Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Fabulous Women's Retreat!
We had a wonderful, fabulous, off the chain, over the top, women's retreat this past weekend! Kate Eifert and her amazing team of women from Bethel in Redding came down and blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined! Thank you Lord! My heart is so full!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Karen Greschel has a blog!
For those of you who would like to keep up with Karen Greschel's fight against ovarian cancer please check out her new blog at:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/karengreschel
I will be keeping Karen's blog updated for her and she will add journal entries as she is able. Thank you in advance for praying for her! We've been friends for 31 years and she is very dear to my heart. Blessings!
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/karengreschel
I will be keeping Karen's blog updated for her and she will add journal entries as she is able. Thank you in advance for praying for her! We've been friends for 31 years and she is very dear to my heart. Blessings!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Best Place for Prosthesis and Prosthetic Bra Fitting
When I first began this journey of life without my own breasts, my first visit to a local shop to get fitted with prosthetic breasts and bras was overwhelming and sort of made my head spin. I didn't know what to ask or what to look for, I didn't know that I had many, many options, I just took what was given to me.
Now, a couple of years down the road, I have found a gem that I wanted to share with you. For those of you (or a friend or loved one) who have lost your breast/s to cancer or whose breasts need some filling out due to a lumpectomy or whose reconstruction still needs a little help to have a more natural look, I have good news.
My surgeon, Dr. Kerlin, sent me to Nordstrom! Who knew they had prosthesis certified experts?! I didn't, but it was the best experience I've had to date.
For those who live near Walnut Creek, CA, I highly recommend Sommer Boulit. She is in the Lingerie department, you can call 924/930-7059 ext. 1240.
She was very, very kind, honoring, sensitive and thoughtful. She listened to my concerns and needs and was able to fit me perfectly. Surprisingly, the prices there were comparable or actually less than another place I had gone before. I could not have been happier with my experience and I wanted to pass along the good report.
Ask your doctor for a prescription for prostheses and bras. Sommer will help you with the paper work to see if you can get reimbursed from your health insurance. I hope this helps some of you, it was a huge help to me!
Now, a couple of years down the road, I have found a gem that I wanted to share with you. For those of you (or a friend or loved one) who have lost your breast/s to cancer or whose breasts need some filling out due to a lumpectomy or whose reconstruction still needs a little help to have a more natural look, I have good news.
My surgeon, Dr. Kerlin, sent me to Nordstrom! Who knew they had prosthesis certified experts?! I didn't, but it was the best experience I've had to date.
For those who live near Walnut Creek, CA, I highly recommend Sommer Boulit. She is in the Lingerie department, you can call 924/930-7059 ext. 1240.
She was very, very kind, honoring, sensitive and thoughtful. She listened to my concerns and needs and was able to fit me perfectly. Surprisingly, the prices there were comparable or actually less than another place I had gone before. I could not have been happier with my experience and I wanted to pass along the good report.
Ask your doctor for a prescription for prostheses and bras. Sommer will help you with the paper work to see if you can get reimbursed from your health insurance. I hope this helps some of you, it was a huge help to me!
Doing a Healing Workshop for Aglow Fall Retreat
I am excited about getting to do a Healing Workshop for the Nor Cal Aglow Retreat on November 6. I will do some teaching but want to focus mostly on equipping people with a hands on practical approach to praying for healing. I think that healing workshops are my favorite because the Lord loves to heal and always comes in supernatural ways to meet the needs of His people. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus calls those who follow Him to heal the sick. I believe that healing is a key to seeing the revival come that we are all praying for and expectantly waiting for, especially for Northern California. Please pray for miracles of healing and for an impartation of healing gifts and anointing on those who attend the workshop. Thank you!
Please pray for my friend, Karen Greschel
I returned this week from being away for almost three weeks. On October 1, I got a call that my dear friend, Karen Greschel, was in the emergency room with blood clots in both lungs. (She and I have been friends for 31 years.) I was at the national Aglow conference to support my friend, Mary Forsythe, as she was the key note speaker that night. I left the conference immediately and drove to Southern California to be with Karen in the hospital. It turned out that the clots were formed because of pressure that was coming from a large ovarian cancer tumor.
In what was one of the fastest medical response times I've ever seen, she was sent to City of Hope, a premiere cancer center, had tests done and was in surgery a week and a half later. The favor of the Lord and the amazing efficiency of this cancer center was amazing to watch.
Karen's surgery was 91/2 hours long, she was in intensive care for a few days and then the hospital for a total of just over a week. She is home now. She will go in on Tuesday to get the staples out and find out the results of what they found during surgery. At that time, they will put together a game plan to fight the ovarian cancer. Please pray for Karen, for healing and life to flow through every cell of her body! Thank you!
I was able to stay down there to help for almost three weeks. I had to come home because I was due for my Lupron shot that I get every three months and my Zometa infusion that I get every six months. I pushed my treatment back as far as I could safely push it. I also needed to come home to be with my family and my wonderful church family. The support they gave me as I was away was just tremendous. I'm sure lots of pastors must feel this way, but I think we have the best church in the world. Our people are so amazing!
In what was one of the fastest medical response times I've ever seen, she was sent to City of Hope, a premiere cancer center, had tests done and was in surgery a week and a half later. The favor of the Lord and the amazing efficiency of this cancer center was amazing to watch.
Karen's surgery was 91/2 hours long, she was in intensive care for a few days and then the hospital for a total of just over a week. She is home now. She will go in on Tuesday to get the staples out and find out the results of what they found during surgery. At that time, they will put together a game plan to fight the ovarian cancer. Please pray for Karen, for healing and life to flow through every cell of her body! Thank you!
I was able to stay down there to help for almost three weeks. I had to come home because I was due for my Lupron shot that I get every three months and my Zometa infusion that I get every six months. I pushed my treatment back as far as I could safely push it. I also needed to come home to be with my family and my wonderful church family. The support they gave me as I was away was just tremendous. I'm sure lots of pastors must feel this way, but I think we have the best church in the world. Our people are so amazing!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Restoring and Redeeming!
If you've visited my blog before, you'll notice I changed the look. I believe that I am entering a new season where God is going to be restoring and redeeming the things that I had to lay down during my fight with cancer. Of course when I saw the background of a map of the nations, I knew that was the one for me! I am asking God to release me to return to the nations in this next year among many other things!
I believe this restoring and redeeming season began in August/September and is not just for me but for many in the Body of Christ. This is a transition time to set us up to move into both restoration/redemption as well as into new things. I have set aside a couple of days (Monday night thru Thursday) to seek the Lord because I don't want to carry any old mindsets into this new season. I am asking God to show me every place where old mindsets and thought patterns don't line up with His thoughts and perspective. I want to transition fully and be on the same page as Jesus. It is my strong desire to have the mind of Christ and an increased anointing of the Holy Spirit for His Kingdom and His glory. I am so thankful that the Lord promises to meet those who diligently seek Him. He loves to answer our prayers!
I believe this restoring and redeeming season began in August/September and is not just for me but for many in the Body of Christ. This is a transition time to set us up to move into both restoration/redemption as well as into new things. I have set aside a couple of days (Monday night thru Thursday) to seek the Lord because I don't want to carry any old mindsets into this new season. I am asking God to show me every place where old mindsets and thought patterns don't line up with His thoughts and perspective. I want to transition fully and be on the same page as Jesus. It is my strong desire to have the mind of Christ and an increased anointing of the Holy Spirit for His Kingdom and His glory. I am so thankful that the Lord promises to meet those who diligently seek Him. He loves to answer our prayers!
Fourth Surgery
I had my fourth surgery on August 16th. The goal was to remove the expander on my right side and replace is with a saline implant as well as make a number of repairs to both the right and left sides. I had 7 incisions of varying lengths in all. The surgery was supposed to take 2 1/2 hours, but ended up taking an additional hour because there was so much scar tissue, called capsular contraction. I had hoped this would be my last surgery, but it looks like I will need at least one more and perhaps a second down the road.
The good news is that I recovered more quickly from this surgery than from any surgery I have previously had, which was wonderful and very encouraging. I am up in Bodega Bay right now to spend a couple of days seeking the Lord. I was able to drive myself up here and even walk on the beach today just two weeks out from surgery. That is miraculous compared to my previous recovery times from major surgery.
I see the surgeon again in a few weeks. We need to wait until the swelling has gone down before we can make a good decision about what is next.
I REALLY don't want to have any more surgeries. I am praying for a miracle to restore my left reconstructed breast. Scar tissue is building up again there from the radiation damage and surgeries, it is significantly shrinking and contracting the muscle and skin around the implant again. The new right "breast" is great, but the left one is getting smaller and smaller and tighter and tighter. At least it is not as bad as it was last January before the surgery in February. I couldn't inflate my lungs completely because of the restricting scar tissue. I really need a miracle to restore the muscles and skin on the left side. I know that God is able.
