#14 AFTER CHEMO THROUGH SURGERY PREP
Welcome back to Faith Walk with Debbie. Today I will be sharing what happened after Chemotherapy, what appeared to be a miracle that turned sour and the Thymoma Surgery.
On November 18, 2020, I completed my last chemotherapy. It was number SIXTEEN! It had been a long road that began the last week of June. I was incredibly grateful that it was over. However, I had been so used to having so many medical appointments that it was a shock to have more of an empty schedule.
I was scheduled for surgery on December 18th to have the remaining of the Thymoma Cancer removed. I had been praying for months that God would somehow give me a miracle so I would not have to have surgery. I had prayed that the cancer would miraculously disappear.
The IU surgeon wanted me to have a CAT scan in preparation for surgery. On November 20th, I had a CAT scan. When the results of it appeared in My Chart, I anxiously analyzed it. Even though the CAT scan stated it was to check the Thymoma as I read the results there was nothing that stated I had Thymoma Cancer showing. When my local oncologist called to discuss the results, she was pleased with the results. She agreed that it appeared there was no Thymoma Cancer. However, she stated we needed to wait to see what the IU surgeon’s decision was.
I was scheduled for an appointment with the IU surgeon in Indianapolis on November 25th. I was also supposed to get pre-surgery testing done that day. Because it appeared the test results were a miracle and there was no Thymoma Cancer I called her office to let her know. The office assistant said she would pass the information along. I assumed I would not have to do the pre-testing since it appeared the cancer was gone. The office assistant seemed to agree. I got a call back stating that the surgeon wanted to meet with me over the phone instead of in person and the pre-surgery tests had been canceled. I was excited because I thought all of that was good news and confirmation, I would not have to have surgery. I assumed God had given me the miracle I had prayed for.
So my husband and I met via the computer on November 25th with the surgeon. She did not have the written explanation of the Cat scan that I did. She asked me to read it. She stated that it left off the Thymoma results. She looked at the CAT scan herself. Originally the Thymoma cancer was 4.8 cm. After the 16 chemotherapies, she said the CAT scan showed it had shrunk to 1.5 cm. The surgeon said she assumed that what was remaining was dead tissue that needed to be removed. She stated we still needed to have surgery. I was heartbroken with what the surgeon explained. I got angry that the person who read the Cat scan did not give the complete correct results.
I was really upset that I was going to have to have surgery. I also was upset because I had taken the whole day off work on November 25th as well as my husband in preparation to get the pre-surgery testing done. The surgeon felt she needed to discuss the CAT scan situation with me first since I had been misinformed from what I had read in My Chart regarding the CAT scan results and my oncologist’s reaction. That is why she had canceled the pre-surgery testing that day. The reason I was so upset was because that meant I had to use more time off work to take another day of to go for the pre-surgery testing. I had been trying to save all my benefit time to make sure I had enough to cover when I was off with surgery. Also, my husband could not take another day off work. That meant I had to go to Indianapolis by myself for the pre-testing. I hate traffic in Indianapolis and did not know where I was going which made it even worse.
On December 9, 2020, I went to IU Medical Center for the pre-surgery testing. I hated the traffic. I do not like driving on inter-state highways let alone in Indianapolis traffic. It took hours for the testing and took a lot longer than originally planned. After the pre-testing, I met with the surgeon’s assistant and the surgeon in the Simon Cancer Center. The surgeon’s assistance answered a lot of my questions which helped my apprehension of surgery. It was nice that the two buildings were connected. This was also during Covid-19. I found it interesting how there seemed to be people everywhere in close proximity, but they had masks on. Both buildings required me to wear a mask they provided. I was not allowed to wear a homemade mask. I went home literally with a small case on rollers of pre-surgery things I was required to do. I had to take a special protein drink for a specific number of days before surgery. I was given a plastic breathing machine that I had to use several days before surgery to help prepare my lungs for surgery. A couple days before surgery I had to put this lotion in my nose to help prevent MRSA. A day before surgery I had to drink specific Gatorade. I was impressed with all the surgery preparation they required.
Something I was totally amazed about was the Covid preparation before surgery. I had to have a Covid test the Monday before surgery. However, the Covid quarantine rules were not very strict. I was allowed to work, which I was grateful for. I just was not allowed to go to big gatherings like church for two weeks before surgery.
Next time I will share all about the Thymoma Cancer Surgery. I had been told the pain level would be 10 out of 10, worse that open heart surgery. I had been told I would be in the hospital 4-5 days. Because of that, I was extremely apprehensive about the whole situation. Stay tuned to see how some of what they predicted God miraculously intervened.
I was scared but Matthew 6:27 (NLT) says “Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” I knew worrying was not good. It would not make any positive difference in my situation. I just had to trust God would get me through.
