Saturday morning I made it to yoga for the first time all Summer. As I lay down on my mat and began to focus on my breathing, I realized it was the first time I’d been “inside my own body” since the diagnosis. It took almost 4 days of visits, calls and texts to get all the news out and I was a bit drained. It was a good moment to Be Still and Know That He Is God. (Although, if you are laying on your back when you get a little teary, your ears get wet and that’s a little distracting.)
It seems there’s been a week or more of waiting between each step in this so far. Find a lump, wait a week to get a mammogram. Wait another week to get a biopsy. Wait what feels like an eternity to get results. Twiddle thumbs for a week before meeting the surgeon… Which I got to do today.
Looks like the plan is for a lumpectomy and radiation. There will be a biopsy done at the time of the surgery of lymph nodes under the arm to be sure they aren’t affected. (If for some reason they are, that would require another surgery, but that is a concern for another day. And, again, no one can feel anything there, so I’m hopeful.) This surgery will likely take place the first week of school, so Mrs. Steele will probably miss the red carpet welcome for kids, and that makes me a little sad, but hey. Priorities.
Next steps include a consult appointment with radiation oncologist and genetic counselor. So, more waiting. I’m hoping counselor will be able to provide good information for me to give my daughters since this doesn’t really run in the family.
A friend of mine told me he believed kicking cancer’s butt is exactly what I’m capable of, so I got me some butt-kicking shoes. I’m always thinking I’ll start eating better and taking better care of my body TOMORROW, but my priorities recently shifted. Now I’m of the mind that I truly don’t want to put anything in my body that will feed cancer. And I want to build my upper body strength, at the very least, so I can hopefully have as “textbook” a procedure and recovery as possible. (The day I got the diagnosis I remember thinking, “Did I just become a vegetarian?”) So, since those that wait on the Lord will renew their strength (Isaiah 40:31), I’m going to use this time of waiting to renew my physical and spiritual strength. (If anyone wants to join me for yoga or a walk around the lake, or join me in my current read, come on!)
That’s what I know for now. Thank you all for the sweet words of encouragement, prayers and memes. You know I thrive on that.
