The Life of a Cancer Patient: Rule-out cancer tests

Survivors of advanced stage cancers are forever changed with their cancer diagnosis.  Not only are they faced with managing their cancer in its current state.  But, these patients are also faced with the concern that any new symptom could be the result of the cancer spreading to another area within the body.  So, the life of these cancer survivors involves many "rule-out cancer" tests along the way. 

Since my diagnosis, I have already had two MRI's of the brain and neck and one of the back.  All of these were to rule out cancer for the cause of new symptoms I was having (back pain, neck pain, and headaches for those instances).  Over the past couple of days, I noticed that when I move around on our wood floors on my knees (to pick up toys), I have some pretty severe left knee pain.  I assumed I bruised it somehow.  So finally yesterday, I decided to take a look at my knee.  There was no bruise.  Instead there was a small lump on my bone that only hurt when I applied pressure to it.  Prior to cancer, I wouldn't have notified a doctor of this unless it had been there for weeks and was bothersome.  But as instructed by my oncologist to let her know of any new symptoms, I emailed her nurse.  It is pretty common for breast cancer to spread to the bones if it is going to spread.

I was scheduled this afternoon for a CT of my knee.  I am so thankful for my medical treatment team.  They truly are the best.  Where else can you email your symptoms and receive a reply and attempt to schedule an exam for you the same day?  And then, my CT exam at ARA was super fast!  It was scheduled for 2:45pm.  I arrived early as instructed and was actually leaving the facility at 2:44pm.

At 3:10pm I received an email from my oncology nurse that my CT was NORMAL!  I cannot tell you how thrilled I am.  Satan was really trying to place some fear in my head with this recent scare.  Even though it was just a couple of days, it was a tough battle for me this time.  My weapons included lots of prayer and more time in the word.  It really caused me to evaluate how strong my faith was and renew my mind on the thoughts of God's sovereignty in this cancer battle.  Perhaps God allowed this to happen to draw me closer again.   Thank you Lord for reminding me of your Sovereignty.

Famous author and theologian C.S. Lewis once said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscious and shouts in our pain. It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  I am still begging God for and believing in complete healing so that I can help Drew raise these children He has blessed us with to know Him.  Regardless of the outcome, God is good, all the time.