Fast Forward

So much good has already come from this not so good thing.

August 11, 2014. Had a fun weekend visit with Allie and Marcus when they stayed with me for a few days on their SoCal vacation.

August 22, 2014. Had a relaxing visit with Erika, Alex and Jovi (well not so relaxing with Jovi) when they came to see me.

In between... health insurance issues were resolved and I will continue having coverage with Kaiser after my work coverage ends on September 1. There's a reason why I had that three month job. I was able to get health insurance, specifically Kaiser, have the mammogram that started it all, and have this whole process expedited so quickly. Even with some anxiety, phone calls and emails to insurance providers and the state of CA, I believed that everything would work out, even though I didn't know how or when. It did.

And... I received an unexpected job offer. I had applied, tested, had a phone interview and finally a panel interview for a sales position before finding out about my cancer. Didn't get the job, which I felt was probably a good thing for a few different reasons. Then I got a call for an interview for a different position with the same company, thought what the heck, interviewed and got a job offer. I had to be honest and explain the change in my situation since my previous interview, and was surprised that they were willing to work with me on my start date (two weeks after surgery) and radiation treatments. If everything goes as planned with my surgery, I will start the new job on September 15.

August 25, 2014. Pre-op appointment with my surgeon and breast cancer RN. Had my blood work done and a chest xray. Got my pre-surgery instructions and some post-surgery information. Still no tears, but it's definitely becoming more real. 

August 28, 2014. I think in my mind having a lumpectomy was not really a big deal. I finally read all my pamphlets and brochures about BREAST CANCER and LUMPECTOMY and RADIATION and POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS OF ANY PROCEDURE and yeah, now it's real. Filing all my paperwork in my ACS organizer made me feel a bit better - while I don't have control over the cancer, I do have control over my paperwork!  

August 29, 2014. Surgery time is confirmed. Need to be at the hospital at 8:30am on Tuesday, September 2. First, I will have a procedure called wire localization, where a guide wire will be inserted into my breast to mark the tumor for greater accuracy during surgery since its location is not obvious.
Then I will have a radioactive "tracer" and blue dye injected into my breast so that the surgeon can identify the lymph nodes needed for removal to see if the cancer has spread. Will need to wait a couple of hours for the tracer and dye to travel through my body. Surgery is scheduled to begin around 11:15, and should take around an hour and a half. You know I'll be able to feel your prayers, I do already.

Almost ready to leave for the airport. My daughters and I have had this Labor Day weekend girls trip to Colorado planned for a few months, and I'm amazed at God's timing. Allowing us this special weekend together so that I can go into surgery with the best of memories! 

Today's devotional scripture verses are so appropriate. God knows what I need to hear... "Jesus said to his disciples, 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...' " (Luke 12:22-26) and "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood..." (Ephesians 6:12).