Please join me in praying for restoration and healing! Thank you!!
The good news is that I recovered more quickly from this surgery than from any surgery I have previously had, which was wonderful and very encouraging. I am up in Bodega Bay right now to spend a couple of days seeking the Lord. I was able to drive myself up here and even walk on the beach today just two weeks out from surgery. That is miraculous compared to my previous recovery times from major surgery.
I see the surgeon again in a few weeks. We need to wait until the swelling has gone down before we can make a good decision about what is next.
I REALLY don't want to have any more surgeries. I am praying for a miracle to restore my left reconstructed breast. Scar tissue is building up again there from the radiation damage and surgeries, it is significantly shrinking and contracting the muscle and skin around the implant again. The new right "breast" is great, but the left one is getting smaller and smaller and tighter and tighter. At least it is not as bad as it was last January before the surgery in February. I couldn't inflate my lungs completely because of the restricting scar tissue. I really need a miracle to restore the muscles and skin on the left side. I know that God is able.
Please join me in praying for restoration and healing! Thank you!!
Kayaking!
I was able to achieve one of my goals of recovery...to kayak again. Last February, I had a very large portion of my lattissmus dorsi muscle cut and brought around to try and reconstruct my left breast due to severe radiation damage. (It is the muscle that covers a large part of the back and is used to paddle a kayak among many more things than I ever realized until a chunk of it was gone!) It took many months to every so slowly regain strength and flexibility in my left arm, shoulder and back. I am happy to say that perseverance and hard work and lots of prayer culminated in my being able to kayak on Donner Lake up near Truckee on our family vacation. It was so much fun! My whole family went along with our good friends the Grunder family. It was simply wonderful!! Thanks Susan for being my kayak buddy!
Cancer Free from Head to Toe!
It has been several months since I have written. I don't know who is still following my blog but I hope to begin updating it regularly again. After the retreat, I began working full time again and it took a lot more out of me than I anticipated. I really needed to put all of my energy and effort into that and so things like my blog were put on hold.
I also needed a break from thinking about fighting cancer. I just wanted to live day to day without thinking too much about it. That is another reason I didn't blog for a time.
Since my last post, much has happened. I went through a time in May and June, like most people who have finished up treatment, where I was battling with fear. For example, when I would have a bad headache, in the back of my mind I would fear that the cancer had gone to my brain, or if I coughed more than usual, that it had gone to my lungs, etc. I have heard this is a common occurrence among cancer patients, I've read about it and knew it was silly, but as much as I would pray, I couldn't get it to go away completely. So one day, I prayed and told the Lord that I really needed Him to take care of this because try as I might, I could not.
Just a few weeks later, I found a lump near where my original cancer tumor was found. My heart dropped into my stomach. It turned out to be just a glob of fatty tissue that had died from radiation trauma and formed a lump. To find that out, however, I needed to go through a battery of tests. Finally, the tests all came back confirming that from head to toe, I am cancer free. I was VERY relieved and so grateful. Suddenly the Lord brought back to mind that I had prayed and asked Him to take care of my fear. I hadn't really thought He would do it in this way, but He did a very thorough job of answering my prayer. I now no longer have to fear or worry, I know objectively that the cancer is out of my body, head to toe. When I realized He had answered my prayer through all of that, I laughed out loud, thanked Him and have been at great peace ever since.
I also needed a break from thinking about fighting cancer. I just wanted to live day to day without thinking too much about it. That is another reason I didn't blog for a time.
Since my last post, much has happened. I went through a time in May and June, like most people who have finished up treatment, where I was battling with fear. For example, when I would have a bad headache, in the back of my mind I would fear that the cancer had gone to my brain, or if I coughed more than usual, that it had gone to my lungs, etc. I have heard this is a common occurrence among cancer patients, I've read about it and knew it was silly, but as much as I would pray, I couldn't get it to go away completely. So one day, I prayed and told the Lord that I really needed Him to take care of this because try as I might, I could not.
Just a few weeks later, I found a lump near where my original cancer tumor was found. My heart dropped into my stomach. It turned out to be just a glob of fatty tissue that had died from radiation trauma and formed a lump. To find that out, however, I needed to go through a battery of tests. Finally, the tests all came back confirming that from head to toe, I am cancer free. I was VERY relieved and so grateful. Suddenly the Lord brought back to mind that I had prayed and asked Him to take care of my fear. I hadn't really thought He would do it in this way, but He did a very thorough job of answering my prayer. I now no longer have to fear or worry, I know objectively that the cancer is out of my body, head to toe. When I realized He had answered my prayer through all of that, I laughed out loud, thanked Him and have been at great peace ever since.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Aglow Retreat was so fun!
Thank you so much for praying for the Aglow Retreat. Thank you to those of you who were able to attend. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed having the strength, health and energy to be able to teach and minister at a retreat. I taught three sessions! Such a huge milestone for me. As I was standing there that first night, I was thinking of all of you who have prayed for me, I was there because of your faithful prayers for me.
I kept thinking of the verse that I have prayed so many times over the past 2 1/2 years,
Psalm 118:17 "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
That is exactly what happened at the retreat! I live and I am declaring the works of the Lord! God is so faithful!! We are hearing wonderful reports of changed lives as a result of what God did at the retreat. It is such a privilege to follow Jesus!
God bless you abundantly for all that you have given in prayer and may the fruit that is born in the lives of those who attended the retreat be attributed to you when you stand one day before our heavenly Father.
with much love and a grateful heart!
Leslyn
I kept thinking of the verse that I have prayed so many times over the past 2 1/2 years,
Psalm 118:17 "I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."
That is exactly what happened at the retreat! I live and I am declaring the works of the Lord! God is so faithful!! We are hearing wonderful reports of changed lives as a result of what God did at the retreat. It is such a privilege to follow Jesus!
God bless you abundantly for all that you have given in prayer and may the fruit that is born in the lives of those who attended the retreat be attributed to you when you stand one day before our heavenly Father.
with much love and a grateful heart!
Leslyn
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat this weekend!
I will be speaking at the Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat this weekend, April 30 and May 1. This will be the first retreat I have done since my fight began with cancer back in October 2007! It has been a long time.
I am really excited about the retreat. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do through me and in me. I feel like I have learned much during the trials, suffering and quietness of the past two and a half years. It will be interesting to see how all of that comes out as I am teaching and ministering.
I need to head to bed, but thought I'd post this upcoming retreat. It is truly a testimony of the faithfulness of God to see me through this past battle. It is also a testimony to your faithful prayers to help me get to this new place. I hope that you are as encouraged as I am that I am able to do this. It is a new day!
I am really excited about the retreat. I am looking forward to seeing what God will do through me and in me. I feel like I have learned much during the trials, suffering and quietness of the past two and a half years. It will be interesting to see how all of that comes out as I am teaching and ministering.
I need to head to bed, but thought I'd post this upcoming retreat. It is truly a testimony of the faithfulness of God to see me through this past battle. It is also a testimony to your faithful prayers to help me get to this new place. I hope that you are as encouraged as I am that I am able to do this. It is a new day!
What an awesome time!!!!!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for me as I was away at the Open Heavens conference at All Nations Church. I am home now with a full and happy heart. I had a wonderful time with the Lord and with my dear friends. My body held up miraculously well. God is so very good and faithful!
It was the first time I have really traveled where I was so aware of the weakness in my body. I have always been pretty strong physically and have never felt vulnerable while traveling. This time, with the new reality of my body, I realized that I did feel vulnerable. I spent some time in prayer and realized I had an opportunity to trust God in a new way to be my strength and my defender. He was faithful and I feel like my own faith grew in the experience.
Blessings!!
It was the first time I have really traveled where I was so aware of the weakness in my body. I have always been pretty strong physically and have never felt vulnerable while traveling. This time, with the new reality of my body, I realized that I did feel vulnerable. I spent some time in prayer and realized I had an opportunity to trust God in a new way to be my strength and my defender. He was faithful and I feel like my own faith grew in the experience.
Blessings!!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Heading to the Open Heavens Conference at All Nations Church!
YES!!! I have been cleared by my surgeons to travel!! Several weeks ago I felt the Lord tell me I could go to the Open Heavens conference at All Nations Church in Charlotte, N. Carolina, but circumstances made that seem impossible! I was sick with an ear and sinus infection, I had surgery coming up and an infusion that usually makes me very sick. I talked with Ron and we both believed I was to move forward in faith, so I did. I went online and bought the ticket, though I must confess that I did buy trip insurance, just in case I had not heard correctly.
