It's Shoutin' Time

I keep looking over my shoulder for the "men in white suits"! Actually, I am not sure where the nearest mental institution is in the country, but probably most of my neighborhood by now thinks I need to be "admitted" to one, but then again, I am not alone because surely at least half of Bonnie L's neighborhood thinks she needs to be too! That's because I received my lymph node biopsy reports yesterday and there is no further cancer in my body! I do not need chemotherapy or radiation therapy! Let me tell you...it was Sum Shoutin' Time on the telephone between the lines connecting the L's household and the Dundon's in Costa Rica!!!

I was not scheduled to see the doctor until Thursday, but he worked me in yesterday because he did say that my nausea and dry heaves needed to be addressed with only being 15 days out of having major abdominal surgery. He's worried I could herniate the incision from the "heaving". What I also haven't written about on the blog is that I have been having excruciating (I am not using that word lightly) back and bone pain for the last week and a half. Some days it feels like my individual ribs in my back are on fire and it is extremely painful to breath! I wasn't sure what that was all about, and didn't want to scare anyone! I had been feeling really well when I got out of the hospital for the beginning to middle of last week, but the doctor was able to explain to me yesterday, that at the end of the week is when my estrogen level probably bottomed out which was to be expected considering the surgery I had, and the bone pain and nausea is from the drop of the estrogen to probably no readable amount of hormone left in my body! This is completely normal! So, here's a little excerpt of a conversation between me and my doctor yesterday.

Dr. P: "Just a minor detail I forgot to tell you with regard to the bone pain and the nausea...sorry! I was more focused on you being aware that you may become depressed, cry easily or become suicidal".
Sherri: "Suicidal? How about homicidal for you not telling me about this"? (We both busted out laughing in his office)!

So, I need to follow up with him in three months, have some repeat tests done looking for cancer and then from there I follow up with him every six months for the next two years, but at this time he feels that my prognosis is very good.

Thank you, first and foremost, to my Heavenly Father, who by Job wrote, "are you not willing to accept only the good things from the Lord and not the bad"? Again, You could have authored a different outcome. But, You chose not too. I want You to know, that anything that brings honor and glory to Your Name is worth going through knowing that your desire is to walk beside me in it! I thank you, even for this cancer, and the things that it has taught me about You, your characteristics and the areas in my life that do not mirror You. Thank you for loving me with a love that I cannot even comprehend!

To my family, my church family and friends, Thank you for being on your knees for our family daily! Thank you for the sacrifices that you make weekly for us to be able to serve here in Costa Rica in these economic times! Without Him, and without you, we could not possibly do what we do!