and back after surgery and going through this physical therapy has made me feel much more comfortable in moving it and stretching it. I will continue going to physical therapy 3 times a week until I have reached my goals.

I will see my plastic surgeon on the 16th of August to re-evaluate what we think we will do on the left side. I am trusting that God's perfect plan will play out as I obey him and stay close to his word.

The huge, big, major milestone coming up happens tomorrow! I have my first ever, 3 month oncology check up. I have been giving my anxiety over to the Lord in my mind, but my body is not quite caught up with my mind just yet. My stomach has been in knots this week as I come to this appointment. Instead of looking at 4 more years, or 1 more year, I have chosen to go from milestone to milestone. And for me, that is every 3 months for the next year. So, I am going from 3 months to 3 months, and that's tomorrow. The last time I saw my oncologist was on May 1st when I got the wonderful news that my pathology was clear! I was so overwhelmed at the good news that we barely even asked any questions. So, we have a lot of questions we want to ask at this visit. Overall, we just want a good, cancer-free visit. Please, please, please pray for me and that tomorrow will be another joyful day where God's healing is yet again so very evident. I think I literally feel every bit of blood pump through my body because I am so aware of what my body is doing and I can have "symptoms" come up. I cast them down and make them line up with God's word, but those come to mind when an appointment like this comes up. Please do not just read this blog, but stop right now and pray for me! I will be looking forward to posting a great report after my appointment on Friday! Please join me in devoting yourselves to prayer, with a thankful heart.

"Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart." Colossians 4:2. So take rest that when you pray for me, you are obeying scripture. I will do the same for all of you.

I love you all. I pray for you all too...blessings for your care and concern and prayers for me!