Rest and Heroes

What a week!!! We arrived on Edisto Island last Saturday afternoon around 3 - there is nothing like driving across the top of the bridge, crossing the water, smelling the salt and mud and knowing that you are finally there!! This was a week of rest and renewal - time to spend getting reconnected with Kindred Spirits - both friend and family. I was able to spend time with my Mom, my brother, my sister, my niece, and so many friends. Porch time, boat time and beach time...lots of reading during two days of rain on a tin roof. BUT...the sadness that took over the area when the store in Charleston burned on Monday evening, and 9 heroic firemen died - the sadness was overwhelming. These men were fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, teachers, coaches - men who were willing to die for us...
http://www.charleston.net/photos/galleries/2007/jun/23/nine_firefighers_are_remembered/ There is so much to say about last week - the blessings of time well spent, the thrill of watching dolphins playing, and then the Irish Setter that played and swam for almost an hour in front of me in the surf. Being with both of my girls - and planning for this little baby that is coming into our family...watching my son-in-law teach a young boy to water ski...watching Jackson grow and change before our eyes... only eating out once during vacation - we eat out more than that when we are home...home - we are home now - time to get back to the "normal" - whatever that may be...doctor appts. this week, a root canal (oh - puhleeze pray for that one), my favorite Beth Moore group tomorrow (got some studying to do there), laundry, cleaning and some tutoring to do this week.

Almost There...

Well - tomorrow is almost here, and WE ARE ALMOST THERE!!!! I am almost in that hammock right there. We leave Tampa early tomorrow morning so that we can be on Edisto Island by 3pm - Thank you God for getting us to this very time and place. Two weeks ago - we just weren't even planning on being able to take this vacation. I am so very excited that my ADD self is about to come undone!! Today has been spent with doctors all day - but we are getting out of here!! This is going to be the very first annual week of THE CAMP OF THE KINDRED SPIRITS - do you even believe it - we are going to be with friends from years and years ago - friends that have remained close in spite of time and distance between us. And...my Mom, aka The Steel Magnolia, is coming down to spend several days with us. My brother is driving her down and my sister is coming to get her. This means that I get to visit with both of them, too. Now, you can be sure that TSM thought that she should be "allowed" to drive her 85 year-old self almost 3 hours to the beach, but this way we get in more family visiting!! You just haven't lived until you spend a week boating, shrimping, crabbing, reading, sunning, eating, digging in the sand, bike-riding, watching the sunrise on the east coast, eating, shopping, boating, talking, kissing babies, laughing, eating, doing puzzles, watching movies, playing games, eating - resting...resting...resting. Next year we will be adding a week of Granny Camp. Now I am off to finally getting around to packing. More later...

Is this not the cutest kid you have ever seen!?!? Just 4 more days and we will be playing with this precious baby at Edisto! See you soon Jackson!!!!

Are We There Yet?

We were at the doctor early Tuesday - Good News - the cells that were biopsied were not cancer cells. Good News - the lump they found in the mammogram was a cyst - Hmmm - I didn't even know they had found anything. NO ONE that has been involved in all of this can believe that the cancer is just not there. Not Good News - there is still a serious problem with the liver - we know it's not cancer, so now we are back to trying to find out what is wrong. They want the liver and the rest of my body to calm from the biopsy this week - then go through another round of bloodtests next Tuesday. We were cleared to go on vacation - YEA!! When we get back the bloodwork should be in, and I am being referred to a hepatologist at LifeLink Center in Tampa. There will be another biopsy of liver tissue - just don't know when that will be. Meanwhile, Doc is consulting with Dr. B to figure out what to do about the original OBGYN surgery. What a crazy couple of weeks, but God has walked every step with us. I ended up in the ER early this morning with abdominal pain - I am 53 years old, and this was my first trip through the ER!! Doc thought this visit was necessary due to the possibility of bleeding internally from last weeks procedure. After drinking the glow in the dark stuff again - I did the CAT scan, and thank God again - everything looked OK. This is just a gastro problem from all of the gunk that has gone into my body over the past 10 days, the worry, etc. The surgeon from last Friday came by, sat down - and once again said he just couldn't believe how things had turned out - he was so convinced that he had been looking at liver cancer. Another opportunity to let him know how many people had been praying for the last couple of weeks. As a family - we are more than ready to sit on the beach for a week, and do absolutely NOTHING. It is just time to be thankful, rest in our circle of family and friends, boat, eat, sleep and play. We haven't done this in a long time - too long.

I would like to ask anyone that is reading this today to please stop and pray for my sister-in-law. She had a breast biopsy done this morning. We are the same age - the difference here is that she lost her mother and sister to breast cancer. PLEASE, PLEASE pray for Billie!! We should hear something next Tuesday.

Claiming, but to be Honest - still cautious

I have an appointment with my favorite "crazy Cuban" doctor this morning at 9. He is crazy in an endearing sort of way, while being an excellent doctor. We should have the results from Friday's procedure, but if I am completely honest - I will feel 100% better when I see in writing what the doctor believed to be true on Friday. The answer still has to be found as to what is going on - I am ready to get this over with!! I have followed directions for probably the first time in my life - the "hoverers" have been ever present, and made sure that I have done nothing but sleep and rest for the past 4 days. Does anyone know how difficult that is for an active ADD adult type?? I have gotten lots of Beth Moore studying done, made up for not being able to drive to my favorite shopping places by shopping online, checked out all of the hotels - let's use that term loosely - in eastern Kenya for David, lots of house-hunting in the Charleston area for a house several years from now, and learned everything that I can about the liver. I am working on an incredible business plan for a friend of mine - and have even worked on getting our Monday night Beth Moore group to go on one of the Christian Girl Cruises. OHHH - and do you even know how much shopping you can do online when you have just found out that you are going to be a grandmother!?!?! On another note - This health issue is beginning to totally mess up our vacation which should be starting in 8 days. AGH!!!!

SOOOO - please pray with me for good, positive news today!!

"And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

From Friday Afternoon

1 Chronicles 5:19-21 (New International Version)
20 because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him.
I have been home a couple of hours. So I am writing this while I am awake and not totally drugged up. When we met with the surgeon around 6:45 this morning, he said that after reviewing the MRI from yesterday that we needed to proceed with the biopsies, that this was definitely a solid mass, not the hemangioma. Before going in, they did a couple more runs through the CAT scan, and got started. The solid mass was no longer solid. The cells that they were looking for couldn’t be found. The surgeon went in 6 times to retrieve what he was sure were cancer cells. What should have been 20 minutes - was over an hour. When they finally finished, Dr. Heyke looked down at me and said, “I am so surprised. I am so relieved.” The preliminary report is that this is not cancer. My doctor will have the final report on Tuesday, and I have an appt on Wednesday. I thank each of you for your prayers from my toes to the top of my head (which is dealing with a major case of bedhead right now)!! The doctors involved know that this was “divine intervention”.
On another note - when offered pain medication don’t try and be brave - it really isn’t worth it!!Thanks again for praying - God heard you!!Kathy

Added note - the idea I had of doing liposuction while they are doing something else - FORGET IT!! If sucking out a few nasty, errant, deviant cells felt like it did - then there is no way that I am going to do even 1 pound of liposuction!!!

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