I am thrilled to say that tomorrow I will use that ticket to fly to N. Carolina. This is my first major trip since October of 2007 when I first got sick!! It has been a long journey, but all along my desire has been to go to a conference with the Chavda's as soon as I was able. That day has finally arrived. All Nations Church is like family to me. They have prayed and fasted so faithfully. I am looking forward to being able to thank all of them. I am so grateful to them just as I am so very grateful to all of you!!
It is a new day!!
Please pray that I am able to deeply receive from the Lord, to soak in His presence and be renewed and nourished.
Pray that I receive healing and impartation of all that God wants to give me over the next 5 days.
Pray that I will be refreshed and come home ready to speak for the Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat that I am doing on April 30 and May 1.
Pray for renewed and deepened friendships at All Nations Church and with those there for the conference. I believe there are divine appointments awaiting me!!
Thank you!!
I am thrilled to say that tomorrow I will use that ticket to fly to N. Carolina. This is my first major trip since October of 2007 when I first got sick!! It has been a long journey, but all along my desire has been to go to a conference with the Chavda's as soon as I was able. That day has finally arrived. All Nations Church is like family to me. They have prayed and fasted so faithfully. I am looking forward to being able to thank all of them. I am so grateful to them just as I am so very grateful to all of you!!
It is a new day!!
Please pray that I am able to deeply receive from the Lord, to soak in His presence and be renewed and nourished.
Pray that I receive healing and impartation of all that God wants to give me over the next 5 days.
Pray that I will be refreshed and come home ready to speak for the Aglow International North Bay Area Spring Retreat that I am doing on April 30 and May 1.
Pray for renewed and deepened friendships at All Nations Church and with those there for the conference. I believe there are divine appointments awaiting me!!
Thank you!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Check out the three new encouraging posts below
I have three new very encouraging posts below. Check them out starting with "Best Surgery EVER!" Thanks again for all of your prayers. I am so excited and I think you will be too!!
NO More Hyperbaric Treatments!!
Another truly miraculous outcome of the last week is that both of my surgeons have determined that the surgery was such a success and healing has happened so quickly that I don't need to have any more hyperbaric treatments!! I think I am still in shock.
I went into surgery with the understanding that I still needed anywhere from 30 - 50 more treatments. Suddenly, I don't have to have any more at all!!
I am still stunned. It is slowly sinking in that this has really truly healed and all of the pain and struggle of the past two and a half months is over (and that of course on the heels of two and a half years of struggle and suffering). I was even able to take a normal shower for the first time since February 2! I have only been able to shower about once a week and even then I had to wrap and tape the wound with Saran Wrap to keep all water off of the wound. Not very comfortable!
The little things in life, like a normal daily shower, are such a wondrous gift. Thank you again for your prayers and partnership in this long struggle. I could not do this without your faithful prayer and support. This sudden break through of healing is truly a miracle...our miracle! Thank you!
Healing Beautifully
Three days after the surgery I changed the dressing. I was a little afraid to take the bandages off, I just didn't know what to expect. Going into surgery, I did not have very high hopes regarding the cosmetic outcome of the surgery. I kept telling myself that all that mattered was that the wound would get closed and that it didn't matter what it looked like. Going into surgery, the wound looked really bad, it was very deforming. I was also concerned that it wouldn't heal properly after all that I had been through after the Feb. 2 surgery.
So the morning of the third day, I very slowly removed the bandages and hesitantly peeked inside to see how it looked. I almost cried from relief. It already looked 100 times better than I had even dared hope. I had no idea that the surgeon could make it look so "normal." Clearly, I still have a reconstructed breast, no one will mistake it for a real one, but it is amazingly normal. I still can't quite get over it.
There was one dark spot that I was a little concerned about, but it turned out to be just fine.
One week after surgery, the doctor took out my stitches. It is healing beautifully!
Sometime over the summer, he will complete the reconstruction of the right breast, but for now, I am going to enjoy the wonder of healing and health!
Thank you so much for praying! This is just what we were all asking for and I am so very grateful!!
So the morning of the third day, I very slowly removed the bandages and hesitantly peeked inside to see how it looked. I almost cried from relief. It already looked 100 times better than I had even dared hope. I had no idea that the surgeon could make it look so "normal." Clearly, I still have a reconstructed breast, no one will mistake it for a real one, but it is amazingly normal. I still can't quite get over it.
There was one dark spot that I was a little concerned about, but it turned out to be just fine.
One week after surgery, the doctor took out my stitches. It is healing beautifully!
Sometime over the summer, he will complete the reconstruction of the right breast, but for now, I am going to enjoy the wonder of healing and health!
Thank you so much for praying! This is just what we were all asking for and I am so very grateful!!
Best Surgery EVER!
Wow! I had no idea surgery could go so well. It was an amazing experience. I went in for surgery bright and early, everything was running exactly on time. They started an IV and let Ron and both of my daughters back into the pre-op area with me. It was so nice. They prayed for me and shortly afterward they took me into the surgical suite. I was fully awake. I scooted over onto the operating table and they gave me 2 cc's of some sort of sedative. Then the surgeon numbed the area with local anesthetic. The initial injections of it hurt but soon I was not feeling anything. The surgeon asked if I'd like any more sedative and I said, "Nope, I'm good!"
So he proceeded to begin the operation. He removed a majority of the granulation tissue down almost to the muscle, then brought the sides of the wound together and sewed the whole thing up. I could feel a lot of pressure and pulling, but no pain. I was completely at peace. It was an amazing experience. I lay there chatting with the nurses and my doctor in my croaky voice. One of my nurses was from West Africa, so that was fun talking with her. I had a pretty bad cold and laryngitis, but the doctor said I was well enough to have surgery, so we went for it!
Amazingly, I coughed once when I first lay down on the table, but did not cough even one time during the whole hour long surgery. That was truly a miracle.
I scooted back over onto the gurney and they wheeled me into recovery. Gave me a little something as a preventative for nausea and I was good to go. They sent me home in less than an hour after surgery. I got home and slept several hours that day and was just fine. I was tired for a few days, but other than that, just great. By the second day, all I needed for pain was Tylenol.
So many specific answers to prayer! Thank you all so much for praying. I am still in awe of God's goodness.
So he proceeded to begin the operation. He removed a majority of the granulation tissue down almost to the muscle, then brought the sides of the wound together and sewed the whole thing up. I could feel a lot of pressure and pulling, but no pain. I was completely at peace. It was an amazing experience. I lay there chatting with the nurses and my doctor in my croaky voice. One of my nurses was from West Africa, so that was fun talking with her. I had a pretty bad cold and laryngitis, but the doctor said I was well enough to have surgery, so we went for it!
Amazingly, I coughed once when I first lay down on the table, but did not cough even one time during the whole hour long surgery. That was truly a miracle.
I scooted back over onto the gurney and they wheeled me into recovery. Gave me a little something as a preventative for nausea and I was good to go. They sent me home in less than an hour after surgery. I got home and slept several hours that day and was just fine. I was tired for a few days, but other than that, just great. By the second day, all I needed for pain was Tylenol.
So many specific answers to prayer! Thank you all so much for praying. I am still in awe of God's goodness.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Surgery tomorrow, Thurs, April 8, 7:30 AM
So I am on for surgery tomorrow bright and early. I have had an ear and sinus infection, so I didn't know for sure if I could have surgery until today. I developed the sinus and ear infection last week as a result of being in the pressure of the Hyperbaric chamber day after day. I started antibiotics on Friday, so I have 6 days worth in my system. I still have laryngitis, congestion and a cough, but no fever.
I was not getting any better and then put out a request for prayer on Facebook and woke up the next morning feeling better. Prayer is an amazing gift!! I have not run a fever since folks started praying specifically. Awesome!
So, tomorrow my plastic surgeon will go in and close this open wound I have in the left breast area. The wound is a result of a severe lack of vascular support to the area caused by radiation damage from treatment I had last year. When the doctor tried to repair and reconstruct my left breast area during surgery on February 2, part of the skin graft died. Once they cleaned out the dead tissue, I was left with this wound that still has not been able to heal.
Tomorrow, I am trusting the final step in this healing process will begin!
**Please pray that the surgery goes even better than planned.
**Please pray that enough blood supply gets to the closure so it can heal quickly.
**Please pray I DO NOT cough during surgery!
**Please pray that the surgery sight remains infection free!!
**Please pray that I do not get nauseated from the sedation.
Thank you so very much!! I know that your prayers, love and support are sustaining me on this very long journey! I am so grateful.
