- Fail Us Not

So some of you have been asking about for a health update. When we last discussed my medical status in this exciting Soap Opera life of mine, I was clinging precariously to life, in a full body cast, hooked up to life support, in need of a kidney, brain and liver transplant, while hospital staff were in the process of desperately seeking someone who had my blood type of OHT negative.

Wait a minute - that's my Drama Queen imagination; sorry. Although it makes for a much better story, don't you think? Oh, all right - so you want the true version....okay.

Well, it's a little duller than a full body cast. So last time we talked about my health, I had been diagnosed  Monday, December 14, with Small Vessel Vasculitis and had blotchy red spots all over my legs, as well as swollen ankles and wrists. It's a rare, moderately serious condition and so my chemo was cancelled for that week until the infection cleared up.

The swollen joints returned to normal within 5 hours of taking the first dose of Prednisone (steroids), and by Wednesday, the red spots had begun to fade. Thanks to one friend who suggested that, in the spirit of Christmas, I draw little green holly leaves all around the red blotches on my legs in order to look festive. I must tell you, though, that I passed up this particular temptation and instead, wore a red scarf for the week. But it was a nice thought.

So I finished up all my steroids on December 21 and went back to the hospital to see what my Oncologist had to say. Turns out they were completely stumped as to why I developed this viral infection in the first place and, since they were concerned that the AC chemo I'm on had caused it, they delayed my second chemo treatment another 2 to 3 weeks.

Not sure if that's good news. Sure, it's good that I'm not tired from another chemo treatment, but of course, I can't help but think of wild little maverick cancer cells naughtily running around in my body yelling, "Yipee!! We got a respite! Charrrrrgge!!!!" and multiplying their horrid little cells around different parts of me. Let's hope not.

The Oncologists had a consult about my case and none of them had ever seen this reaction before in a patient. Like I've said before, I do so love being special! So they're going to try and figure out their next move - either to risk giving me a second dose of the AC chemo, considered to be the most effective for my grade and stage of cancer, or switch me to another, less harsh chemo to reduce the risk of another infection. So I find out this Monday, January 4, what they've decided.

I don't call this blog "Adventures With Wendy" for nothing!

In the meantime, I got back the results from my chest x-ray and my CT scan, and they found a spot on my lung and another on my spine. This could be nothing, since these tests can show shadows that are innocuous, but the spots could also be cancer that's spread.

Oh, the suspense of it all! False alarm? Or cancer? Let's flip a coin to decide....no, no, no, there's a more precise method of finding out. What is it, you ask? Why, MORE RADIATION TO MY BODY!!! Yes, siree, let's find out if she has more cancer by subjecting her to additional tests that use radiation and put her at higher risk for cancer!!! Sighhhh. (This is not my x-ray on the left, by the way - it's a random Google search photo. Just in case you were wondering.)

So, off to a bone scan on January 22nd to see if anything's up, followed by other x-rays, etc. to monitor those two spots and see whether or not they are growing. If they aren't growing, they're probably just shadows, and if they are growing, then it's cancer. But then the chemo could end up eliminating them. So we'll see. I'm not worried - I've spoken with two other cancer patients who had spots show up on their tests, and their spots didn't amount to anything in the end. What will be, will be. I am at peace.

So that's my Soap Opera and I'm sticking to it. The Young and the Breastless....that's me. Well, 'young' in the sense that I'm under 60. I guess if you're, like, 20, you're thinking that 50 isn't very young. Whatever.

Just a note about this blog: I think it's so cool that so many of you from so many different backgrounds are reading my bloggy-thingy here! I'm very grateful that you think it's worthwhile stopping by to read it whenever I post something. Thank you for listening to what I have to say! To date, there have been visits from readers in all 10 provinces of Canada, from 37 States in the USA, and from 27 other countries in the world.

So many of you have sent me such kind feedback and you've left such great comments at the bottom, or you've emailed me privately with your comments, which I often cut & paste here onto the blog (sometimes I even ask for your permission - ha!)

Please take a moment to sign up and become a member. I've heard it can be pretty complicated, and I haven't a clue how to tell you to sign up, but take a stab at it, won't you? I also love when you leave comments at the bottom (although you won't be able to do that unless you've signed up to become a member.)

Any and all feedback is warmly welcome! If you do leave a comment, it will not show up immediately - it first comes to me via my personal email for approval & I'll post it later on. I do love reading your comments!

Also, as is obvious to many of you, I am a person of faith, but I try not to put too much here in the way of spiritual content, simply because I know some of you are not all that interested in reading such things.

Others of you, however, have expressed an interest in seeing more spiritual content, so I'm pleased to announce that in the New Year, I'll be sending out a weekly Devotional email on issues relevant to those wanting a deeper walk with God.

If you would like to receive the weekly Devotional, simply send me an email:
 

Your name will be added to the email list for the Devotional, and you'll be receiving the first one shortly.

Okay, so here's a neat song called Fail Us Not by the band 1000 Generations. It's a great song to listen to when we're in the midst of trials and difficulties.

For personal stories on the people in this video, go to:
http://vimeo.com/channels/failusnot

1000 Generations website: 

http://1000generations.com

Blessings, everyone, and hope you're having a great holiday season,

Love, Wendy

Fail Us Not     1000 Generations

Failure doesn’t phase You, worry doesn’t win,

Loss doesn’t leave You afraid to start again,

Our sin doesn’t shock You,

Our shame doesn’t shame You at all

Mistakes do not move You, terror doesn’t tame,

Death doesn’t doom You to life in the grave,

Our suffering doesn’t scare You,

Our secrets won’t surprise You at all

There is nothing above You,

There is nothing beyond You,

There is nothing that You can’t do…

There is no one beside You,

There is no one that’s like You,

There is nothing that You can’t do…

Chorus:

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

No matter the war, our hope is secure,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

You fail us not…

Hatred doesn’t hide You, evil doesn’t ail,

Despair can’t disguise You and tell You that You’ve failed,

Our doubt doesn’t daunt You,

Our darkness won’t defeat You at all

There is nothing above You,

There is nothing beyond You,

There is nothing that You can’t do…

There is no one beside You,

There is no one that’s like You,

There is nothing that You can’t do…

Chorus:

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

No matter the war, our hope is secure,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

You fail us not…

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

You fail us not…You fail us not

You’re bigger than the battle,

You are bigger than the battle

You are bigger than the battle has ever been

Chorus:

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

No matter the war, our hope is secure,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

You fail us not…

Whatever will come, we’ll rise above,

You fail us not, You fail us not,

You fail us not…

© 2009Mercy/Vineyard Publishing (ASCAP) / Simplistic Records