PRAISE GOD!!

It is VERY early and yet I am already up and have decided that while I only have a few minutes until I must jump into the shower and start this busy day I just had to tell you the GOOD news that my husband and I heard yesterday at the oncologists....

As I am sure you recall, I DID NOT WANT to go...I was soo weary of it all.  I felt like I was on not only such an overload of information, but just have WAY too much in general going on to do much more.  And yet, my doc pretty much insisted, and my husband encouraged me (OK, he had to almost pull me by my hair, haha) and we kept the appointment.  How VERY GLAD I am that we did.  First of all, I saw both the Physicans Assistant and the actual doc.  They were both women and I LOVED them both.  My hubby had looked the doc up on-line (orginally just for directions) and found all kinds of GOOD stuff about her.  How well thought of and sought after she was to name a few.  Anyway, for the first time I talked at GREAT length with people who really know all about what is going on with me....I wish this had been my first stop or even my first conversation.   What stress this would have prevented.  They were soo patient with me as they answered my questions (sometimes over and over just in different ways, haha) and I could just tell how they cared.  Well, here is the bottom line....What I actually have is a PRE cancer condition.  Did you hear that word?   PRE cancer.  She has rated it a stage 0...BECAUSE it is a PRE cancer...After asking why everyone is SAYING cancer then, they explained that any cell growth that is abnormal is technically a cancer.  Soo, this is a CANCER, but it is classified in a PRE cancer category.  She drew me pictures and thorougly explained this.  At this point I don't have an ACTUAL cancer.  However, the pre-cancer situation that I have going on IS quite EXTENSIVE...It has a 30% chance of developing into a full blown cancer and with my breast cancer history in my family, she too would recommend a double mastectomy.  She went so far as to say since my breast cancer history actually goes back 3 generations (my mother, my grandmother, and my great grandmother) that she would have a double mastectomy if it were her even without the pre-cancer situation...She told me by doing this I will eliminate "almost" ANY chance of EVER developing this disease.  She wants to test myself for the gene that would show if we do indeed carry this in our family.  This would help my daughter and granddaughters (sisters and nieces too) know if they too were at risk, and how to watch themselves more closely.  I am praying about this as it was a new thought for me and I want to make the right choice.  When I asked her how then the surgeon mentioned MAYBE finding something invasive from a PRE CANCER situation she told me what he meant by that is that there is ALWAYS a chance that when they biopsy the whole breast that there is a remote chance they might find a tiny piece of an actual cancer somewhere that was soo small it did not even show up in mamograms or ultra sounds.  Which she said that even if they did (which she believes WON'T HAPPEN) it would be soo small it too would probably only be rated a 0 or a 1 in which case there would still be nothing recommended besides surgery.   She also said this pre-cancer situation I have going on has probably been happening for over 10 years!!  It just takes sometimes that long for it to show up on a mamogram...So, she expects for me to have the surgery, see her two weeks later where she will go over all the reports (which she expects to be negative) and she will dismiss me as there will be no need for her services at that point.  I can just follow up with my reg. doc.  She also said I tested negative for the medication or harmones they sometimes give to women after treatment as well, so I won't be doing that either.  SOOOO how wonderful is all this???  I have felt such a load lifted off of me....Now of course I still have a double mastectomy coming up in a week.  I have MANY feelings about that.  But I am trusting my Lord and my family, friends and all of you to pull me through.  I don't do things like this well I am not going to lie.  But KNOWING what I am actually facing is so much better.  I am seeing my reg. doc this morning to discuss all of my appointments this morning, and I must have my ears flushed out.  Another LONG story which I won't bore you with.  But I would appreciate your prayers this morning, as I HATE HATE HATE doing this...I must do it 3 or 4 times a year...SIGH...

Then, on another wonderful note, we DID travel down to hear my son teach last night.  What an incredible blessing that was.  How he has matured in his teaching abilities.  I felt the Holy Spirit was really working in him last night, and soo many were blessed.  After the service a few dear people gathered around and prayed for me.  What another tremendous blessing. 

God is soo good to me.  How I love Him.  His peace has surrounded me through most of this journey and how grateful I am could never be expressed. 

To join the other thankful thursday posts click HERE....and may the Lord bless you all richly today...

I have 2 other appointments after this early one this morning so I am afraid I won't get around to visiting some of you like I usually do.  Know I am thinking of all of you and look forward to catching up when I can... = )