The Peaceful, Horribly Wonderful Week!

I finally have a chance to update my blog!  I must say, I am very glad to be done with this round of treatment! The week was so good in many ways and not so good in others.
It began on Wednesday, May 26th. I went to St. Mary's at 9 am expecting to be in and out fairly quickly like my doctor said.  The first thing they had to do, (which took the longest), was have a pregnancy test. I guess they need to have one within 24 hours of administering the Radioactive Iodine. And NO, WE ARE NOT PREGNANT! At this point in time, I am glad of that! After the results of that, the tech guy came in and gave me a sheet of paper with some guidelines, brought in his little air tight container and gave me a little deadly pill! Very quick and easy, and a little unnerving!  As I walked out of the hospital I made sure not to touch anyone I passed by!

I drove to my parents house in Zeeland and was welcomed by some very thoughtful things! They have a bi-level so I was able to stay in their lower level that has a bedroom, bathroom, and walkout sliding doors to the outside. This was a huge highlight for me since I need to have light or it can get depressing. I was very thankful I didn't have to stay in our basement that has very small windows! My mom had set out a table with a fruit bowl, place mat, and cute little flip-flop napkins. In the bedroom was a little shelf complete with a coffee pot, yummy coffee, and some tea. Another table was set up with some other things I needed like a pink barf bucket (compliments of our friend Rose!) and the beautiful roses Shawn gave me for our Anniversary!  I had to have my own trash and they also had a table set up at the bottom of the stairs that they could put my food on and not have to come near me! I was SO well taken care of! I truly appreciate their willingness to have me stay at their house and disrupt their routine. They made sure I had healthy food that was on the special diet I was on and anything else I needed.  Thank you Mom and Dad for taking care of me! You truly are servants!

One funny thing that happened during the first 48 hours was that my roses started flopping over! These beautiful flowers were all bent over and looked like they were dying! I was told that the 1st 48 hours the radioactivity is the strongest because it hasn't quite absorbed into my body yet.  I was so bummed but then on the 3rd and 4th day they perked back up! It was quite funny!




What in the world did I do for a week you might ask?:)  I honestly thought I would be able to do more. I have had these horrible migraine type headaches for about 3 weeks leading up to this treatment. Those were a little hard to deal with along with a little nausea and extreme tiredness. They actually prevented me from sleeping very well. I was taking 4 ibuprofen alternating with 3 extra-strength Tylenol and Aleve. Yep...all drugged up and it wasn't helping!  I even went to the ER on Memorial Day and they gave me a nice little cocktail of Tordol, Benedryl, some other drug, and Valium! It helped for the evening but the headaches were back the next morning! Grrrr....
The ER doctor thought they might be tension headaches. I told him that I didn't think they were which I'm sure he really appreciated!:)  I guess I might be under a LITTLE tension these past few months! I have since been to the chiropractor and they were in fact tension headaches. After a few adjustments, that particular headache is gone!! I told him I was going to give him a million bucks for helping me!

So, I did as much reading as my head could handle, spent a lot of time journaling and reading God's word. He showed me so many things!  It was so nice to sit outside and spend time with my Jesus. My parents yard is absolutely beautiful. They have flowers landscaped everywhere and a fountain that is so peaceful. It was also the time of year for the little white cotton puffs to be blowing around and that just added to the peacefulness. Normally those irritate me, but not this year! One of my prayers is that I would continue to make time like that for just spending time with my Saviour. It was such a sweet fellowship. Here are a few verses He showed me.
Exodus 14:13-14
"Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid, Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you TODAY. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
(An amazing reminder that even when I can't fight for myself, God ALWAYS is.)

Isaiah 41:13
"For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you"

Isaiah 54:10
"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed."

The whole week was filled with God's peace over me. I felt all the prayers being lifted up for me, Shawn, and the kids. It was an absolutely amazing thing to experience. I have never felt that much power before. Never doubt the power of going to the throne room of God and praying for someone!
Thank you to all who did that and continue to do that. Please don't stop!

I was greatly encouraged by all the notes and cards sent to me. It was so nice to receive mail and know in a tangible way that people were thinking about me. Thank you!

Shawn did really great with the kids. You will have to read his blog to get his version of the week! It was hard being away from them, especially thinking that I physically could not be near them or I would hurt them. But it was not as hard as I thought it would be.  I did surprise them by coming home on Tuesday night of the following week instead of Wednesday and it was a sweet homecoming. Caleb looked at me and got this look of complete relief on his face that his mama was home and he wouldn't let me put him down! The girls were very excited and ran to me right away.
I am definitely trying to treasure every moment with them! Such sweet darlings!

I did have a full body scan a week after the pill was given and we are still waiting on the results of that. This will show if there is any other cancer and if the treatment worked.
There is still a long road to recovery that is quite frustrating at times.  I am trying to get my medication regulated and build up strength in my muscles.  Each day sometimes seems like a huge mountain to climb but I have to keep reminding myself that God is my healer, that He is taking care of me, and that He has been with me each step of this journey.
Please continue to pray for us and I will continue to keep you updated!