A Whirlwind

I knew that what we suspected was going to be true. I was called into the office. I sat down at the desk and began talking with the doctor. He updated his information on me. He still had my age written as 29. Heeheehee! Then we talked about the checkup for which I was coming. I also told him about the suspicious lump, which needed to be checked. He asked me to go to the bathroom to change for the exam.

I went to change and came out to be weighed. Oh joy! Then I sat down to begin the exam. As soon as the exam began, the doctor was concerned. He knew something was not right. He did an ultrasound and was able to measure the lump. He asked when I would be traveling. I responded, "Next week I will be traveling back to our town." He emphatically answered, "No, no you are not. You need to go somewhere to get this checked."

What? I thought maybe he would say we need to check on it in a few months. I thought maybe he could do something there. However, our country does not have adequate mammogram capabilities. He wanted me to have a mammogram and biopsy as soon as possible.

We finished the exam and talked about our medical office personnel. As I went to get changed out of my exam "attire", I called one of those medical personnel to let him share his findings. The wheels were set in motion.

I got done and drove back to the place we were staying. Rich and I met with our medical personnel to discuss our options. It was agreed that sending me to the United States for the tests he was recommending was the best option. The wheels were rolling.

Later that evening, I had a ticket booked back to the states for three days later and an appointment with a ob/gyn doctor. The next day my family general practitioner in the states was calling to arrange for the process to go faster by getting me straight into a specialist. Saturday I spent time with my family and relaxed as much as possible. Sunday I was on a plane across the ocean and had the opportunity to sit next to some really neat people.

Monday I had my mammogram. The ultrasound there showed two larger lumps and a smaller one.  The doctor at the center was 90% sure it would be benign. He said he would bet it was not cancer if he were a betting man.  

Tuesday I saw my specialist.  She too felt that it was unlikely that the lumps were cancer. For the average woman, they would seek to check it in six months. However, since my situation is not average, she went ahead with the biopsy.

Wednesday, everyone was surprised when the results came back early and the results were positive. Well, I cannot say that I was surprised completely. I was more surprised by the results coming back so early, not so much that it was positive.

The next day more tests were done to give more information for what type of cancer I have and the wheels were set in motion for my husband and children to join me in the states. I was more anxious about him traveling alone with the children across the ocean with a concerned heart than I was about my cancer. However, the same God who is big enough to handle my cancer is also big enough to get my family across the ocean in peace.