Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Sorry.....


I apologize tremendously to all you who check frequently to see how things are going. It's been a week since I last posted. We've been busy changing house guests and getting ready for the next wave. Heather and Isabel left Saturday and we miss them! It has been almost 2 years since we had seen Heather and we realize what we are missing! Joel and I got the house cleaned up...well he did most of the work. I was just bossy.


We were able to attend church Sunday morning. It was awesome to see all our friends and the sermon was great too. My mom arrived Sunday afternoon. Joel had to leave for a few days to go to Charlotte for upper management training for Lowes. He has been in training since before all the cancer happened. During everything he has managed to watch recorded classes and take tons of tests (and of course pass with flying colors)!! This week is the last part of training and he will be able to move to upper management.


My dad will arrive today to stay for a few days. I still have to have a chauffeur because I can't drive yet. I'll be seeing the oncologist tomorrow and the plastic surgeon Thursday. I should be getting my drains out Thursday and then a long, hot shower! I thanked God this morning that he helped someone create a shower. I really HATE taking a bath.


I will try to post an update on Thursday after I see the oncologist. Ella also sees her doctor tomorrow for her 9 month appointment on Wednesday and then of course we have to go to the fall festival at church. (many cute costume pics to follow) I know you all are thinking, "Lisa slow down!" I promise I am taking it easy. That's why I called in extra reinforcements to get us through the next few days. My body pretty much just stops when it's time to rest. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

P.S......
I posted a few new pictures on the flickr site. Also, Candice has posted some amazing pictures of the Walk for Life on her blog. Please check it out. Just click the tab on the upper right corner that says Candice and Daniel. Until next time....

Monday, October 22, 2007

One Month


Today marks the one month anniversary of my diagnosis. God has worked in amazing ways. It is hard to believe so much has happened in a short amount of time. I'm already almost a week post-surgery. I am so thankful God gave us the best doctors who worked so quickly to begin my treatment. We saw the plastic surgeon today. They removed the dressing but the drains have to stay another week. I was so pleased with the surgery results and I'm healing quickly.

We want to say "thanks" to all who have brought meals this week. It was so helpful. Thank you Mom and Heather for all your help with Ella. I've been able to get lots of rest because she has been in great hands! (I promise to keep resting)!!


I thought this picture was the absolute cutest! My in-laws (Wayne and April) sent this double stroller. The girls love it!! They like the way it tastes too! We promise there will be more cute pictures to follow.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Quick Update....


All is well. I tell you what....surgery is tough. I've pretty much just slept for the past few days. Of course, I could be making up for the 9 months Ella hasn't let me sleep! The pain is getting better everyday. I'm just taking muscle relaxers now. The muscle spasms can be pretty intense so the meds help so much. I'm pretty foggy in the head so I apologize if the words don't come out right. By the way, the bear in the picture was a gift from the hospital. You use it when you wear your seat belt to prevent the belt from rubbing on you. Cute!!!


We got the final report from the doctor yesterday. There was absolutely no sign of cancer in the lymph nodes or the right breast. My tumor graded a 9 on a scale of 3 to 9. That just means it was a very aggressive tumor which we caught early. We are still waiting on one test which we should have Tuesday. So, right now if I understand correctly my cancer was caught in the early stages and I think it is stage 1 or 2. I will clarify at my appointment on Tuesday. Regardless, it is all a good report but I will have some intense chemo because of the tumor grade. We will find out about my treatment plan when we visit the oncologist on October 31st.


Thank you for your continued prayers and words of encouragement. We are ready for visitors for all you locals. Just call before you come and be ready to play!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Recovery


Good morning! I'm now 2 days post-op and doing well. I'm still in pain but nothing that a little Percocet can't fix! I can't move my arms very much so I'm moving a little slow. I feel good so I'm having to force myself to rest and let others help me. Heather (Joel's sister) and Isabel (our niece) arrived yesterday. Ella is so excited to see someone her size.
We are rejoicing in the good report that my lymph nodes are cancer-free!! I have an appointment with Dr. Haines (plastic surgeon) Monday to hopefully remove the drains and begin the tissue expanding. We will find out Friday the final report about the tumor. They will stage my cancer and the results will determine the type and length of chemo I will receive. Again, thank you all for your prayers! By the way, in case you're wondering, I did chop off my hair. I knew I wouldn't be able to lift my arms to fix it and I love this new style. We will be posting more pictures over the next few days of the "Cousins," so make sure to check back. God bless!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

The Morning After....

Good morning to all! I just got off the phone with Lisa and she is doing so well! Last night she had a little pain, and her meds were able to take care of all of it. I asked how she was feeling and how all of it went...She's feeling very well and optimistic. She said that her nurse was a Christian and was so compassionate with her before she went into surgery. Her doctor also mentioned that she must be 'someone very important, because I was called especially to come to another hospital for her..." .

God is just SO good. Lisa will be going home in the next hour or two. Please pray for her as she begins this journey to reconstruction and recovery.

Lisa said that she definitley could feel the prayers of all of you--and is convinced that your prayers are what made the difference. Thank you for your faithfulness in that. Please continue praying...

With gratitude,
Candice

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Just an hour after surgery update.

Lisa made it through surgery with flying colors. At this point, she is about to be moved from recovery to her room. The cancer did not spread into her lymph nodes....PRAISE THE LORD! Please continue to pray for her and her family as they begin this journey.

