Long week?

This week was long…… as I await news from the Hem/Oc team at St Louis Children’s Hospital about what the recommend regarding my back pain and MRI scans. The meeting in August 2nd, so hopefully I will know something later next weeks.

This week was long…… because it was my last week of summer classes at Fontbonne. I am now only 4 classes away from graduation in December. I took 5 classes in 8 weeks, attended school 1pm-6-7pm 4 days a week plus did an online class. I would NOT recommend that to anyone else EVER.

This week was long…… becasue I was in pretty intense pain most of the time. I had my second series of pain injections today. Today the inserted 3 needles into my back and injected both numbing medication and steroids into the nerves that are inflamed/damaged. This wins the prize for the most painful thing in Alicia’s medical history. It far surpasses all of my surgeries, tooth aches, spinal tap, appendicitis, and blemoycin (chemo) shot in my legs. I have held onto comparing all medical procedures to my bleo injections for 17 years, it was VERY painful. After today and can say that it was minor in comparison. Luckily, the pain from today last about 2 minutes at its most intense and reduced quickly. I am having severe pain now 12+ hours later, but the doctor promises it gets better

Please be praying for my body to heal. It has been a very long 2-3 months in pain and I am kind of done, although it looks like we are closer to some reasonable answers and some effective pain management ideas. The next step is one more set of pain injections (OUCH) and possible a spinal cord nerve stimulator. We will look int that option in the next two week. Please continue to pray for my pain, anxiety and for an answer to this pain. Thank you for all of your love, support, encouragement and prayers this summer.

This week has been long….. waiting for vacation is also hard and tomorrow is my day. I am leaving tomorrow afternoon to go an visit the Meadows family in Phoenix. I am looking forward to being away from appointments, school work, and the daily responsibilities that one leaves behind on vacation. Can’t wait to hang with some of my favorite people. I could cry thinking about it! I will be relaxing poolside and enjoying the company of good friends!

I am sure the next 6 days will speed by, not to mention the next two weeks. ( my last “summer vacation” weeks.) I would like to mention that this has been no vacation!

Look upon the goodness of the Lord…Wait for the Lord; Be strong

Today I went to the Late Effects Clinic @ St Louis Children’s Hospital to meet with them to follow up as a cancer survivor. I was treated with chemotherapy when I was 15, so my medical history can be more complex than other people my age. If you aren’t aware, I have been struggling with back and hip pain since May, and I thought it was time to see them about the pain and the MRI scan results of my lumbar spine.

For a quick recap I have been having lower back and right hip pain since May. The pain began to increase so I went to the doctor. He sent me for xrays and then to Physical Therapy. Xrays were normal and the PT worked for a few weeks, but them my hip pain increased so I returned to the doctor. First he sent me for an MRI of my lumbar spine and prescribed different pain medication. The MRI was “normal”! I had no change in pain and called the doctor again. He started to think it was really my hip causing all of the pain and sent me for a hip MRI because he suspected a serious hip disease. This MRI was also normal. This is when frustration set in and I started to believe that there was something else going on. There had to be SOMETHING causing the pain. I got a copy of the scans and the reports and found that my lumbar spine MRI was not normal and that there was a small growth in the exact spot that my pain originated. In the mean time, I have started to see the Pain Managemnet Clinic at SSM.

The growth in the spinal area in my lower back is a possible hemangioma. This is a collection of blood vessels that grow out of control. The doctors who have looked at the MRI believe that this is what they see, but for someone with a cancer history there is a little more reason for concern. The nurse practitioner that I met with today mentioned that sometimes people are told that these types of things are nothing and they have turned out to be some kind of cancer, but most often they are not a problem. Because mine is causing pain, we need to know if that is causing the pain. She said that she could have referred me to all kinds of places today, but she wanted to meet with the doctor first and he is out of town. She will be discussing my physical exam, the history of my pain, and the scan results in order to determine what to do now.

After the meeting between all of the Oncology folks on August 2nd, they will contact me with a plan. It will most likely mean more appointments and more waiting. I will continue to see the pain management doctor for the scheduled injections and wait for more information. Since I believe that my pain injection has stopped working after about 4 days this round, I am a little hesitant to believe that they are going to continue to work. A friend had similar injections and said after the second and third one, she was much better. I am trying to be patient in these next three weeks for the injections and good pain relief.

