My Day So Far

You know when you have a negative experience somewhere, so you always associate that place with being negative?  That's how I have felt about going to my dermatologist's office.  Dr. S is great.  I really appreciate her thoroughness, honesty and professionalism, but that was where I was told that I have lymphoma.  And then there is the radiation/oncologist's office.  That is where I went for 15 treatments for my lymphoma.  That was where I had to be a cancer patient.  Again, the staff there were wonderful and professional, but being a cancer patient still puts negative feelings in me.  So when I have to go see my doctors, I get very riled up and nervous.  I actually dread the appointments and it's because they bring back all the yucky feelings.  This last week was no different.  As you read in my last post, I was not looking forward to seeing either of my doctors.  But now that I have seen them, I am so glad that I did.

The last time I saw Dr. L, he was not really sure how the lymphoma was going to look in 6 weeks.  My type of skin lymphoma is not typical of what they see, so he didn't know how it was going to react to the radiation.  I left my last day of radiation feeling very unsure.  Then I saw my dermatologist, Dr. S, a few days later and she was not pleased.  She usually treats this kind of lymphoma with UV treatment and tends to see good results.  When she saw my rash just a few days after finishing radiation, she thought it didn't work, basically.  She decided to give Dr. L the benefit of the doubt and wait 6 weeks to see how it would look.  I left that appointment feeling very unsure, also. 

Over the last 6 weeks, the rash has faded, a lot.  It is no longer red, dry, scaly, bumpy or itchy.  It is only mildly discolored and a little dry looking.  Even so, I was very nervous about what the doctors would think of it.  I felt so discouraged last time, that I didn't want to get my hopes up.  Let me just say that, the first words out of both their mouths were, "Oh wow!"  Both Dr. L and Dr. S were surprised and pleased with how it looks.  They were both encouraged and excited about it.  Oh what a relief that was to hear.  No talks of further treatments or even a biopsy.  They both agreed that in the next couple of months it will fade even more.  Praise God!  I left Dr. L's office with an appointment to see him again in 6 months and then he plans to sign off on my case.  I will continue to see Dr. S every 3 months for the next few years to watch for any new spots, but that's it.  Praise God, again!  And, you know what?  When Shad met me in the parking lot, he had just gotten a call that his company got the job they bid today!  They have been working so hard to get work over the last year.  This is huge!  It is an answer to prayer.  This job means keeping guys working, and the company making money this year as opposed to losing money.  Praise God, AGAIN!!  It's been an amazing day and it's not even 1 o'clock yet.

Thank you for your prayers, loving words and encouragement!  I will continue to stand firm and watch the deliverance that God will give me.