I was not getting any better and then put out a request for prayer on Facebook and woke up the next morning feeling better. Prayer is an amazing gift!! I have not run a fever since folks started praying specifically. Awesome!
So, tomorrow my plastic surgeon will go in and close this open wound I have in the left breast area. The wound is a result of a severe lack of vascular support to the area caused by radiation damage from treatment I had last year. When the doctor tried to repair and reconstruct my left breast area during surgery on February 2, part of the skin graft died. Once they cleaned out the dead tissue, I was left with this wound that still has not been able to heal.
Tomorrow, I am trusting the final step in this healing process will begin!
**Please pray that the surgery goes even better than planned.
**Please pray that enough blood supply gets to the closure so it can heal quickly.
**Please pray I DO NOT cough during surgery!
**Please pray that the surgery sight remains infection free!!
**Please pray that I do not get nauseated from the sedation.
Thank you so very much!! I know that your prayers, love and support are sustaining me on this very long journey! I am so grateful.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
On for surgery...Thursday, April 8
I am pleased to report that the tissue in the wound is healthy enough to have surgery next week. I am relieved.
I have had 13 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBO) and have been going to wound care and progress is finally being made! Yea! As you may recall, after my surgery on February 2, I immediately began to have trouble with the grafted skin beginning to die. The radiation damage to my vascular system around the breast area was much worse than anyone realized. There was just not a sufficient blood supply to the newly grafted skin. The skin graft was replacing skin very scared by radiation. Thankfully the muscle flap that the surgeon brought around from my back worked well, it was just about 1/2 of the skin that died. At this point, the wound will not close without surgery.
So next week, Thursday, April 8, I will have out patient surgery bright and early in the morning. The plastic surgeon will remove some of the raw granulation tissue so that he can bring the ends of the surviving skin together to close the wound. I am hopeful that things will move along much more quickly once the wound is closed.
It will be outpatient surgery at the Aspen Surgery Center in WC. I will be in twilight sleep with local anaesthetic for about an hour. I will get to go home that day. I will continue HBO treatments starting the next day. They want to do everything they can to make sure I get enough blood circulation this time!
Please pray:
**I have a bit of a cold, enough to keep me out of HBO treatment the last couple of days, that needs to be healed quickly and completely!
**Please pray that the surgery goes well, without any problems or setbacks.
**Please pray that my blood vessels are strong enough to feed the surgery site so that there is no more necrotic/dying skin. If I need more vascular support, please pray for a miraculous healing in that area.
**Please pray that I will not be nauseated from the medication they use to help me sleep through the surgery.
**Again, please pray for NO COMPLICATIONS!!
Thank you so very, very much!!
I have had 13 Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments (HBO) and have been going to wound care and progress is finally being made! Yea! As you may recall, after my surgery on February 2, I immediately began to have trouble with the grafted skin beginning to die. The radiation damage to my vascular system around the breast area was much worse than anyone realized. There was just not a sufficient blood supply to the newly grafted skin. The skin graft was replacing skin very scared by radiation. Thankfully the muscle flap that the surgeon brought around from my back worked well, it was just about 1/2 of the skin that died. At this point, the wound will not close without surgery.
So next week, Thursday, April 8, I will have out patient surgery bright and early in the morning. The plastic surgeon will remove some of the raw granulation tissue so that he can bring the ends of the surviving skin together to close the wound. I am hopeful that things will move along much more quickly once the wound is closed.
It will be outpatient surgery at the Aspen Surgery Center in WC. I will be in twilight sleep with local anaesthetic for about an hour. I will get to go home that day. I will continue HBO treatments starting the next day. They want to do everything they can to make sure I get enough blood circulation this time!
Please pray:
**I have a bit of a cold, enough to keep me out of HBO treatment the last couple of days, that needs to be healed quickly and completely!
**Please pray that the surgery goes well, without any problems or setbacks.
**Please pray that my blood vessels are strong enough to feed the surgery site so that there is no more necrotic/dying skin. If I need more vascular support, please pray for a miraculous healing in that area.
**Please pray that I will not be nauseated from the medication they use to help me sleep through the surgery.
**Again, please pray for NO COMPLICATIONS!!
Thank you so very, very much!!
Seeing the plastic surgeon today
I have an appointment this afternoon with my plastic surgeon They have determined that the wound left from my surgery on Feb 2 will not heal without an additional surgery. I am hoping I can have it next week. I will find out today.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
For those who don't know why I have this wound...
If you are logging onto the blog and don't know why I have this crazy wound right now, please go back in the archives to January 24 and January 26. Those two posts will explain why I needed to have surgery on February 2. This wound is still open from that surgery.
The bottom line, for those who love brevity (which I am not great at), is that I have been fighting breast cancer. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, had a double mastectomy and all lymph nodes under my left arm removed the end of July 08. This past surgery was to try and repair severe radiation damage and do some reconstruction. The radiation damage has proven to be much worse than anyone realized. Thus the many complications. Thank you for logging on and for praying. It means more to me than I can express. I know it is the prayers of family and friends that is sustaining me through this long and difficult battle.
With deep gratitude,
Leslyn
The bottom line, for those who love brevity (which I am not great at), is that I have been fighting breast cancer. I was diagnosed in June of 2008, had a double mastectomy and all lymph nodes under my left arm removed the end of July 08. This past surgery was to try and repair severe radiation damage and do some reconstruction. The radiation damage has proven to be much worse than anyone realized. Thus the many complications. Thank you for logging on and for praying. It means more to me than I can express. I know it is the prayers of family and friends that is sustaining me through this long and difficult battle.
With deep gratitude,
Leslyn
Bad news is hard to write...
I have delayed in updating my blog because I find that bad news is hard for me to write. A week and a half ago I went in to see my other surgeon and the wound had separated so far that the skin broke free from the stitches. No wonder it had been hurting!
Wound Care Center:
She and my plastic surgeon talked and decided to send me back to the Wound Care Center. That was an experience. They are so good but really aggressive when it comes to debriding a wound. The doctor goes after the wound with little scissors and a scalpel cutting and scraping away ALL tissue that he thinks is not healthy. Whoa baby. The first time I had to change my bandages at home after that, I had to go lay down. I broke out in a sweat and got light headed just from looking at the wound. For those who know me well, it tells you what it must look like to have that effect on me. I am usually unphased by that type of thing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Treatment:
The wound care doctor called the Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) doctor and I went directly from the wound care center to the HBO center at John Muir. They evaluated me and began HBO at 8AM the next morning on a Saturday. They wanted me to be treated twice a day for the first few days, but I told them I would go everyday, but not twice a day. There is a risk for oxygen toxicity if you spend too much time in 100% oxygen at 2 atmospheres of pressure. I didn't feel that the benefit outweighed the risk.
I have had 5 treatments. They think I will need 40-60 treatments. That was a bit overwhelming to hear. I got home and had a good long cry. Ron just sat with me while I cried and ran his fingers through my hair and quietly prayed for me. It was just what I needed. The next day I felt much better and stronger.
Surgery:
I saw my plastic surgeon again yesterday. He said the tissue in the wound looks good for the most part. Thank the Lord there is no infection. There is still some necrotic (dead) tissue that has developed since the last time the wound was debrided (cleaned out). He said that he hopes in two weeks with hyperbaric treatment and wound care that the necrotic tissue will be gone. If that is the case, he wants to take me back into surgery to close the wound. It just continues to get wider and wider, so he has to do something. The least invasive would be to cut away some of the tissue in the center and then bring the skin that is left back together so it will heal. If that does not work, then he will do a skin graft. I am praying the first surgery will work. They hope that since I will have a couple of weeks of hyperbaric treatments already done and will continue to go to treatment for a number of weeks afterward that the surgery will work. I will probably have surgery the week before Easter, if all goes well.
Thank you for your prayers. I had great favor to get into both the wound care and the hyperbaric treatment so quickly. We got to know everyone in both places well last time around. They were all very happy to see us, though sad that I had to be back. I trust the Lord has more for Ron and me to do in those places, we desire to be a blessing and used by the Lord there again.
Thank you for your prayers, especially that I can stay focused on the Lord and His goodness. This delay was not in my plans, so I am having to give my agenda and time schedule to the Lord again. He knows and I trust Him. Thank you!!
Wound Care Center:
She and my plastic surgeon talked and decided to send me back to the Wound Care Center. That was an experience. They are so good but really aggressive when it comes to debriding a wound. The doctor goes after the wound with little scissors and a scalpel cutting and scraping away ALL tissue that he thinks is not healthy. Whoa baby. The first time I had to change my bandages at home after that, I had to go lay down. I broke out in a sweat and got light headed just from looking at the wound. For those who know me well, it tells you what it must look like to have that effect on me. I am usually unphased by that type of thing.
Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) Treatment:
The wound care doctor called the Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBO) doctor and I went directly from the wound care center to the HBO center at John Muir. They evaluated me and began HBO at 8AM the next morning on a Saturday. They wanted me to be treated twice a day for the first few days, but I told them I would go everyday, but not twice a day. There is a risk for oxygen toxicity if you spend too much time in 100% oxygen at 2 atmospheres of pressure. I didn't feel that the benefit outweighed the risk.
I have had 5 treatments. They think I will need 40-60 treatments. That was a bit overwhelming to hear. I got home and had a good long cry. Ron just sat with me while I cried and ran his fingers through my hair and quietly prayed for me. It was just what I needed. The next day I felt much better and stronger.
Surgery:
I saw my plastic surgeon again yesterday. He said the tissue in the wound looks good for the most part. Thank the Lord there is no infection. There is still some necrotic (dead) tissue that has developed since the last time the wound was debrided (cleaned out). He said that he hopes in two weeks with hyperbaric treatment and wound care that the necrotic tissue will be gone. If that is the case, he wants to take me back into surgery to close the wound. It just continues to get wider and wider, so he has to do something. The least invasive would be to cut away some of the tissue in the center and then bring the skin that is left back together so it will heal. If that does not work, then he will do a skin graft. I am praying the first surgery will work. They hope that since I will have a couple of weeks of hyperbaric treatments already done and will continue to go to treatment for a number of weeks afterward that the surgery will work. I will probably have surgery the week before Easter, if all goes well.
Thank you for your prayers. I had great favor to get into both the wound care and the hyperbaric treatment so quickly. We got to know everyone in both places well last time around. They were all very happy to see us, though sad that I had to be back. I trust the Lord has more for Ron and me to do in those places, we desire to be a blessing and used by the Lord there again.
Thank you for your prayers, especially that I can stay focused on the Lord and His goodness. This delay was not in my plans, so I am having to give my agenda and time schedule to the Lord again. He knows and I trust Him. Thank you!!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
It will be awhile longer...
I went to see my plastic surgeon today. On the one hand, he is happy with the wound, the tissue looks viable and it is not infected. I am very grateful for that! On the other hand, the wound is so bad and so deep that he thinks the best area may heal in 4-6 weeks. The area that is the worst will likely take 6-8 weeks to heal.
Please join me in continuing to pray for complete healing.
Please pray that the wound would remain infection free!
Please also pray that it would heal much more quickly than they expect. I would like this to be finished and I'd love to move forward.
Please pray too that I do not get discouraged. I am fighting that and winning, but it is a battle at times.
Thank you, I am very grateful for you and thankful that you are continuing to walk with me in this long journey and battle.
Please join me in continuing to pray for complete healing.
Please pray that the wound would remain infection free!
Please also pray that it would heal much more quickly than they expect. I would like this to be finished and I'd love to move forward.
Please pray too that I do not get discouraged. I am fighting that and winning, but it is a battle at times.
Thank you, I am very grateful for you and thankful that you are continuing to walk with me in this long journey and battle.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Yesterday was a hard day
(Warning: this post contains a lot of detail)
I went to see the plastic surgeon yesterday for another post-op appointment. He decided to take the back drain out. It had been in for three weeks, which is longer than normal. It was still draining bloody fluid from my back but had slowed some. He was concerned that the drain itself may have been causing irritation and drainage. As of today, bloody fluid is still seeping from the hole in my back, which is better than having it accumulate under the skin in my back. It is just sort of yucky. I am hoping that by tomorrow it stops seeping. Once it finally stops and the hole heals over I can actually take a shower. That will be a glorious day.
So that was the good news. As I have mentioned previously, I have had problems again with necrotic (dead), non-viable tissue in the newly grafted skin. The nipple had died completely and the necrosis had started spreading to the other tissue in the newly built areola. The doctor said that the radiation damage to the vascular system that feeds the left side of my chest and under my left arm was much worse than he had anticipated. Even though he brought new unradiated skin around front from my back, there was not enough blood flow to support it. So I really need continued prayer for new veins to form and a miraculous healing to my vascular system there so that the tissue that is left will survive and heal.
Yesterday, the doctor went in with a scalpel and cut away and dug out all of the dead tissue to try and give the healthy tissue a better chance to begin to heal. I was awake. It was not painful because I have no feeling in that area, but I could feel pressure and it was uncomfortable. It was hard to loose another nipple, that brings my total to three nipples lost, which is just weird. It is very stressful to loose body parts. I was so hopeful right after the surgery and it all looked so good. I had a good cry off and on during the day yesterday, really just mourning the loss of what I had hoped would make me look more "normal" again. It was also just hard to have all of that cut away. It was pretty deep in places and so he had to sow it all back up. It was just emotionally intense.
I feel better today. I am pretty sore, but emotionally I am doing much better. The Lord's grace has been sweet.
I went to see the plastic surgeon yesterday for another post-op appointment. He decided to take the back drain out. It had been in for three weeks, which is longer than normal. It was still draining bloody fluid from my back but had slowed some. He was concerned that the drain itself may have been causing irritation and drainage. As of today, bloody fluid is still seeping from the hole in my back, which is better than having it accumulate under the skin in my back. It is just sort of yucky. I am hoping that by tomorrow it stops seeping. Once it finally stops and the hole heals over I can actually take a shower. That will be a glorious day.
So that was the good news. As I have mentioned previously, I have had problems again with necrotic (dead), non-viable tissue in the newly grafted skin. The nipple had died completely and the necrosis had started spreading to the other tissue in the newly built areola. The doctor said that the radiation damage to the vascular system that feeds the left side of my chest and under my left arm was much worse than he had anticipated. Even though he brought new unradiated skin around front from my back, there was not enough blood flow to support it. So I really need continued prayer for new veins to form and a miraculous healing to my vascular system there so that the tissue that is left will survive and heal.
Yesterday, the doctor went in with a scalpel and cut away and dug out all of the dead tissue to try and give the healthy tissue a better chance to begin to heal. I was awake. It was not painful because I have no feeling in that area, but I could feel pressure and it was uncomfortable. It was hard to loose another nipple, that brings my total to three nipples lost, which is just weird. It is very stressful to loose body parts. I was so hopeful right after the surgery and it all looked so good. I had a good cry off and on during the day yesterday, really just mourning the loss of what I had hoped would make me look more "normal" again. It was also just hard to have all of that cut away. It was pretty deep in places and so he had to sow it all back up. It was just emotionally intense.
I feel better today. I am pretty sore, but emotionally I am doing much better. The Lord's grace has been sweet.
Still so happy to have my VAP (Port) out!
A few times each day I reach over and feel the area under my right collar bone where my port used to be, I still smile every time. I don't know if all cancer patients feel this way but it is difficult to over state how happy and grateful I am to have that port out. I was very, very thankful to have had it. It was a blessing during my Chemo and Herceptin treatments to have a direct access to a major vein. It was so nice not to have IVs in my arm. It was a much needed life line. But it is so encouraging to be at a place now where I don't need it. Getting that port out was a major milestone for me in my healing journey. It seems like there should be some kind of a port removal party. Maybe once I am feeling strong again, a celebration may be in order.
plucked eyebrows and other indicators of recovery
There are some very pragmatic indicators that help to let you know where you are on the journey back to health. For example, when you are too tired and hurting to even notice that your eyebrows look like a forest, that's when you know you are still pretty bad off. I am happy to say that a week or so ago I noticed the sad state of my eyebrows. A couple of days later I had the strength and endurance to do something about it. A few days later, I passed the next milestone of shaving my legs. I am making progress!
I still have not been able to take a shower. I am hopeful that tomorrow will be the day.
I still have not been able to take a shower. I am hopeful that tomorrow will be the day.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
making progress
Today was a good day with my surgeon. He was able to remove one of my two drains. He took out the one in the front and is hoping to remove the back one on Friday. He removed the bandages from the back completely and the incision is totally healed over. Amazing. It is just a very thin line that runs horizontally where my bra strap or bathing suit would cover it. It is about 41/2 - 5 inches long. It looks great, much better than I imagined.
I will begin changing my own bandages/dressing tomorrow on the front part of the incision. The actual incision is just a round area where he removed much of the radiation damaged skin and using skin from my back, built an areola and nipple. Somehow, through that hole, he was able to remove the damaged muscle and scarring/encapsulation bring the muscle flap from the back up to the front and sow it in place and replace the expander with a saline implant. I saw pictures on the Internet of others who had Latissimus Dorsi flap surgery and they had huge scars on their breasts. Dr. Ghorbani is truly an artist and an outstanding plastic surgeon. You would never know all of that had happened. I almost cried when I realized I had minimal scarring. I am still amazed.