Tonight while searching in my Bible for some passages about waiting and trusting, I found this:

Psalm 27

The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation
Of David.

27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold [1] of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evildoers assail me
to eat up my flesh,
my adversaries and foes,
it is they who stumble and fall.

3 Though an army encamp against me,
my heart shall not fear;
though war arise against me,
yet [2] I will be confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord,
that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord
and to inquire [3] in his temple.

5 For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up
above my enemies all around me,
and I will offer in his tent
sacrifices with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make melody to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;
be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, “Seek [4] my face.”
My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.” [5]
9 Hide not your face from me.
Turn not your servant away in anger,
O you who have been my help.
Cast me not off; forsake me not,
O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
but the Lord will take me in.

11 Teach me your way, O Lord,
and lead me on a level path
because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.

13 I believe [6] that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord!

So, in these next few weeks I am going to look upon the goodness of the Lord. I am going to Wait for the Lord. I am going to be strong and take courage. I am going to continue to trust that God is in control. I am going to abide in Christ and let the blessing from my obedience sink deep into my heart. I am going to Hope in God.

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Back to blogging

I have decided to get back to blogging. Its been almost a year since I even thought about some updates. Here is why I am thinking of blogging more regularly….

1. I like to write.

2. I have things to say

3. I want to remember

4. I want to bless others

Today I was reading a blog that has truly blessed  beyond belief and I was inspired by her struggles and love for God. I hope to share my life in this way in hopes that God will be glorified.

Healed and Dismissed

Today I had my follow up appointment with the oncologist. I loved this doctor and the news he had to offer.

My Spleen (which was enlarged and had a cyst in early July) did not show an abnormality in the recent ultrasound, so the cyst has resolved its self (yeah God) and if it is there its NORMAL anyway! Lots of you probably have one too!

The mass of swollen lymph nodes are no longer swollen and I have no symptoms to indicate further testing!

Finally, Dr. Wilkes (you can see him on the “Patients Love Us, Cancer Fears Us” billboard on 70 W at Lake St Louis) said that I no longer need follow up with a cancer doctor for my lymphoma! YEAH! Made it. He said that there is about a 0% chance of a reoccurance of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He said that all he would be watching for were signs of heart or lung damage from chemo and that my regular doctor could do that.

I am so thankful that today is over and that God has chosen health for me for today!

Thank you for your love and prayers. I am so excited to dismissed from Cancer Doctor follow-ups! Praying this for all my friends who haven’t made it this far. Its amazing friends, and God can heal you too!

Psalm 91:2

²I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my  fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Last week at Camp Penuel, this was one of our memory verses. I am so thankful that God saw fit that I would memorize this at this time in my life. It has come as a great comfort this week.

Yesterday, it was the first thing that came to my mind after my doctor told me that I have a new heart murmur and that it could be related to the severe edema I had in my legs last Thursday and Friday.  I remained calm and remembered that God was my fortress and that he is Trust Worthy.

The medical side of things are this:

My blood work was unremarkable for anything thing like cancer, this far.

An ultrasound of the deep vessels in my legs showed that I have no arteries or veins that are blocked to cause swelling. GOOD NEWS.

An ultrasound of my abdomen to look at my spleen and abdomen will be on Monday, at this point the doctor said that sometimes nothing is required for the spleen, but to follow-up with the oncologist just to be sure.

I will be having a heart test ASAP to look at the cause of the new heart murmur. Guess what? Chemo may be the culprit. Surprised? I am not!

I am resting in God’s promises today and not stressing about this medical excitement. I am ready to have some answers, waiting is the worst.

No Update

There is currently no update. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow @ 1pm. Hopefully I will have more to update on then.

Thanks for your prayers!

Update

I haven’t heard anything from my blood work yet. It should definitely be back today. In the waiting process my heart is prepared for what ever God has for me. The unknown is just terrible. I just want to know what the next step in from here.

I will keep you all updated.