After Surgery

BE SURE TO READ THE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM! GREAT NEWS!

I had my surgery last Tuesday at MD Anderson to remove my cancerous lymph nodes. They removed all that was under my left arm and left me with a drain to wear. That's because the lymph nodes process the body's fluid and when they're suddenly gone the body has to have time to process and find a way to re-route the fluid. So, until the daily count gets under 30cc's a day for two days in a row, I'm stuck with a drain. Did I ever mention this stuff makes me squeamish? Ugh!

My poor hubby has had to be my nurse as I cannot empty the drain myself. But he loves me more than he hates emptying drains so he has persevered to empty it several times a day. What a faithful, strong husband I have! He has been my rock through all of this!

Hopefully tomorrow I will get the drain removed! I was under 30cc's yesterday and so far today is looking right on target to be the same or lower. I will be so glad when this ball and chain is gone!

My arm hurts a lot more than I thought it would. I've had several surgeries and it seems the older I get the worse they hurt! I've been doing my therapy exercises regularly and the tougher ones I'm supposed to do after the drain is out. I noticed that the exercise instructions say that the pain is actually supposed to get worse in later weeks! Great.

Apparently as my nerve endings recuperate from the savagery of surgery I will be feeling pain more and more. I was wondering why the pain was getting worse instead of better! The pain medicine doesn't work very well and it makes me dizzy so I only take it at night to sleep. If only the heat flashes would leave me alone I might actually get a good nights sleep!

I am still waiting on the pathology results. Kinda scared to hear them actually. But God is always faithful to give me what I need when I need it. This week I have been reading a free book on my free Nook app I put on my iPhone; Max Lucado's 'The Greatest Gift' which features excerpts from some of Lucado's books. Here is the part that has touched me this week:

"There are times when God chooses to say no to the earthly request so he can say yes to the heavenly one. Doesn't he still do that today? Doesn't he use the challenge of the body to strengthen the soul? We need to remember that Peter was in a storm before he walked on water, Lazarus was in a grave before he came out of it, the demoniac was possessed before he was a preacher, and the paralytic was on a stretcher before he was in your Bible...We know that in everything God works for the good of those who love him...Please don't interpret the presence of your disease as the absence of God's love. I pray he heals you. And he will, ultimately."

Hopefully, I will receive a miracle from God and get complete healing in my body. But if I don't, He will heal me, ultimately. Comforting words. Thank you, Lord, for giving them to Max to pass along to me!

Have a blessed Christmas!

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UPDATE!

I just got off the phone for the pathology report. Out of 20 lymph nodes removed they COULD NOT find cancer in any of them! They said this is very rare - I had a complete pathological response to the chemo. The enlarged lymph node was just fibrosis. God is good, awesome, amazing and still answering prayer and working miracles today! He deserves all the praise and glory for any good news! 

Thank you, Lord, and thanks to all of you for praying for me!