It does look like I will loose the nipple that was reconstructed. It has essentially died. It is black and shrivelled. He will have to remove it, called debriding the wound, later when it is ready to come off. I am not too concerned about loosing it. On the bright side, I probably will never have to wear a bra again. That is a bonus. Please do pray for continued strong and robust circulation for the muscle flap and the areola. Those are really the important parts.
Also, amazing news! I have actually recovered feeling in the reconstructed breast. I could FEEL that his examination gloves were cold. It was amazing!! I haven't felt anything there except some occasional pain since the bi-lateral mastectomy. I am thrilled. It goes a very long way to making me feel "normal."
Finally, I have lost about 50% of my range of motion in my left shoulder. When my back drain comes out I will ask for a referral to go back to the lymphedema clinic in Concord where they do physical therapy especially for breast cancer patients. They have wonderful expertise in this area. Please pray that I regain all of the movement in my left shoulder. Also that I have much grace. It is VERY painful trying to regain movement. Thank you.
I will begin changing my own bandages/dressing tomorrow on the front part of the incision. The actual incision is just a round area where he removed much of the radiation damaged skin and using skin from my back, built an areola and nipple. Somehow, through that hole, he was able to remove the damaged muscle and scarring/encapsulation bring the muscle flap from the back up to the front and sow it in place and replace the expander with a saline implant. I saw pictures on the Internet of others who had Latissimus Dorsi flap surgery and they had huge scars on their breasts. Dr. Ghorbani is truly an artist and an outstanding plastic surgeon. You would never know all of that had happened. I almost cried when I realized I had minimal scarring. I am still amazed.
It does look like I will loose the nipple that was reconstructed. It has essentially died. It is black and shrivelled. He will have to remove it, called debriding the wound, later when it is ready to come off. I am not too concerned about loosing it. On the bright side, I probably will never have to wear a bra again. That is a bonus. Please do pray for continued strong and robust circulation for the muscle flap and the areola. Those are really the important parts.
Also, amazing news! I have actually recovered feeling in the reconstructed breast. I could FEEL that his examination gloves were cold. It was amazing!! I haven't felt anything there except some occasional pain since the bi-lateral mastectomy. I am thrilled. It goes a very long way to making me feel "normal."
Finally, I have lost about 50% of my range of motion in my left shoulder. When my back drain comes out I will ask for a referral to go back to the lymphedema clinic in Concord where they do physical therapy especially for breast cancer patients. They have wonderful expertise in this area. Please pray that I regain all of the movement in my left shoulder. Also that I have much grace. It is VERY painful trying to regain movement. Thank you.
...and I'm back
Well today I feel well enough to sit up and type, that is encouraging. Karyn was not able to update the blog last week as she was sick. Sorry for the gap. I know that after the last post some of you were worried when you didn't hear anything. I apologize.
**Thank you, Karyn, for helping to keep up the blog while I was down. I know you are in a very busy season and I appreciate your help very much.**
Where to begin...
First, I want to thank each of you for praying me through this surgery. I had tremendous peace and grace throughout my pre-op, surgery and recovery. God's presence was tangible and I am grateful.
Karen Greschel flew up and served as our pastor during pre-op which was so sweet. We had much favor. She was able to stay in with us for a good long while. I still had a bit of a cough when I got to pre-op. After she prayed, I didn't cough again until last night. God is so awesome.
Surgery went very well, as Karyn mentioned. Recovery went well too. I honestly don't remember much of it, which is fine with me.
So last Sunday was a bumpy day. I think what happened was the drain in my back got clogged or something and wasn't draining the accumulated blood from my surgery site effectively. The blood has to go somewhere, so it started going into the tissue along my left side between my ribs and my hip. The red and purple bruising kept spreading. Meanwhile, I was getting more and more pale. The skin under my bottom eyelid looked like milk as did my gums. My blood pressure was low and my pulse high. I was dizzy and it sounded like water rushing past my ears. Generally not a good combination. My doctor, who is truly wonderful, wanted to see me on Sunday night at his office. Before leaving, I texted a bunch of friends and intercessors and they began to pray. Karyn updated the blog to alert you to pray as well. In the 20 minutes it took to get to the doctor's office, God had touched me. By the time I got there, my gums and eyes lids were pinking up and my blood pressure had risen closer to normal. The doctor fiddled with the drain and it began to drain again, the bleeding into surrounding tissue stopped. Blood work done the next day showed that I was anemic but did not need a transfusion, which is what we had been concerned about. I have been getting better each day ever since.
Thank you for your prayers! God leans in to hear them and answers (He inclines His ear to hear your prayers).
**Thank you, Karyn, for helping to keep up the blog while I was down. I know you are in a very busy season and I appreciate your help very much.**
Where to begin...
First, I want to thank each of you for praying me through this surgery. I had tremendous peace and grace throughout my pre-op, surgery and recovery. God's presence was tangible and I am grateful.
Karen Greschel flew up and served as our pastor during pre-op which was so sweet. We had much favor. She was able to stay in with us for a good long while. I still had a bit of a cough when I got to pre-op. After she prayed, I didn't cough again until last night. God is so awesome.
Surgery went very well, as Karyn mentioned. Recovery went well too. I honestly don't remember much of it, which is fine with me.
So last Sunday was a bumpy day. I think what happened was the drain in my back got clogged or something and wasn't draining the accumulated blood from my surgery site effectively. The blood has to go somewhere, so it started going into the tissue along my left side between my ribs and my hip. The red and purple bruising kept spreading. Meanwhile, I was getting more and more pale. The skin under my bottom eyelid looked like milk as did my gums. My blood pressure was low and my pulse high. I was dizzy and it sounded like water rushing past my ears. Generally not a good combination. My doctor, who is truly wonderful, wanted to see me on Sunday night at his office. Before leaving, I texted a bunch of friends and intercessors and they began to pray. Karyn updated the blog to alert you to pray as well. In the 20 minutes it took to get to the doctor's office, God had touched me. By the time I got there, my gums and eyes lids were pinking up and my blood pressure had risen closer to normal. The doctor fiddled with the drain and it began to drain again, the bleeding into surrounding tissue stopped. Blood work done the next day showed that I was anemic but did not need a transfusion, which is what we had been concerned about. I have been getting better each day ever since.
Thank you for your prayers! God leans in to hear them and answers (He inclines His ear to hear your prayers).
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Bleeding and Bandages
A Quick Update from the last few days:
Last night (Sunday), signs of internal bleeding were found at my mom's surgery site and so Dr. Gorbahni most kindly rushed into his office to meet with them and decide what needed to be done and how urgent the situation was. Before going to the office, her blood pressure was well below normal and her eyes had gone pretty white (both signs of anemia, possibly showing blood loss). A few people had been alerted to pray and upon arriving at the office, her blood pressure was normal and some blood vessels could be seen in her eyes again. Certainly an answer prayer. The doctor looked at the surgery site and said that it was not an emergency for that evening, but that blood tests would certainly need to be taken in the morning. So this morning, my dad took my mom to the hospital agian and the proper tests were done, results pending until tomorrow. Unfortunately, nothing can be done until those test results get back in.
Please pray for healing of whatever is causing the bleeding, and that clear answers can be found from the results of the tests. Also, please pray for Leslyn as this process has discouraging and also for physical strength as she battles with potential blood loss. Thank you all so very much, Leslyn sends you her love and the whole family thanks you for your prayers. You are carrying us through this!
~Karyn
Last night (Sunday), signs of internal bleeding were found at my mom's surgery site and so Dr. Gorbahni most kindly rushed into his office to meet with them and decide what needed to be done and how urgent the situation was. Before going to the office, her blood pressure was well below normal and her eyes had gone pretty white (both signs of anemia, possibly showing blood loss). A few people had been alerted to pray and upon arriving at the office, her blood pressure was normal and some blood vessels could be seen in her eyes again. Certainly an answer prayer. The doctor looked at the surgery site and said that it was not an emergency for that evening, but that blood tests would certainly need to be taken in the morning. So this morning, my dad took my mom to the hospital agian and the proper tests were done, results pending until tomorrow. Unfortunately, nothing can be done until those test results get back in.
Please pray for healing of whatever is causing the bleeding, and that clear answers can be found from the results of the tests. Also, please pray for Leslyn as this process has discouraging and also for physical strength as she battles with potential blood loss. Thank you all so very much, Leslyn sends you her love and the whole family thanks you for your prayers. You are carrying us through this!
