I Come to the Garden...

Typed another (shorter) version, hit submit - and it disappeared again! Internet or BCO???

I'll try again - don't quit know what version this will be!!!!

I was so glad to hear an update from you Meece! I've missed your involvement here and on the E-Lab thread! Hope you get the thyroid situation figured out soon! You might check the Iodine thread - I'm not sure what I think about that, but I do take kelp. It is high in iodine and helps the thyroid function better. My doctor won't listen to the idea of low thyroid since my labs are fine - even though I have many of the symptoms. Interestingly enough, I was having a lot of hair loss before I started the kelp. It quit, and then for some reason I stopped the kelp. (Can't remember why now!). When I noticed a lot of hair loss, I realized I had stopped the kelp, and I've taken it ever since!

Glad the information was helpful, zumbagirl. It really makes sense to me that heart healthy is also cancer healthy! My husband had prostate cancer in 2008 and had surgery. His PSA is going up slightly now so we're watching it. I recently changed our diet to lower carbs, more fruits and vegetables. The boys don't seem to notice as long as I have plenty to fill them up! I continue to lose weight on the E-Lab program (thanks Meece!) of drinking water, exercising, and making healthy choices. At the prostate cancer seminar, one of the speakers said, "It's not a diet; it's a lifestyle!" Sometimes you know that kind of thing, but you have to really get it soaked into your thought process! It takes one step at a time, and then another....and another.... And always with God's help!

God bless you all!

Hi Meece - I really feel that the E-Lab points add up with the exercise. The water is a constant 7, the healthy points are limited, the 2 for a decrease is either there or not on Friday morning, along with the 1 for checking in. But the exercise is only there with some effort and push. I decided that I don't have to like it (I don't like laundry and toilets either!), but I do HAVE to do it! And gardening, vacuuming, cleaning bathrooms (as long as you don't move at a snail pace) all count. The more exercise points, the more likely I am to get the extra 2 for weight loss - even .2 or .4 pounds lost per week adds up over the month!

The gals on the E-Lab thread would love to have you back! And I'd love for my numbers at the top to not show so high!  I sort of quit checking in there since I was never on a team and it seemed sort of pointless. My guess is that several others would come back too..... and maybe there's some new interest also. I know you are busy though, and it does take time! So I do understand! Just throwing in my 2 cents.

Ladies, tomorrow at 1:15 I have a biopy for a suspected tumor/cancer. If it is it will be my fourth cancer dx. At first it was pretty surreal (after the mammo on Wednesday), now it's getting scary. I really don't want to go through this again. I don't like any of the options. I hope it's just a scare. I know that God is bigger than all this and if it is cancer, He will give me the wisdom I need. I appreciate your prayers. Thanks.

I am new to this forum. My initial diagnosis was acute lymphocytic leukemia 25 years ago. I survived chemotherapy treatment well, only to be diagnosed with secondary myelodysplastic syndrome 5 years later. This cancer does not go into remission, only a quiet state. I have had numerous rounds of chemotherapy, with the last being this past summer. In September, I was diagnosed with a left IDC. I also had a suspicious spot on MRI, so opted for a bilateral mastectomy with a left sentinel node biopsy. As the doctor thought the right spot was nothing, he was surprised when pathology report came back with ILC on the right. I just underwent an axillary node dissection on the right, and am awaiting pathology reports. All of this said, I can't fathom facing all of this without the firm hold and stability of our loving Father God. Just wanted to share a prayer/poem I wrote.

The Lord of the Journey

Lord, I come before You tonight,
Heavy of heart and weary in soul.
This road we are walking together
Just seems to keep going on and on,
A continual, arduous climb.
I find my feet stumbling on the rocks,
My body crying out with exhaustion.
But each time I fall, You gently pick me up
And encourage me to keep climbing.
You hold my hand, pulling me over the roughest spots.
You carry me lightly when the path all but disappears.
I look up now and again,
Surprised at the heights which we have traversed,
Awed by the view of the great expanse.
The top of the mountain is yet wreathed in mists,
Hidden away from my eager eyes.
I know not how far or how steep
The rest of the journey will be,
But I know that even here on this tiny piece of cliff
That I can find joy enough to dance before You,
To raise a song of worship and of praise.
The very rocks themselves join in the chorus,
Singing forth the song that is older than they.
You are the Lord of the journey,
And I place my trust in You.

Evebarry-let us know ASAP-praying

Laural-your prayer/poem moved me to tears.  I so feel that way most of the time, but those little pieces of the cliffs are precarious, it sometimes inhibits my praise! 

wonderful prayer laurel, so apt

I have # 23 of radiation today.  I will have # 25 by Thursday and I will be skipping Friday so I can go to my niece's wedding in Boston.  Can't wait to get away from here for a few day's.  Trust me we all know we need so time off now and then. God has been so good to me through all of this I can not complain.

Meece,

I thought of this poem I wrote 2 years ago when you mentioned being exhausted. Praying for His strength to lift you up.

Numbers

The numbers arrive,
Neat columns with norms and percentages skewed,
Black and white reminders
Of the disease buried deep within.
Once again, the battle of forces begins,
Bad cells crowding out the good,
Fighting for space within the narrow confines of life.
I dig deep,
Seeking a source of refreshment,
Some energy to take into this fray,
But I find none.
Turning, I fall into Your hands.
Time has taught me to trust in Your grasp,
To rely on your strength to see me through.
Yet even here, I grieve today,
Afraid to face what lies ahead,
Too tired to pick up my sword,
Crying out against the loss of normal once again.
Tucked in Your tender hold,
My body finds a stable place to rest.
Tomorrow will come as I sleep,
And my heart will regain joy for the journey.
Laura Alway

Laura, you are gifted! And blessed!  Thanks for sharing.

welcome denise....hope your appointment on Friday is better than expected & all systems are go for the 28th!

Welcome Laurel and Denise.  Wha a beautiful poem...such talent you have. 

How are you feeling Meece?  Zumbagirl:  Are you getting rested up for your radiation? 

Lynneia:  Your countdown is getting there.  Hang in!  Eph 3:  Hoping all is well on the biopsy report.  3jays:  Amen to Meece's prayer.

Thank you Lord for watching over Roman.

Been quietly waiting for options about this progression I've learned I have.  Had my first PET scan today.  Been clinging to Philippians 4:6&7:  "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

May God bless each of you spritiually and physically this evening.  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen

Oh Eve I am so sorry to hear that you are having to deal with this horrible disease again! I am so sure your head is spinning with all the things you have to plan for. Remember God is with you and we pray that he will guide you and your medical team and that your tx plan will irradicate the beast.

If you are looking for a reconstruction that has a quick recovery I know several women who had the one step Alloderm procedure, then you don't have to mess with tissue expanders.

Hugs and Love,

Linda

Evebarry-I know that you have been praying & we will lift you up also.  I hope that treatment commences with little effect on you physically so that you can continue your job & personal life & all it has in store for you.   God is good!

Zumba-I think you must have read something wrong-I am not involved in any on-going treatments right now other than check-ups, Praise the Lord.  Yes, I will excited to get your call on Saturday!