Team Tina

My dear friends, thank you, thank you for the prayers you all have prayed on my behalf over the last few weeks and months. My last chemo was March 31st and only six days later I was in church on Easter Sunday! That was such a miracle as I was barely out of bed on the 6th day after my previous treatments. I probably pushed it a bit more than I should have, but I knew it was doable and I did it! I loved being in church with my family and it was a very special Easter that we will never forget.

(I’ve included a picture of me ringing the bell at MD Anderson, which is customary after the last chemo treatment, and also a pic of my very cutie family that we took on our most favorite of Easter Sundays.)

I have continued to fare much better than I have after previous treatments, even though this was supposed to be the hardest one. It was a welcome reprieve after all I have dealt with and I know it was because so many people asked God for the strength to get me through it. I think you all were so persistent He finally just said, “Okay, okay, I’ll take care of it.” And He did! 🙂

Speaking of prayers and miracles . . .
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Last week was the best week I’ve had since my diagnosis in August!

The kid’s spring break fell on the third week of my chemo cycle, which is when I am at my strongest, so I decided to take a chance on feeling well and we went to Colorado. We had such a wonderful time together as a family! Most of the week, I felt completely normal. No nausea, no pain, and very little fatigue or weakness. I could hardly believe I was feeling so good and I relished every moment of it!

The only explanation for the unprecedented strength and wellness I experienced last week was that God just smiled on me. I truly believe He gave me that week as a gift. I am not supposed to feel this good. At all. I completed my third round of this horrendous chemo regimen March 9th, and I’m actually supposed to feel pretty rotten right now.

Each chemo is cumulative, so my doctor said I should expect to feel worse after each treatment. But this time, with no explanation, I felt really good. Better than good. I was a normal person! Giving God all the credit. When I tell you how I have felt over the last two months, you will understand how truly miraculous last week really was.
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I feel a little like one of those ungrateful Israelites whom God delivered from Egypt. He went to a lot of trouble to free them from Pharaoh. (Remember all of those nasty plagues?) They were thankful and happy about it for all of two minutes. Then they started complaining again.

That has always bothered me. I never could understand why those people seemed so ungrateful. Couldn’t they remember all God had just done for them? Seems like someone parting the Red Sea to save my life would have stayed with me for awhile, but not the children of Israel, they always found something else to complain about.

I’ve been such an Israelite this week.
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Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15 (NIV)

I’m a planner. I like to know what’s up. Each week when I visit with my medical team, I am always asking about upcoming treatments, dates/time frames, and expected outcomes (much to their chagrin). I like to know these things so I can try to wrap my mind around them before they are my reality. They don’t always have definitive answers (which totally frustrates me), but when they do, I hold tightly to those facts, and any changes unsettle me.

Such has been my last few weeks. Quite a roller coaster actually. If you read my last post, you may recall that I excitedly lined out my schedule for the next several weeks and reveled in my upcoming breaks. I made loads of plans with family and friends and totally loved the fact that I finally had a little control, even if it was just my schedule.

Well, that’s not exactly how it all played out.
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Eleven down, six to go!

Ever so slowly, I’m getting there . . .

Next week the kids are going with us for #12 (on the 22nd) and we’ll get home just in time to celebrate Christmas Eve.

My doctor gave me an unexpected Christmas gift by allowing me to have December 29th off. I was so excited when she told me I wouldn’t have to be in Houston that week! Now I get to enjoy a full week AT HOME with the kids when they’re out of school for Christmas break.
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