Poison, Slash, Burn

Poison, Slash, Burn AKA Chemotherapy, Mastectomy, Radiation

In the world of Breast Cancer Jargon, I have become the poster child of enduring all things. I have endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy. 4 rounds of AC also known as "the red devil" due to its most wonderful side effects of making you feel as if you are dying a slow and painful death. Once I finished those, Taxol and Herceptin were a breeze...kind of. If only I didn't have the vertigo, consistent dehydration and chronic nausea. Oh well. I still get a gold star for finishing!

The first slashing came on March 28, 2009. We didn't know what the mass was that they were taking out of me. I knew it hurt like a big, fat, hairy dog and I was ready for the darn thing to come out. When I woke up from that surgery, I was given my new set of rules to live by. Dr. Russell and Dad were on either side of me explaining that it was a 4X5X6 inch mass that was breast cancer. I would need chemotherapy, a radical bilateral mastectomy and radiation. Just six days later, I went under the knife again in order to have a Power Port sewn to the muscle just under my left clavicle. (BTW if anybody says they can't feel it, they are lying! I feel mine all the time! Mine has shifted, so it is lopsided now...most likely from all the accidental head butts from Aiden!) They did a sentinel node biopsy. All four lymph nodes were riddled with cancer.

Raymond Paul had his MAJOR knee surgery on April 8th. Woo Hoo! He is healing well, and we hit our $10,000 deductible within 2 1/2 weeks! Raymond's knee still hurts, but he is soooo much better than he was 8 months ago!

September 24, 2009...I went under the knife again...This time for the mastectomy. I win the prize for the most expensive surgery for the year! Ray's knee surgery was only $61,700.00. My mastectomy was drum roll, please....$72,679.07. Yes, they actually charged the 7 cents! Ray and I both deserve a gold star for these surgeries.

After the mastectomy, I went to my personal burn center aka tanning salon without the tan 33 times, plus 5 'boosts'. YES, the radiation room does smell like the burnt flesh smell you smell at tanning salons. Friends don't let friends tan in cancer coffins! Please pass this on!

My final cut was on December 29th of 2009. I had a complete hysterectomy. The reason behind it: Severe bleeding and abdominal pain during periods followed by bursting cysts 2 weeks later, EVERY MONTH! I was a little at the end of my rope. So, I looked to humor to help me cope. Here's a little conversation I had with Dr. Sherman:

"So, Doc, you know this is my last slash session. Seriously. It is the last tear my body down this year. Every part of me being a woman has been taken away. First my hair, then my boobs and now my uterus, fallopian tubes, cervix, ovaries...PLEASE! I do not want to wake up with a joystick!"

Oh, he was shocked and chuckled as he replied, "That's not my kind of surgery! I'm sure that won't happen."

"I know your brother will be there too, so let's make sure he's in on this with us okay? Thanks for doing this. Starting 2010, God is going to restore what the locusts have eaten and eaten and eaten and eaten!"

He was so kind! Dr. Sherman came in on his vacation in order to perform my surgery. Then, to make matters worse for him, my uterus was attached to my abdominal wall. So, he had to be in there for an extra hour! Bless his heart!

Well, here's to a journey walked, well, I was mostly carried! Thank you, Jesus for carrying me. Thank you, pray warriors and loved ones for carrying my family and me! It's been an incredible journey!

2010
Joel 2:25
"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten, the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm, my great army that I sent among you."

It's kind of neat how I have kept Aliciaphrasing this with, "God will restore what the locusts have eaten, and eaten, and eaten and eaten!" His word has the great locust (eaten aka poisoning), young locust (and eaten aka slashing), the other locusts ( and eaten aka burning), and the locust swarm(and eaten aka emotional fun times I'm dealing with now).

Yes, the Lord sent a great army to come and destroy the cancer in my body. Although I do not have complete medical proof YET, I believe I am cancer free. I am not angry that my body was destroyed with the cancer. (I am, however, super frustrated with my weight! That's a whole other BLOG!) I am looking forward to falling more and more in love with my Savior. I am excited to see what God has in store for our family. When He repays and restores, He never just covers what was lost. He pours out abundantly. I can't wait to see what He does in Ray, Hannah Beth, Aiden and my hearts this year!