~Karyn
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Back Home :)
My mom is back home after being at the hospital for two days after her surgery. Her blood levels evened out and the pain was manageable enough that the doctors discharged her. I talked with her a bit this evening on the phone, and she said that she was able to handle the pain and that given that she just had surgery a few days ago, she is feeling alright. She is still a bit nauseous, so continued prayer for that would be appreciated. She is going back in a few days so the surgeon can make sure everything is healing properly, so also please pray for that appointment and that her body will receive the reconstructive work well and will heal as it should.
She thanks all of you for joining her in prayer, as do I. God bless you all.
~Karyn
She thanks all of you for joining her in prayer, as do I. God bless you all.
~Karyn
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Hey everyone,
Leslyn is recovering well, hooray! She was able to sit in a chair for about an hour and walked a little bit. The doctors are pleased with her progress and according to my dad (Ron) he says that her color is good and she has been up to talking. There are still some concerns though, her blood levels are low and the nausea is still hanging on to her. Please pray that these issues are resolved quickly so she can go home tomorrow and be in her own bed.
Thank you all for your care and prayer, this recovery would not be happening so smoothly without them.
~Karyn
Leslyn is recovering well, hooray! She was able to sit in a chair for about an hour and walked a little bit. The doctors are pleased with her progress and according to my dad (Ron) he says that her color is good and she has been up to talking. There are still some concerns though, her blood levels are low and the nausea is still hanging on to her. Please pray that these issues are resolved quickly so she can go home tomorrow and be in her own bed.
Thank you all for your care and prayer, this recovery would not be happening so smoothly without them.
~Karyn
Out of Surgery and Into Recovery
Hello everyone,
Thank you all so much for praying through today. I am Leslyn's daughter, Karyn, and will be updating you all for a while since she, obviously, cannot type at the moment. Leslyn went into surgery early this afternoon and was in for about 4 1/2 hours. The Lord was very gracious, this was about an hour less than what was expected. The surgery went very well, due, I am sure, to all of your prayer and support. Also, some good news (if I understood my Dad correctly), the surgeon was apparently able to do more work than he had planned, so it is likely that a second surgery will not be necessary. Please pray that would be the case!
Tonight, when she woke up from surgery she was nauseous, but the nurses have been working on settling her stomach so she would be more comfortable. My dad and some others have been able to visit her in recovery. Please keep praying for her recovery process as she has a lot of healing to do. I will give more specific details as they come up, but after her last surgery the nausea was a significant concern, so specific prayer on that would be so appreciated.
My dad has said how much he appreciates all the concern and prayer from everyone, he and the people who were at the hospital today could all feel it, it has been a blessing already.
I will hopefully have another update tomorrow to let you all know how the recovery is going. If you have any specific questions please post them as comments and I will try to address them in the next post.
God Bless!
Karyn
Thank you all so much for praying through today. I am Leslyn's daughter, Karyn, and will be updating you all for a while since she, obviously, cannot type at the moment. Leslyn went into surgery early this afternoon and was in for about 4 1/2 hours. The Lord was very gracious, this was about an hour less than what was expected. The surgery went very well, due, I am sure, to all of your prayer and support. Also, some good news (if I understood my Dad correctly), the surgeon was apparently able to do more work than he had planned, so it is likely that a second surgery will not be necessary. Please pray that would be the case!
Tonight, when she woke up from surgery she was nauseous, but the nurses have been working on settling her stomach so she would be more comfortable. My dad and some others have been able to visit her in recovery. Please keep praying for her recovery process as she has a lot of healing to do. I will give more specific details as they come up, but after her last surgery the nausea was a significant concern, so specific prayer on that would be so appreciated.
My dad has said how much he appreciates all the concern and prayer from everyone, he and the people who were at the hospital today could all feel it, it has been a blessing already.
I will hopefully have another update tomorrow to let you all know how the recovery is going. If you have any specific questions please post them as comments and I will try to address them in the next post.
God Bless!
Karyn
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
It is time...surgery is here
Well, I thought I would be asleep by now, but alas I am still awake. I suppose I can catch up on my sleep during the surgery. Since it is after midnight now, I am having surgery today, Feb. 2.
I just wanted to thank you once again for praying for me during the surgery today and through the recovery journey. I check in at 10:45AM and the surgery will begin at 1:00PM. It should last around 5 1/2 hours. I had a great day today. Spent most of it with my sister, which was very sweet. Now that everything is done and it is quiet I am feeling a little nervous so I have just put on my new favorite worship CD that I have been using lately in my personal time with the Lord as well as during ministry. It is called, "Take Me Away" by Grace Williams. (I downloaded it from iTunes.) It has a beautiful anointing for healing and miracles. I know I just need to keep focused on my Jesus. I always do well as long as I keep my focus on His beautiful face. It is when I start looking at circumstances that fear finds a place in me. Like Peter walking on the water, I just can't look around at the waves. Jesus is my Love and my peace.
My daughter, Karyn, has graciously agreed to update my blog for me daily while I am in the hospital. She will update it as soon as I am out of recovery from the surgery so please check back here for updates and prayer requests.
Already I feel His peace filling me and I am grateful. It has gotten late so I had better close and sleep. I wish I had words to convey my gratitude for you! I will trust the Lord to communicate it to you for me.
With a thankful heart, Leslyn
I just wanted to thank you once again for praying for me during the surgery today and through the recovery journey. I check in at 10:45AM and the surgery will begin at 1:00PM. It should last around 5 1/2 hours. I had a great day today. Spent most of it with my sister, which was very sweet. Now that everything is done and it is quiet I am feeling a little nervous so I have just put on my new favorite worship CD that I have been using lately in my personal time with the Lord as well as during ministry. It is called, "Take Me Away" by Grace Williams. (I downloaded it from iTunes.) It has a beautiful anointing for healing and miracles. I know I just need to keep focused on my Jesus. I always do well as long as I keep my focus on His beautiful face. It is when I start looking at circumstances that fear finds a place in me. Like Peter walking on the water, I just can't look around at the waves. Jesus is my Love and my peace.
My daughter, Karyn, has graciously agreed to update my blog for me daily while I am in the hospital. She will update it as soon as I am out of recovery from the surgery so please check back here for updates and prayer requests.
Already I feel His peace filling me and I am grateful. It has gotten late so I had better close and sleep. I wish I had words to convey my gratitude for you! I will trust the Lord to communicate it to you for me.
With a thankful heart, Leslyn
Thursday, January 28, 2010
All work and no play...
One more thought: I realized getting ready for major surgery is like doing all of the work that it takes to go out of town for a long vacation, but without the fun vacation part! That sort of sucks...oh well.
Hospital pre-op down, just the surgery to go...
I went in for my hospital pre-op yesterday. It went well. I found out that I am scheduled for 51/2 hours of surgery. It is an hour longer than I was expecting. I am hoping that is cushion in case it goes long. They took some blood so they could get my blood type just in case I need a transfusion. I am praying and trusting that I will not. They told me that any surgery over 4 hours requires the availability of blood...just in case. They also did an EKG, which looked perfect. So I am good to go.
My surgeon is pre-medicating me with anti-nausea medicine. I would really appreciate your prayer that I don't feel nauseated or vomit when I come out of the surgery or from the pain medication that they give me. I have had a very difficult time with that in the past. It is terribly painful to throw up right after surgery...trust me!
I am feeling much better. As I mentioned, I had been fighting some fear about the surgery, the pain and being down again just when I am finally feeling great. I know many of you have been praying. I woke up this morning and felt so much better. The fear was gone and a heaviness that I have been feeling had lifted. God is so faithful and prayer is so very effective!
I am heading to bed. I am trying to excercise and get lots of sleep heading into surgery. Please pray that I will stay healthy and strong. Thank you!!
My surgeon is pre-medicating me with anti-nausea medicine. I would really appreciate your prayer that I don't feel nauseated or vomit when I come out of the surgery or from the pain medication that they give me. I have had a very difficult time with that in the past. It is terribly painful to throw up right after surgery...trust me!
I am feeling much better. As I mentioned, I had been fighting some fear about the surgery, the pain and being down again just when I am finally feeling great. I know many of you have been praying. I woke up this morning and felt so much better. The fear was gone and a heaviness that I have been feeling had lifted. God is so faithful and prayer is so very effective!
I am heading to bed. I am trying to excercise and get lots of sleep heading into surgery. Please pray that I will stay healthy and strong. Thank you!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Met with the plastic surgeon
I had my pre-op appointment with my plastic surgeon yesterday. It went very well. I so appreciate Dr. Ghorbani, he is very steady, peaceful and confident. Good traits for a surgeon.
