A Glitch

As soon as I got home from school today, I rushed inside and immediately took the dogs back outside, as is my daily custom. I despise this part of dog ownership. In fact, I regularly tell Brian that I just do NOT like letting the dogs out or putting them up. For us, this means letting them out of their crates and returning them to their crates. They are always far happier to see me, than I am to see them. 350 pounds of dog is a LOT of greeting. And, I often wonder how they would act if I greeted them with the same gusto with which they greet me, but I digress.

That was just what was on the top of my mind at the moment, since I'm waiting for them to devour their food so that I can take them out, again. It's the curse of getting home first.

It's been one of those days. In fact, if you were present with me, you'd know that by the empty jar of almond butter with a butter knife sticking out of the top. You know, most people inhale massive amounts of chocolate or ice cream when they've had a rough day, but me, well I must stick to the plan and eat my weight (or the tablespoon that's left) of almond butter.

This morning I just didn't feel so good. Not bad. Just not good. Femara is one of my new drugs, and it seems that it can cause a bit of joint pain when a person begins taking it. That, plus some nausea just gave me a case of the icks. Not mental icks, just physical icks.

I was feeling some better when I got to school and got my day going. It's amazing how a room full of seven year olds can turn the day around. Luckily, today they put a positive spin on it.

About 10:30 my classroom phone rang and it was my wonderfully wise and personable radiation oncologist. She's the kind of doctor who makes you feel important. That's the kind I like.

She told me that she has been working with a physicist to create the radiation fields that they will be using for my treatments. She started the conversation with, "This never happens...." As you know, for me, it doesn't matter if it "never happens". It somehow manages to happen.

Basically, they are having problems because of my implants. I'm not trying to be crass or overly personal, but because of the size and closeness of my implants, the radiation field that hits my chest wall isn't hitting correctly.

So, we are looking at 2 possibilities, neither one is ideal.

1.) Replace the implants with smaller ones so that the my chest wall can be reached. This would mean more surgery/recovery before starting.

2.) Leave my chest wall out of the radiation field, and just radiate my armpit and clavicle area. This means that there would be greater chance of recurrence on my chest wall. Chest wall recurrences are not life threatening, but hey, a recurrence is a recurrence.

When we hung up, the doctor was going to call my plastic surgeon and see if switching out my implants is even a possibility. I don't know if it is, or not. So, she is supposed to let me know something once they've figured out a solution. She did tell me not to come on Monday, unless I hear back from her. She said this is going to take some time to decipher because she's never seen it before.

So, there you have it.

Even in this, I bless His name. I give Him honor. I give Him praise. I know that He has ordained every step of this. I know that He is in control. And, our faith will not be shaken. If it means more surgery, so be it. I'm tough. I can handle another surgery. If it means, that we can't radiate my chest wall, then that is not news to the Lord, and it changes nothing about my life, health, or future. Those things are secure in His hands.

Please pray with us through this.

Love you all. Each one.