By HIS Stripes...

I AM HEALED!  Stage 0, 0/2 lymph nodes (cancer not found in lymph nodes), both "girls" gone (the new ones are looking better than the old ones. Woot! Woot!) , final pathology report was great, which means...Cancer is G.O.N.E!  No chemo, no radiation, no hormone therapy required.  Cancer was completely contained!  When the surgical oncologist told us both Andy and I cried.  Honestly, I wept and wept and wept while saying "Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus! THANK YOU JESUS!. Unstoppable tears of JOY came from my tired eyes and rolled down my cheeks...finally. Finally, tears of happiness! 

This is the miracle we have all prayed for. Another great example of God's promises being true.  I've told my family and friends. I've told Facebook.  I've told complete strangers at Walmart while waiting to be checked out.  I've told it to anybody that would listen!  My God answered OUR prayers. He showed great mercy upon me and delivered me from cancer.  He is true to His word and I will forever thank and praise him! So why haven't I shouted this great news to the Blogger world????  For days I've wondered the same thing. 
Many friends and family have asked me over and over why I haven't written a post lately. My responses to all the questions of why I haven't have been all over the place.  I'm still on medication.  I'm just too tired.  I'm enjoying my mom being here for 2 weeks.  I'll write when I am moved to write. These are all true excuses. Notice that I used the words "true excuses."

However, the main reason is because it's just too mentally painful. Just logging on this blog and seeing the posts and the pink background takes me back to the "dark time."  This blog was set up to be my therapy and to help other women that were in my position. Even though I had a good attitude during the time I had cancer, didn't mean that I wasn't sad or that I didn't cry.  I cried A LOT.  Some days my only goal was to get through the day without crying.  In addition to mental pain, the blog takes me back to a month of my life that I've subconsciously tried to block out. The month of January was so hard and tiring that it seems like a lifetime ago.  My memory is fading very quickly about January (that or I'm shutting it out on purpose...)

So now you know and hopefully understand the reason why I needed a blogging break. Maybe after this post it will get easier to log on.  I have SO much to share, I just need the strength to log on and type.

Praise Report:

*Cancer was contained...no treatment necessary   Glory to God in the Highest!

Prayer Requests

*Strength to share my testimony. It's so hard to go back to January, the month that I've mentally blocked out.  I don't want to block this month out of my memory.  I want the pain, the hurt, and the tears to be used for His glory and good.

You have answered my prayers. You have healed me of cancer.  You never left me or forsaken me. You are true to your promise. Thank You!  Thank You!  Thank You!  However, I'm selfish and I don't even want to think about that dark time.Forgive me sweet Savior.  It is that time that I heard you, felt you, and saw you more than ever in my life.  Please bring forth each and every memory...good, bad, and ugly.  May I never forget how you comforted me when I had cried out to you or how your spirit softly whispered verses and hymns in my mind when I was scared.  Allow me to let go of the hurt that cancer brought to me.  Allow me to look at the positive each day and not fall into the self pity trap when I am mentally down.  There are so many great things that have come of this awful cancer...Use me to be the vessel to show others of your  Word, Promises, and Light. 

Hugs to all,

Amy

D Day

Double Mastectomy Day (January 28th)....That's the name of the new Marcontell recognized holiday in our household!  It's the day that I became cancer free! It's the day that life changed....

That morning was actually a very easy morning. I had complete peace.  The day started off with the car ride to Baylor with my sister and hubs.  Let me tell you something about Liz and Andy....together they are a complete mess!  So the entire way, I got to listen to both of them try to crack the "breast" I mean best breast jokes  (see how you can easily slip that in there....ha!) So we did a lot of laughing.   I checked into radiology to get my sentinel node shot. Passing out the cookies to the women that worked the front desk was an absolute a joy.  I told them today was the day I become cancer free.  You know what they did???  They started dancing and shouting, "Woot! Woot! Cancer Free!"  So what did I do, I joined them.  2 hrs before I lose my breasts and I'm singing and dancing....I would have it no other way!!! So, I had read where women have compared the pain of this shot to childbirth because of where it has to given and the burning sensation of the actual injection.  Well, apparently they had not given birth to Grayson Marcontell.  The shot wasn't "fun", but compared to childbirth, please....

Then we were off to plastics to get "marked."  As soon as I was marked, we went straight to Baylor Uptown.  I'll refrain from the details of the panic driving that my husband was doing because of rush hour traffic. Got checked in, changed, and started passing out the cookies.  Looking back on that morning, there are several things that I learned. So here they are...David Letterman Top Ten Style.

Top 10 Things Learned From D-Day 

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10) There went the $50 pedicure I got before surgery.





9) Nurses are like teachers. Word spreads fast when there are yummy cookies to be eaten. I loved the random nurses just popping in and saying, "I heard you have cookies."  That alone made me happy! Plus, the nurses were so nice, caring, gentle, and loving.  They are overworked and underpaid.

8) The Dedman College framed picture I got to stare at while waiting to go back to surgery was not comforting at all.

7) Shear panic set in when I was cleaning my chest with the special before surgery cleaning cloth and all the blue ink was on the cloth instead of my body. (Remember, the plastic surgeon had to "mark" me before surgery.)  I thought to myself...Well, if I wind up lopsided we will know why.

6) Having great doctors (Dr. Sally Knox and Dr. Richard Ha) make you feel at ease in this tough, tough situation. I'm indebted to them for taking such great care of me!

5) The pain of a double mastectomy is excruciating. I couldn't even turn my head or breathe w/o being in pain.

4) Being sick several hours after a double mastectomy causes even more excruciating pain.

3) Drain tubes are the most uncomfortable things E.V.E.R. ~counting the days down I can get these evil doers out of me!

2) Before wheeling me back, I looked at Andy with tears in my eyes and told him, "I love you so much.  If anything happens to me please take care of my boys."  Yes, very dramatic I know.  This could have been a scene straight out of a movie.

1) I love what Dr. Knox's nurse said as she walked out of the room, "Cancer Free" "Praise the Lord!"

Praise Reports:

*I'm healing so fast.  Each day is getting better and better.
*The boys are adjusting better than what I thought.
*At least 3 more friends have gotten their mammograms.
*Call backs and a biopsy have come back "all clear" on several friend's mammograms!

Prayer Requests:

*I continue to heal.

*Cancer was completely contained in the duct. (I'm suppose to find out Tuesday.)

*I cry each and every time Andy changes my bandages.  Please pray that I can let go of this sadness I feel when I see myself.



Thank you to all that have supported me through D-Day. I honestly felt and still feel that I'm not alone in this.  To my sweet husband....How did I get so lucky?  We never thought that the vow "in sickness and in health" would really apply to us did we?  Boy, were we wrong.  I pray abundant blessings over you each and every day.  You are the hands and feet of Jesus. 

Hugs to all,

Amy