It’s been an emotionally draining week since I last wrote. On a high note, I finished my last radiation therapy appointment on the 23rd! We took it to a max dose of 52 gray/29 treatments to seek out every last cancer cell and destroy it! After ringing the celebration bell and heading to my stem cell appointment, we walked by the MDA message board that Jonathan and the kids had written on the week before. My mom wanted to write a message this time. She’s one that normally contemplates and seeks out what to write (looking in her Bible, devotional, online, etc.) but, this time the words came to her suddenly. She had my dad write it on the board.

I decided to “claim” this as truth and believe that God has put me into remission and healed me. Today I awoke to this verse on my phone.

And this response from my sister after I passed the verse along to my family.

I’m not positive God always works this way, but I’m taking this as God speaking in my life!

As for the downs of the week – which how in the world can I let them surpass the goodness of God? –  I’ve had some doozies. (I’ve never written that word, so I’m not sure that’s even spelled correctly.) I had the catheter inserted into my chest. Once again, not a procedure I’d recommend you seek out, but not as bad as I anticipated. I had two outpatient days of chemo with the second day including a take-home backpack with IV fluids and medicine. (what?)

The backpack was interesting enough without the ER visit that followed that evening. After returning home from the second day of chemo, I began having nausea, vomiting, chest pain and muscle aches running down my arms. I thought maybe it was an anxiety attack, so I took medication for that. I thought it was reflux, so Jonathan drove around town in the middle of the night looking for antacids, but finally it all became too much, so Mom, Jonathan and I headed to the MDA emergency center. Just to top it off, after asking the cop where the ER was, I had to bolt out of the car to vomit into a conveniently littered McDonald’s cup. One thing I forgot though, was the backpack. So after quickly darting from the car, my tethered companion made his location known when it jerked me back.  I grabbed him and thankfully felt no pain from his pull.

The ER doc gave me pain meds, anti-nausea meds, and some electrolytes that I was low on. I guess they were just side effects from the rigorous treatment.

Let me see if I can wrap this up. The week closed out with 6 family members heading back home, and a sadness knowing it’ll be weeks before we are with the kids again. Jonathan is now officially the “caregiver” of my IV catheter maintenance – ‘in sickness and health’- those words ring true. I look like a bandit which adds to my beauty and mystique. 🙂 My skin is horribly damaged from the radiation, so I have ointments slathered on at all times and now that I’m prepping for stem cell transplant I must wear a mask to prevent getting sick. Just when I thought it couldn’t get more RIDICULOUS. . .

This week and next, I’m giving myself daily injections to mobilize my stem cells and get them ready for harvest in 2 weeks.  Jonathan is picking up the pre-filled syringes at the pharmacy as I’m writing this. Yesterday, they wanted a $10,000 copay at the register, but thankfully the insurance came through today after some hospital footwork and now all $15,000 is fully covered.  (Update: Insurance came through with one caveat, I will go in daily for a nurse to administer the shots.) (Update to the update: the pharmacist called and said the insurance will now cover me to pick up the shots and self administer.) God is good. We just have to look for Him in the details sometimes.

Prayer Requests – Stamina: mentally, physically, emotionally & spiritually. Healing of my body. Patience and trust for our entire family.