He assured me that he is confident that I need to go through with this surgery. That was helpful to hear again. It will be nice to have soft and movable skin and muscle on my chest area again. It feels like scrunched up, very tight cement at the moment.
Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words regarding my fight with fear. I am beginning to feel a bit better about it all. There is a part of me that is beginning to feel excited about what the Lord has for me in my relationship with Him during these upcoming days of quietness and rest. He is so kind to walk with us and even carry us through difficult times and suffering. A friend reminded me that Jesus knows exactly how I feel. He too had his chest torn open and He carries the scars with Him still. He has identified with me even in this. Amazing.
So this next section may be too much information for some, so you may want to close this now. For those who are going through reconstruction too, this may be helpful. For those who want to pray specifically, this is for you.
The doctor is going to cut out the capsule of scar tissue that has formed around the expander. He says that will loosen up my chest wall muscles and the skin over my "breast" area. (I say "breast" area because I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and because what I have there now has very little in common with a breast.) He will also take out the radiation damaged muscle tissue and skin on the left side. (We will do the right side sometime in May or June.)
The doctor will then bring a donor portion of muscle and skin around from my back using the Latismis Dorsi muscle. I will have a drain back there for about two weeks. It will leave about a 5 inch scar. The doc is hoping that if my skin relaxes enough, he may be able to use extra skin from my back to create a nipple and colorless areola. He will have to wait and see, and so will I. If he can't, that will be another surgery that will have to be done at some time in the future. I must say, reconstruction is a much more lengthy process than I had expected. He will attach the vessels and nerves in the patch so that it gets proper blood supply. This is a very important part of the procedure as I have had trouble with poor blood supply to the breast area in my previous surgery and with radiation. I will have a drain in the front for a week or so. Dr. Kerlin will also be assisting during the surgery. They are two of the finest surgeons in the Northern California. She will be taking my VAP (port) out, which will be a huge milestone for me.
I have heard that the first 12 hours or so are the most painful. I also have had trouble with nausea and vomiting after coming out of surgery so prayer for that would be GREATLY appreciated. Throwing up with large incisions is a horrific experience.
Please pray against any infection as well. I am only able to take three antibiotics, I am allergic to the rest so I really need divine protection while in the hospital and during recovery. Thank you so much.
Please continue to pray for peace for our whole family. Both of my girls are in school during my surgery. I know that will be hard on them. Karyn is in So Cal and won't be able to come up as school starts up again next week. It is hard to be away from home when this type of thing is happening. Also, I have a cough that is hanging on from bronchitis that I had earlier this month. Please pray it leaves completely. Coughing and surgery are not a good match!
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers! I am extremely grateful!
By the way, my hospital pre-op is tomorrow.
I will be in the hospital
He assured me that he is confident that I need to go through with this surgery. That was helpful to hear again. It will be nice to have soft and movable skin and muscle on my chest area again. It feels like scrunched up, very tight cement at the moment.
Thank you for your prayers and encouraging words regarding my fight with fear. I am beginning to feel a bit better about it all. There is a part of me that is beginning to feel excited about what the Lord has for me in my relationship with Him during these upcoming days of quietness and rest. He is so kind to walk with us and even carry us through difficult times and suffering. A friend reminded me that Jesus knows exactly how I feel. He too had his chest torn open and He carries the scars with Him still. He has identified with me even in this. Amazing.
So this next section may be too much information for some, so you may want to close this now. For those who are going through reconstruction too, this may be helpful. For those who want to pray specifically, this is for you.
The doctor is going to cut out the capsule of scar tissue that has formed around the expander. He says that will loosen up my chest wall muscles and the skin over my "breast" area. (I say "breast" area because I had a bi-lateral mastectomy and because what I have there now has very little in common with a breast.) He will also take out the radiation damaged muscle tissue and skin on the left side. (We will do the right side sometime in May or June.)
The doctor will then bring a donor portion of muscle and skin around from my back using the Latismis Dorsi muscle. I will have a drain back there for about two weeks. It will leave about a 5 inch scar. The doc is hoping that if my skin relaxes enough, he may be able to use extra skin from my back to create a nipple and colorless areola. He will have to wait and see, and so will I. If he can't, that will be another surgery that will have to be done at some time in the future. I must say, reconstruction is a much more lengthy process than I had expected. He will attach the vessels and nerves in the patch so that it gets proper blood supply. This is a very important part of the procedure as I have had trouble with poor blood supply to the breast area in my previous surgery and with radiation. I will have a drain in the front for a week or so. Dr. Kerlin will also be assisting during the surgery. They are two of the finest surgeons in the Northern California. She will be taking my VAP (port) out, which will be a huge milestone for me.
I have heard that the first 12 hours or so are the most painful. I also have had trouble with nausea and vomiting after coming out of surgery so prayer for that would be GREATLY appreciated. Throwing up with large incisions is a horrific experience.
Please pray against any infection as well. I am only able to take three antibiotics, I am allergic to the rest so I really need divine protection while in the hospital and during recovery. Thank you so much.
Please continue to pray for peace for our whole family. Both of my girls are in school during my surgery. I know that will be hard on them. Karyn is in So Cal and won't be able to come up as school starts up again next week. It is hard to be away from home when this type of thing is happening. Also, I have a cough that is hanging on from bronchitis that I had earlier this month. Please pray it leaves completely. Coughing and surgery are not a good match!
Thank you so much for your faithful prayers! I am extremely grateful!
By the way, my hospital pre-op is tomorrow.
I will be in the hospital
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Processing...
I rarely feel fear, I often joke that I wasn't born with a fear chip. Apparently, I have one. I was very resolute when it came to my double mastectomy surgery. I was very at peace and knew that I was making the right decision. As I look back from this vantage point, I think most of that was of course the Lord's grace and part of it was that I knew I had to do it to save my life.
This surgery is a whole different kettle of fish. Part of the decision to have the surgery is cosmetic and part of the decision is to alleviate the pain that the radiation damage is causing. It is elective not life saving. Somehow, for me emotionally, I am having a harder time preparing for this surgery. For the past couple of days I have been fighting fear and very consciously having to keep my thoughts on a very short leash so that I don't start thinking about the "What-ifs" that are so unhelpful to staying in a place of peace.
I have my pre-op appointment tomorrow. I will ask the doctor one more time if he thinks this extensive repair and rebuilding is really necessary. I need to hear it for my own peace of mind. The pain from the radiation damage has increased over the past couple of weeks, so I do know that I have to do something. In some ways, the pain is helping me to make the decision to move forward. For me it is very much about moving forward. Sometimes that is all we can do. Just keep going.
I believe that I am entering a season of rebuilding, in this case a very thorough rebuilding. Rather than look at my time of recovery as being isolated, thanks to Linda and Prudy, I am looking at it as a time of being set apart to the Lord. I believe He has some things to speak to me and show me. That part I am actually looking forward to now.
Would you please be praying for me as I process through preparing for this upcoming surgery. Would you also please join me in standing against a spirit of fear? I know that God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). I am a "pre-processor", I process things before they happen and then by the time I get to the event, I am good to go. This is my time to process all of the things that I am feeling and to pray through to a place of peace. Thank you for joining me in prayer, I appreciate it and need your prayers.
This surgery is a whole different kettle of fish. Part of the decision to have the surgery is cosmetic and part of the decision is to alleviate the pain that the radiation damage is causing. It is elective not life saving. Somehow, for me emotionally, I am having a harder time preparing for this surgery. For the past couple of days I have been fighting fear and very consciously having to keep my thoughts on a very short leash so that I don't start thinking about the "What-ifs" that are so unhelpful to staying in a place of peace.
I have my pre-op appointment tomorrow. I will ask the doctor one more time if he thinks this extensive repair and rebuilding is really necessary. I need to hear it for my own peace of mind. The pain from the radiation damage has increased over the past couple of weeks, so I do know that I have to do something. In some ways, the pain is helping me to make the decision to move forward. For me it is very much about moving forward. Sometimes that is all we can do. Just keep going.
I believe that I am entering a season of rebuilding, in this case a very thorough rebuilding. Rather than look at my time of recovery as being isolated, thanks to Linda and Prudy, I am looking at it as a time of being set apart to the Lord. I believe He has some things to speak to me and show me. That part I am actually looking forward to now.
Would you please be praying for me as I process through preparing for this upcoming surgery. Would you also please join me in standing against a spirit of fear? I know that God has not given me a spirit of fear but a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7). I am a "pre-processor", I process things before they happen and then by the time I get to the event, I am good to go. This is my time to process all of the things that I am feeling and to pray through to a place of peace. Thank you for joining me in prayer, I appreciate it and need your prayers.
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