ONE MONTH

			March/April 2012
Sun	Mon	Tue		Wed	Thu		Fri	Sat
11	12	13		14	15		16	17
18	19	20		21	22		23	24
25	26	27		28	29		30	31
1	2	3		4	5		6	7
8	9	10		11

SO....today is March 11th. One month from today, I'll be in the hospital undergoing the BIG surgery. When I was diagnosed with appendix cancer in October, I was provided with two options. I could 1) do nothing and wait to see what the cancer does or 2) agree to do the HIPEC procedure. This type of surgery is an aggressive, risky, experimental surgery. It's the only treatment that has been shown to be effective with this type of cancer. Have you ever heard of this surgery? Very few people have. 

http://www.hipectreatment.com/documents/hipec.php


According to my surgeon, this surgery will likely always be experimental because appendix cancer is too rare for the HIPEC to be approved by the FDA as the standard of care. I've heard about people who have undergone this surgery, lasting anywhere from 6 hours up to 18 hours. The surgeon who will be performing mine says that he believes it will last from 6-8 hours based on what he has seen of my lab results and medical records. My last surgery lasted for 4-1/2 hours and I was in the hospital for 5 days. They are predicting that this time, my stay with be 7-10. From my understanding, most people are placed in ICU for a few days after the surgery, but my surgeon doesn't think I will need that level of treatment. I'm not sure how he can know that, but I'm more than happy to believe that I won't need it. 

During the past 5 months, since I was diagnosed with appendix cancer and informed that this was the only effective treatment, I knew that the date was coming. The closer the date comes, the more I find it on my mind. Friends ask me how I'm doing, how I'm feeling. I tell them that I'm fine. Physically I'm doing well. That's true. I think I'm pretty recovered from the last surgery. It's tough to rejoice though, about having recovered while at the same time, knowing that I'm getting ready to have another one in a month. It's interesting to me that I haven't been afraid of the cancer, but this surgery isn't producing as much calm. After my diagnosis, I began doing quite a bit of research and repeatedly happened upon this "day long," "intensive" surgery. I saw the various cancer treatments and I felt pretty strongly that this was the one procedure I didn't want to have. It was scary to me from the first time I saw it. When the oncologist said that this was the only treatment for this cancer, I saw no real option other than this. Now it's 1 month away and little by little becoming all too real.


At church this morning, I was speaking to one of our pastors. I found myself repeating what I've said several times and believe with all my heart. I know that God is in charge. I believe that I'm one of God's children and therefore I've given my life for God to use as He chooses. I don't know God's plan for this time of my life, but I do know that  His plan is always best.


"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 
1 Thessalonians 5:18  "


"Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Matthew 6:27


"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Philippians 4:6


"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength."
Philippians 4:13


One month from today.....I'll be laying on a table with my surgeon performing an experimental procedure. Will I make it out of surgery? I honestly don't know. If I do make it out of surgery, will I be able to live a normal life, no tubes, no bags, the rest of my organs still in tact? I don't know. If I make it out of surgery, will the cancer be gone? No clue. What I DO know is that God knows. HE knows what HIS plan is for my life. "God has a plan. It's a good plan. We like the plan. We just don't know what it is." My job? ACCEPT God's plan and trust that His plan is what's best for me.