Female in Motion

I am feeling a little weary today, after a half-day of work, a Relay For Life meeting, and my first post-surgical grocery shopping trip, so I am posting a video of a Scott Krippayne song, "Sometimes He Calms the Storm." Several people have quoted lines from this song to me. It fits my current situation, and anyone else who is going through a difficult season. I've included the lyrics below, because they are so meaningful. You are not alone. "All who sail the sea of faith Find out before too long How quickly blue skies can grow dark And gentle winds grow strong Suddenly fear is like white water Pounding on the soul Still we sail on knowing That our Lord is in control Sometimes He calms the storm With a whispered peace be still He can settle any sea But it doesn't mean He will Sometimes He holds us close And lets the wind and waves go wild Sometimes He calms the storm And other times He calms His child He has a reason for each trial  That w...

As promised, here is the weekly photo of Female in Motion. She's a little bit tired, but not too bad for four days post-surgery. I had a single mastectomy of my right breast on Monday, August 20, 2012 at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, IL. Some folks thought I would be in the hospital for weeks, or in bed for months, but I was released the next day and able to fly home in two days. Modern medicine is a marvelous thing! I was treated like a queen by all the surgical and post-surgical teams at CTCA. The same nurse prepped me as last time (Jerri is a doll! She's been there 32 years.), my recovery nurse was Amy the Angel, and all the techs and nurses that cared for me overnight were so kind. I was allowed to do things at my own pace...which was pretty speedy. Even my roommate was a sweetie. Her name is Debbie and she's a preacher's wife from Iowa. We were praising God all through the night! The housekeepers and nursing staff at the hospital gave me two gi...

Why go all the way to Chicago when there are great hospitals in Kansas? First of all, there are great doctors and hospitals in Kansas. I know, I got great care in Winfield and Wichita. I didn't come to this decision lightly. There was a storm in my soul when the Wichita oncologist said 16 weeks of chemotherapy. Of course, I wasn't excited about doing chemo, but something was wrong. I needed more answers; more explanation. I knew we needed to look elsewhere. The Hubster and I made a short list of three other places we wanted to consult: KU Medical Center, MD Anderson and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. As I checked my email the next morning, a pop-up advertisement for Cancer Treatment Centers of America appeared. I went to the website and started looking around. We had researched this hospital when The Hubster was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma.  We assumed we would drive to Tulsa, their closest location. When I called the 800 number, the courteous custome...

Quick FIM Update : My mastectomy has been bumped back to Monday, August 20, 2012. My surgeon has an important meeting that came up on Friday afternoon, and he wants to monitor my condition all day after my surgery. It's a good reason. The Hubster and I will fly to Chicago on Sunday and return home Wednesday or Thursday, depending on my progress. Security Alert: There are at least four people monitoring the house 24/7. Plus, we have several extremely fierce attack cats! Thanks in advance, everyone, for all your healing thoughts and prayers. I am surrounded by love. Psalm 6:2 (KJV) Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak: O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

I got my hair cut today, maybe for the last time in a while. You see, I'm starting chemo very soon, and my oncologist has informed me that the first thing that happens is you lose your hair. It's funny, but I'm not really bummed about that. Mostly, I'm curious. I wonder what my head looks like without hair? Did I mention how much I hate having my picture taken? God has impressed upon my heart that I should take my photo every week to accompany my posts, at least until the chemotherapy is over, maybe longer. It's crazy, the challenges that God gives us. This will be uncomfortable for me, and maybe for some of you, too. We'll get through it together; you, me and God. Don't get me wrong...I love my hair. It took me a long time to get to that realization. When I was young, it was too curly, then as I became an adult, it was completely unruly. Finally, my hair started graying very young. So I colored it. A lot. For 18 years. Two years ago, I made a de...

Me and God, we have a plan. I made a trip to Cancer Treatment Centers of America--Zion, IL campus this week with my dear mother. After a post-surgical checkup, I was ready to hear all the news about my pathology report and the recommendations of my medical oncologist, breast surgeon and radiology oncologist. The tumor is more aggressive than any of us previously thought, so we need to be proactive. Thus, we have made a new plan, God and I. Next Monday, August 20, I will have a radical mastectomy to my right breast at CTCA. After a week's recovery, I will return for my first round of chemo (taxotere and cytoxen), followed by a shot of Neulasta, to prevent infection. The two chemo drugs are a new combo targeted just for breast cancer patients. Much milder to the system than the standard, heavy chemo drugs, but still completely effective. I'm still debating about whether to get a Bard Power Port during the mastectomy or use a PICC line. I will fly in to CTCA every three we...

I had planned to write an eloquent monologue on the subject of fear tonight...how fear is just an emotion and should not control what we do or how we feel. But I am weary from a day full of meetings with doctors at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Zion, IL. And I am a little bit afraid of what lies ahead. You see, I'm human, and I get scared, just like everyone else. It's what I do about that fear that makes all the difference. Fear lurks in the recesses of your heart just like Boo Radley hid behind that door at Atticus Finch's house in the movie, T o Kill a Mockingbird . Jeb lay in the bed with a badly broken arm, and Scout waited at the door. When she turned around, she saw Boo Radley, the most feared man in town, cowering behind the door. She knew the truth. Boo wasn't a monster, he was simply a misunderstood soul, who saved her life. Scout took his hand and invited him into her life. If you drag fear out of the dark corner, it doesn't seem as large a...