Six

Six more days of radiation! Praise the Lord!

I thought I'd give a quick update on what's going on with us. I have one more day (tomorrow) of regular radiation. Then, they start a 5 day "boost" on my scar and the spot where the cancer was. So, that will mean that the rest of my chest will get to start recovering after tomorrow morning. Hallelujah! The first 4 weeks of radiation were really not that bad at all. It was annoying to have to be somewhere everyday at 8 am, but otherwise, it was fine. The last week or so has been a bit more difficult. My skin is sore, and so are my muscles. I'm also starting to get really tired again. I'm thankful that this part is almost over. I meet with my plastic surgeon on Tuesday to discuss how my skin has reacted and also to plan out the reconstructive surgery in December. So, my last day of radiation will be September 18th. Yay! I'll have a small surgery in late October and then reconstruction December 8th. We are in the home stretch, and hoping for everything to continue to go as smoothly as possible.

I don't think I updated on here that I've been going to physical therapy. Now that I had 12 lymph nodes removed, I officially have lymphedema. (One more thing to deal with...good times!) Anyway, my left hand has been swelling off and on for about a month. I can't wear my watch or wedding rings at the moment, so that has been frustrating. I've been going to physical therapy at the hospital 2-3 times per week and seeing a wonderful lady. She has been such a joy to be around and has truly helped me feel better. I've got some exercises to work on to help with the swelling, and I will hopefully be receiving a crazy large pump to use every night for a while. I'll work my way down to two nights a week on the pump, but I'm excited to see how much that helps.

On a super great note, the kids have all started school and done so well these past few weeks! The girls are in 1st and 3rd grade, and we are so thankful for the sweet teachers they got this year. They are loving everything about school, and we are so grateful for that. Henry started at a new school last week, and that was a total God thing. I actually quit my job in Plano, and Henry started at a school that is like 2 minutes from our house. His teachers both go to our church, and one has been his Sunday school teacher for years. He adores them both and has loved going to school. That has been such an answer to prayer. We could not be more thankful for how all that worked out. I still can't believe I'm not working this year. It's such a weird feeling, but I know it is what the Lord wants for us right now. This week, I will be watching Netflix and catching up on shows while I rest and get through the last part of radiation. After that, it will be so lovely to get a few things done and have some time to myself.

Here are a few ways you can pray for us right now:
-Please pray for my energy this week and for me to be able to do the things I need to. Please pray for the pain I'm experiencing to lessen. My chest just hurts. It's hard to sleep sometimes because no matter which side I lay on, it's just uncomfortable. I also have a spot that just radiates pain every so often. That's not super fun either. I'll see my radiologist on Tuesday to discuss all this, but so far, it's all been normal.
-Awana and choir start this Wednesday night at our church. David leads Awana, and I will be able to lead choir again this semester. Pray for energy for both of us, and for all the kids that we will be ministering to. We are really excited!
-This is random, but please pray for a plumbing situation in our house. There is actually a plumber on our roof right now trying to fix a clog we had in a pipe. One of our toilets started spewing raw sewage during the Cowboy game tonight. It wasn't super fun, and it's just one more thing for us to deal with. Hopefully they will be sending a crew out to clean tomorrow as well. We did get everything cleaned up, but you know, a thorough cleaning after that is usually warranted. Pray that we don't get overwhelmed with all the things going on in life right now.

Thank you SO much for praying for us. This has been such a difficult year, but we have been so blessed to know so many people love and care for us. I'll keep y'all posted as radiation ends and as we plan for my last two surgeries. I can't wait to celebrate once December 8th is over!!