Doing Battle, Week 21

The novelty of being done with chemo treatments and being able to start back in on life has not worn off. People ask me how I'm feeling and I love declaring that I feel good...it makes me giddy. It also has me getting ahead of myself, wishing we could just be done. I'm ready to re-enter the life I used to have and my patience with the process grows thin...it works much better when I just look for the grace in this day and not try to peek around the corner to tomorrow. Contentment can be found even in the midst of difficult times. Its a lie that a perfect life exists and once we find it we'll be happy.

A doctor this week asked if I'd been running. I told him it'd been since my marathon in October and he said, stethoscope in hand that I still had a runner's heartbeat. That was good to hear! It also makes me long to start running. And longing to run makes me afraid to know how much I've lost in the past four months.

I've been approved, if not encouraged to exercise during radiation. Not sure I'll start running, but I've started to ease back into a morning routine that includes a workout. I want my body to be as strong as it can for the next beat down. :)

Even though I considered it a "free" week, I still managed to do two doctor visits and an MRI and countless phone calls setting up appointments and making arrangements for medication, etc. Almost a week later I still haven't heard any results from the MRI, so I take that as a sign that there were no surprises. The oncologist did review the CT Scan and said it was in line with what he was expecting....basically that we need to get radiation going.

 I know its a small thing, but in the past week I've had my veins accessed twice and both times they were successful the first time. What a relief...and so much more painless than accessing the port. Everything is relative, I'm learning.

I got to see "my" nurse, back from her Haiti missions trip. She was asking me where we are at and was thrilled to hear who my radiologist is....she highly endorsed him.

I'm so grateful for the incredible people I've met in the healthcare industry. Doctors, nurses, scan techs, janitors, receptionists...I feel so privileged to have such incredible care and its been fun getting to know some of them on a deeper level. I have no idea what my primary care doctor looks like, so its a new experience to see people on a regular basis or for extended periods of time.

For instance, there were just two ladies working the MRI room and no other patients, so I was able to engage them both in conversation and hear their hearts. Pretty cool.

Every day I get up trusting in God's great love for me, thankful this life is not resting on my shoulders. His plans, though I understand only in part now, are so much greater than me.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and thoughts for us. We're so grateful for the community that surrounds us...what a gift!