Accomplishments ... and Challenges

When I started this blog, I wanted to share and educate others through my journey of breast cancer.  Things happen while walking this journey that I had no idea about.  You know in my pre-breast cancer days when I heard of someone having breast cancer, I would always pray for that person and think about them having surgery, then chemo and probably radiation and OH yea, the 'oh no they will lose their hair thoughts' and that was it.  Well little did I know that there were many more challenges during the journey of breast cancer ... yes, those surgery, chemo and radiation happen but there are many other things as I have learned that happens when you have breast cancer and I want to share it all.  FIRST let me say that losing your hair is such a small part of the process that it doesn't even matter.  I mean I'm like ... who cares, it's just hair.  There has just been so much more to get through that losing my hair is not even much of a thought for me.  Losing your hair is like losing your boobs ... I still have my heart so who cares. 

I continue to do the arm exercises that I was given so that I can regain full range of motion of my arms after the surgery.  My right arm which is where there was no cancer and only a small section of the sentinel lymph node was removed, I have accomplished being able to stand side-ways up against the wall and rest that arm straight up and touch the wall with my entire arm.  My left arm however is a challenge.  Since there was that minut amount of cancer (0.6cm) found in the sentinel lymph node, Dr. Chow removed 16 lymph nodes so of course this arm had much more healing to do plus I didn't get to start exercising it until last week when the last drain was removed.  I have been doing the exercises and using my left arm more and more every day.  However, the more my arm heals, the tighter it gets.  So this arm is my challenge.  In order to get full range of motion back, I have to be able to stand sideways against the wall and reach up and lay my arm flat on the wall.  Now I am realizing that I've only been doing these exercises just a week and once again God is teaching me patience with myself.  So I will continue perservering with my left arm and I know that one day in the future I will be posting that I did it.

Romans 5:3-4   ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Praising God that all is well from the dental procedures on Friday.  I'm still taking the antibiotics to get completely rid of any infection that might be left from that little baby tooth.  Taking great care not to crack the temporary crown since I won't be able to get the permanent one until mid-December.

Yesterday I wore the shirt that my friend, Alverna, bought me at Survivor Gal. It's a pretty pink shirt that has glitter letters on the front of it that says SURVIVOR GAL.  My sister and I stopped in at Panera Bread to have a bite of lunch and the young girl who waited on me ask me some questions about my cancer and journey.  She said she would pray for me and she understood what I was going through because she lost her Daddy a couple years ago to melanoma and he was 39 years old.  She was the sweetest young girl and so uplifting.  I am so glad that I had that shirt on and that I went to that young lady to take my order and that God blessed me with being able to listen to her story and share a little bit of my own. 

My plan this week is to get my Christmas shopping completed before I begin chemo next Monday.  When chemo begins, my resistance drops drastically and since we are in the flu and cold season and people insist on being out to spread the germs, I plan to stay as close to home as possible.  I have completed the shopping for my grandbabies so that's a plus. 

I leave you this morning with many praises and knowing that I am blessed.  God did not give me this cancer but He is sure walking through it with me.  His magnificent presence is with me all day every day and so much during the night when I wake for no apparent reason and can't sleep. 

I hope when your alarm clock went off this morning you didn't say ... Yuck, it's Monday but instead I hope your said, "Thank you Lord for this Monday and that I have a job and a home and a wonderful family and so many friends".  I see people posting on Facebook about how they hate Monday and blah blah blah and I think about how sad it is that they don't realize all that they have.  1 Chronicles 3:30  

³⁰ to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening;  

Blessings for this magnificent Monday. 

Gena