Karla's Health Update - 9/13/08

Dear Family and Friends:

Friday was my second modified radical mastectomy—5 months to the day after the first—with chemo sandwiched between. I’m relieved. I’m doing fine, as long as I can stand or sit. I sleep every few hours and haven’t figured out how to do that standing up!

The funny part of pre-op was the doctor having to write YES on my right breast. They couldn’t have found anything to remove on the left side, but it’s the law—to avoid wrong-side surgeries. The worst part of the pre-op was IVs. But I’m learning. I now tell them I need the SWAT team. There really is one—and they’re great.

They took the sentinel lymph node during surgery and checked it for cancer. It was cancer free (as was expected), so no other nodes were taken. Thank You, God! There will be further pathology on the breast to see if there were any malignancies. Again, the expectation is just that there were many precancerous conditions in the breast. If any invasive cancer is found that is more than 1 cm, we’re looking at more chemo, but we don’t expect that, either. I’ll find out on Thursday. I’m looking forward to good news.

Toby, Heather, and Dave came to the hospital the evening after surgery. At that point, a walk to the bathroom sounded like a BIG TRIP. By 4 am, though, my roommate Dawn and I took a walk outside (in slippers and hospital gown) and considered doing a wheelchair race to Jack in the Box. She’d been in for five days and was ready to escape. Now that I’ve been home, a few angels have arrived with yummy meals. We are blessed.

I am ready to put cancer behind me. I believe it is! I remember thinking in March that I’d just get that pesky lump out of the left breast and be done. Sure! … We ceremonially returned the last batch of cancer books to the library, dropping them in the book drop one by one. Thunk! Thunk Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! That was meaningful to me! What remains now is reconstruction and diligence. I’m trying to have reconstruction done by the end of 2008, and diligence continues for the rest of my life. I don’t fear cancer, but I do respect it. And I know I’m not invincible. Oh, yes—the hair report! My hair is about ¼ inch long. It’s black and white. I was glad they let me wear my wig all the time in the hospital. I would have frozen without it. Hospitals are ICY. I suppose that’s to avoid infection, but it might be to make the patients go home sooner.

We’re getting way too casual about this. Jack even wanted to leave during my surgery to have a mechanic look at a used-car he found the other day. He thought he would be useless during surgery. I asked him not to—well, really, I had a cow. J I wanted him there to pray and just wait. He’s been great. He did agree that I’m more important than the car deal of the century.

I do covet your prayers for a swift and manageable recovery. About five days before surgery, I finally felt really, really good again. I had energy and didn’t need to nap every afternoon. I started and completed a couple of large projects. I walked into rooms and remembered why I was there. I did my Annual Exercise. (I swim one length of the pool for every year of my age—that was extra-important to me this year.) Now, I’m in recovery mode again, but I don’t have much time before Staff Conference and before our guests arrive. I do have several projects, and I think they will be good for me. I was so spaced out for so long!

You can also pray for my attitude. Without consent, I was given donor tissue. I woke up to a paper that suggested I write the family of the deceased and thank them for donor tissue. What????? I wouldn’t have chosen donor tissue. It’s a new process that the plastic surgeon did – I’m his 8th. I chose a mastectomy because I didn’t want tissue (mine or anyone’s) where cancer could grow, and I wanted easy detection. I also don’t want anything that can be rejected or die if it doesn’t connect with my blood supply. Since it’s in one, he’ll need to use it in my other breast when he makes the switch to permanent implants, too. It may be a really great process that I’ll end up liking, but I’m not there yet. I do believe God will use everything. That’s my starting point.

On a less subjective scale, I know God will use our whole cancer experience for larger purposes than just getting me through it. We’ve been studying the book of Joshua. Chapter 1 tells me to be strong and courageous and never terrified! It also refers to vision. I’m aware that my vision and purpose is being restored—returned to me—and also enlarged. I can hardly wait to find out what that means. The giants are not that terrifying. There is a Promised Land! I am thankful.

May your vision be restored, your purposes enlarged, and your giants defeated! Grace and peace to you all.

Love,
Karla





Blessings,
Karla
Karla Tesch
Editor / U.S.-Haiti Coordinator
Harvest
www.harvestfoundation.org
602-258-1083