I guess it's been a couple of months since I last posted.  I'm going to blame it on being challenged way too much lately by technology, but that's a story for another time.  Right now, I want to catch you up on my medical stuff.  

First and foremost, I'm doing great. The Keytruda immunotherapy is still hard at work. Overall, my affected lymph nodes have decreased in size, with the exception of one in my left shoulder area which increased slightly but isn't too concerning, according to Dr. M. who left the room saying, "God is good." 

Yes, He is!

I also know that God goes before us and knows our needs even before we do, but I'm still always amazed, humbled and grateful when I recognize he's done that for me. Let me explain.

In late September, it was discovered that my port was leaking in two places. Uh-oh.

So on the 26th, my barely-three-month-old port was removed and a new one put in -- this time on the left side of my chest.  During the procedure, the surgeon found that a blood clot was preventing the proper flow of things. As a result, I was put on a blood thinner and unfortunately, that meant I had to stop my arthritis medicine.  Quite challenging,  to say the least, particularly with the weather changes. Tylenol and I are best friends again, but it can only do so much.

In August, way before needing to stop my arthritis medicine, I was encouraged by a physical therapist to discuss with my primary care doctor the possibility of a referral to a rheumatologist.  Previous doctors of mine have hinted there might be more going on than osteoarthritis.  There is a history in our family of rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome and Scleroderma -- all autoimmune diseases, but I've never had a comprehensive evaluation.  The voices in my head had a little argument about whether it was even worth it, considering my situation.  I imagine that conversations like that are rather common among those who are fighting the big C -- but in the end, hope and courage persisted. 

I got the referral and they called with an April 2023 appointment time. Yikes!...six months. I took a breath and told the scheduler that I was grateful just to get the appointment, no matter how far away it was. And then in a quick moment, she offered me a February cancellation spot.  (Yay God!)  Four months is way better than six. At the very least, I'm hoping this appointment will help me sort out the pain from arthritis vs. the pain from the big C, or maybe just provide me with a treatment for my osteoarthritis that can co-exist with the blood thinner.

Either way, I know God placed everything in motion before I needed to go off my arthritis medicine.  I feel like He does more of this in our everyday lives than we recognize. 

Thanks God, for giving me eyes to see You at work in my life.

"So be strong and courageous!....For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."  Deuteronomy 31:6 (NLT)

"Your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"  Matthew 6:8 (NLT)