Sunday, September 11, 2011

RISE AND SHOUT, the tumor comes OUT!!!

I'm doing the happy dance!!!  We met with the surgeon on Friday and he had nothing but good news for us!  He started out by saying that I have had a dramatic response to the chemo.  He kept using words like incredible and amazing.  When I had my first scan before the chemo, the tumor was "red hot".  Now he says they can't really tell it's there...what a miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!  He said some people have no significant response to this chemo, but my response has been amazing.  No other hot spots anywhere in my body.  He was very happy and excited.  How often do doctors get to give pancreatic cancer patients news like this?  My guess is very rarely.  It has been a feeling of "Shock and Awe" for me.  I always knew that Heavenly Father could make this tumor shrink, but I wasn't sure if that was what his will was for me.  I am overwhelmed with gratitude.  I now have to ask the question: "Why Me"?  Most people ask that when they get cancer, but for me, this question is so important to ask now.  I have thought of all the good people out there with terrible illnesses who are praying for good news and don't get it.  My heart breaks for them.  With this total gift from God, I feel an enormous responsibility to spend every second the way He needs me to.  I am praying to be guided so that I don't waste one single bit of this miracle.  I still have some hard things ahead of me.  The surgery is pretty brutal with a long recovery time, but one thing I've learned this summer is that I can do hard things when the Lord is by my side (and countless loving family and friends). I may have to do 3 more months of chemo after I recover from the surgery, but I can do that too (even though that's the LAST thing I want to do).  If 6 more rounds of chemo buys me more years, so be it. 




Thursday, September 1, 2011

"SO YOU THINK YOU CAN KICK CANCER"...The Results Show!

I hope you're all sitting down! Wait for it...wait for it...
I wasn't supposed to get the results from my scan until Tuesday,
so when my Doctor's nurse called me this afternoon,
I was somewhat surprised...and what a surprise it was!
I not only passed my test with flying colors, I got an A+!
Long story short...THINK SHRINK is WORKING!!! I am
completely overwhelmed with gratitude, relief, and joy!
This is not over by any means, but it is a HUGE step in
the right direction. I meet with the surgeon in a week and
I have a lot of confidence that he will tell me he can operate!
This is truly a miracle...a gift from God that we have all been
hoping and praying for. Thank you so much for calling down the
powers of heaven in my behalf. Words cannot even express the
depth of my feelings today. I'm still processing the good
news and I think I may be in shock...but I'm so happy that I'm: