That is a very good question, and for
a long time I didn’t have a very clear answer, thus I was hesitant to say
anything, but now I do believe I have been healed! That may be jumping ahead of
myself, and I know I’m terrible at keeping people updated so that’s partly my
fault.
A health update is long overdue,
and this is a very exciting one to write. Since we started doing scans and
blood work in January of this year, everything has been good news each time.
In May I met with my main doctor and
the surgeon who performed my partial thyroidectomy over a year ago now (my time
flies!), we were reviewing the results of the ultrasound scans and blood work. The
blood work showed normal, healthy thyroid activity levels and the ultrasound
results showed the lymph nodes had shrunk! The spot on my lungs was already
deemed to have disappeared a few months prior, and we had a solid theory for
the unchanging mass in my chest (which I shall explain in a moment).
We were supposed to have another CT
scan in late April to specifically see how the mass was doing, as everything
else could be monitored via ultrasound. However, in April we also discovered
that we would soon be expecting an addition to our family (yay for surprises!
Trust, me we did not have intentions of creating another life until we had a
better buffer with my health issues, but apparently we excel at conceiving when
we don’t mean to… lol). As CT scans are unsafe for expecting women, it was out
of the question. Since the ultrasounds and blood work were all positive
results, our only concern was the mass in my chest, which despite everything I
had done, remain unchanged, (unlike the spot, the lymph nodes, and the blood
work. I felt like I got 3 out of 4 and just couldn’t budge that last one).
The doc did some research and
believes that the mass might have been unrelated to the cancer and is in fact a
thymus. Everyone is born with one of these, however, after one hits puberty, it
is supposed to no longer be necessary and will shrink up, and disappear. She
said that although it is rare, it is not unheard of to still have a thymus, and
the shape and location matched up with where the thymus would be, however it
was flagged as something that should not be there because for the majority of
people, it isn’t, so they assumed it went along with the rest of my cancer when
in fact it might not be. (Wow, SUPER glad that I didn’t opt to relocate my
entire family to the states and get a major intensive surgery to find that out…
although they would have treated the rest of the cancer as well, that
unnecessary discovery certainly would have been a bummer). Since this is our
new theory (along with the fact that I am pregnant), I don’t believe I will be
doing another CT scan anytime soon (which is more than fine by me!).
So, where does this leave me? I
asked her, continually at each appointment in fact, if this deems me as a clear
bill of health. She continued to say, no, not exactly, and that my condition
should continue to be monitored over the next few years via follow up
ultrasounds and blood work. I am fine with such monitoring, but not getting an
official diagnosis for, YEARS?? That was a depressing thought. This limbo of
either having or not having cancer could last for, years?? (I suppose this
would be considered remission, the state when one has decreased or no signs of
cancer in the body, but cancer may
still be in the body, just not currently active. If it doesn’t return after a
couple years, THEN you are considered cancer free/cured. At least, that is what
I understood from the doc and my subsequent research)
It is now August, which marks an
entire year since my diagnosis as having final stage metastasized
cancer. When I last spoke with my doctor (the military has since moved her to
another base), she said she believes I have experienced a miracle as I am in
excellent health and it has been a year since my diagnosis as having final
stage metastasized cancer. Although she couldn’t declare
me “cancer free”, she seemed satisfied with saying she felt I had experienced a
miracle. I'm going to go with it and take that as close as a yes as I’m going
to get. I was hesitant to announce this, seeing as it wasn’t entirely official,
and may not be by doctor’s standards for another few years, but I don’t
want to spend the next few years in a feeling of limbo, so I am going to think
of myself, and treat myself, as being cancer free. Unless they discover
otherwise, that is what I am. My health has done nothing but improve since that
diagnosis, and if anything changes, I will be sure to let you know :)
With that, I have so
many big THANK YOU’s to say! I found I have such a wonderful (and extended!)
community of people who love and care about me and I don’t know that anything I
say can really repay all the kindness I have been given. Thank you for the
notes, the gifts, for the meals! (that was huge, thank you so much to everyone
who made a meal!), the care for my family, and watching my little one when I
was exhausted. Thank you for the encouragement and support you gave my family
and me in our time of need during a peculiar journey. And thank you most of all
for your prayers! I am quite convinced that each and every prayer helped, so
thank you for contributing to my little miracle and keeping me in your
heart.
Jeremiah 33:6
“Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I
will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth.”
I received a lot of
inspirational verses throughout the last year, this one was one of my favorites
and it is still written in my house. I hope if you ever need it, you will
remember it.
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| Photo credit: Hannah Luedeke! (Sorry, I don't have this one with your name already on it) |
