Pure Joy Update May 4, 2009
There is reason for joy in the Holloway household!
We have another grandson!
Trail David Holloway was born March 27, 2009. He weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces. David and Brittney and Brooklynn are not the only ones who are proud of the new addition. Trail is a delight to all of us.
This year is flying by—It is hard for me to believe that Trail is already one month old.
And it is hard to believe that four months have past since the last Pure Joy update. At that time I was preparing for my reconstruction surgery on December 30. That surgery went well and I am grateful to be done with that. I am so grateful for your prayers. And to tell the truth: I still need them.
Before I had cancer my body felt strong like a Cadillac. Most of the time I had a reserve of get up and go and a very comfortable ride. But the cancer detour forced that “car” off the interstate highway where I had enjoyed smooth sailing to a very bumpy road. Just about the time I recovered from one bump, another would hit. After the biopsy, I had a MRI, six chemo therapy treatments, and 30 radiation treatments, and four trips to the operating table for six surgeries in just 1 ½ years.
So I am delighted to report that I have not had any major bumps since that last surgery. I long to put the cancer detour behind me and start sailing down life’s interstate where the road is smooth. I’m moving at a pretty good clip. I'm enjoying my family-especially the grandchildren. I'm working full time, attending church, teaching children on Wednesday nights and helping with a Bible club Friday evenings.
But it takes a lot more effort to get where I’m going, and the ride is not as comfortable. Even though the road I’m traveling right now is pretty smooth, it seems that I've traded my high powered Cadillac for a sputtering Ford Escort.
Some of the lingering aches and pains are directly related to the surgeries—my right arm aches because lymphnodes were removed. I have not developed a bad case of lymphedema, but there have been times when I have noted some swelling. I have had two manual lymphatic drainage treatments recently, which did help.
There are other aches and pains that may or may not be related to the cancer or its treatments. Lots of people have arthritic pain without having cancer. But Femara (the anti-estrogen drug I am supposed to take for five years) is known to cause osteoporosis and achy joints. So I recently stopped taking Femara and started taking Tomoxifen in hopes that my body will tolerate it better. Time will tell.
Evidently, my resistance to infection is not as good as it used to be either. The last cold I had hung on over six weeks and required two rounds of antibiotics, and I have another bad cold again—which, as bad as I hate to admit it--may mean I am trying to do too much. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow. So please pray for healing for this cold, and pray that I will have wisdom to know how to pace myself.
I grew up singing a chorus based on Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and now be weary, They shall walk and not faint." The last line of the chorus added this refrain: "Teach me Lord, Teach me Lord, to wait."
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