More updates when I hear from her husband and her later.

Thank you for your prayers....

The Day


We'll the day has arrived. As I think of today and the long road of recovery, chemo and reconstruction, I see her face. She is the reason to fight and fight hard. I promise her I will do that. Ella is such a joy (what a name that fits her)! I know the minute I begin to feel sad I can look at her, she'll give me that 2-tooth grin and the joy will come!
Yesterday, my friend Rebekah gave me the scripture passage Zephaniah 3:17. It says, "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing." How wonderful for me to remember God is with me and I can rest in Him. He loves me so much that He "delights" in ME! I pray that as my family and I go through this journey, God will be lifted up. I am His child and I can't do this without the strength that comes from Him.
So that's where my mind is this morning. I have peace. I feel so much love and support from all of you. Your words of encouragement have been wonderful. Most of all your prayers have been appreciated and greatly needed.
Today my surgery will last approximately 5 hours. Our friend Candice will be posting an update this evening once Joel can see me. Please check back later for that. My parents arrived last night to help and Joel's sister Heather will arrive tomorrow to stay for 10 days. She will be caring for Ella while I recover. She is bringing her daughter Isabel so I'm sure there will many pictures of the cousins to follow. And here we go..........

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

The Party


Once again Joel and I are overwhelmed with all the love and support. I love that I've heard from people I haven't seen in years and many who we have never even met!!! We feel so encouraged by all the prayers.

I'm sure you are wondering about the picture. In case you don't know, I work as a nurse in a high-risk labor and delivery unit. I've been with most of these girls for about 4 years now and they have truly become like family. It's amazing how well you get to know people when you are having the 2:00 AM talk to keep you awake. We all thought it would be fun to celebrate my upcoming surgery. Yes,the cake says, "Goodbye Girls." I will miss everyone while I am on my leave of absence. I love you guys and I promise I will call when I need you!

Today my surgery date was set for next Tuesday the 16th at 11:00 AM. I will be having surgery at Palmetto Baptist for all you local people. Please continue to pray that my lymph nodes will be cancer free.

I had the opportunity to walk in the "Walk for Life" this weekend with several of my close friends. The walk is a fundraiser for breast cancer research and all the proceeds raised stay in the Columbia area. We walked with about 11,000 people. My wonderful friend, Debbie, made pink shirts for us all to wear and mine said "Future breast cancer survivor." I felt so comforted to know how important breast cancer is to so many. There were so many beautiful breast cancer survivors there. Next year when we walk, I will proudly wear my pink bandanna that is reserved for the survivors!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

The Journey Begins

"Lisa, it's cancer." Words I never thought I would hear. I'm only 29... I have a nine month old...You must be wrong! So here we are, 2 weeks after my diagnosis. It is amazing how one small lump can change your life. We've seen all the doctors, had all the tests and surgery is scheduled for next week. We feel like we have lived a whole year in 2 weeks.

I found a small lump several weeks ago. I am still breastfeeding so I just thought it was a clogged milk duct. It didn't go away like they had in the past. I worked with my doctor one night and she felt that I should have an ultrasound. During the ultrasound the radiologist was concerned about the lump which is less then 2 cm in size. They performed a biopsy 2 days later and I got the call while we were in the grocery store. Joel immediately went into action and called everyone we could think of to ask them to pray. Dr Risinger (my OBGYN) promptly started making calls and appointments. Over the next week we met Dr. Parker (the tumor surgeon) and Dr. Butler (the oncologist). These doctors and nurses went above and beyond to help make this process bearable.

After talking with the surgeon, oncologist, geneticist, counselor, and breast cancer survivors we have made the difficult decision to have a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction. (For all you non-medical people...a mastectomy is the removal of the breast including the tissue). After the surgery I will also be receiving chemotherapy. This decision, although very difficult, is best for our family and for the many years to come. We have learned that the cancer is localized to my left breast and an invasive tumor caused by estrogen. So, we pray that by having surgery we will eradicate the risk of ever getting cancer again. We are asking everyone to continue to pray that the cancer has not spread to my lymph nodes. We will not know this until the day of surgery.

Daily, Joel and I have been overwhelmed by the love and support from all our family and friends. God has given us both "peace that passes understanding." It's obvious that the prayers of the faithful have brought the peace. Yes, I'm nervous about the surgery and the chemo and the long recovery ahead of me. But, as my surgeon said, if I wasn't nervous he would worry. At least I am fully aware of what's about to happen. Joel has been my rock. He has literally picked me up off the floor and helped me find the strength that I need to keep going. Life must go on. We have to continue for Ella Joy. She is doing fine by the way. We suspect she senses something is up. She actually has been sleeping better than ever these past few weeks!! We've posted some great pictures of her so check them out.

We will be using this blog site as a communication tool for all those who are praying and are concerned with our progress. We will be sharing our ups and downs and of course some pictures along the way. Our blog will be updated several times a week after I have surgery. We hope that this can take the place of phone calls as our days will be difficult at first. Please feel free to leave words of encouragement for our family. Many people have asked, "what can I do to help?" Over the next few months we will need lots of prayer, babysitters, meals and words of encouragement. If you are wondering why flowers are not included, the answer is.....they die.

Please feel free to share our site and our story.