The Chamber

April 13, 2010

It has been a week of many events in my life. I was sent in on Friday to do a CAT and PET scan before I was to see an oncologist. Bakersfield has a medical center called CBCC which is Comprehensive Blood and Cancer Center. It is a huge medical complex that works closely with UCLA in the latest research on cancer and blood diseases. I found myself going for the 4th time in about month to have my body injected with radioactive isotopes. They put an IV in my arm; then took me to this little room with two recliners separated by a petition. The nurse came in and gave me an injection and told me it would have to circulate for an hour. As I am sitting there a man comes in and sits in the other recliner as they inject him. He asked if his wife could sit by him and was told, “Oh no, you’re radioactive.” That did not make me feel like this was going to be a good day. Forty-five minutes later I was taken to the CAT lab where I received another injection that came from a lead container. The CAT scan is simple and fast so it was not long and I was headed for the PET scan. They stick you on a table that is about as wide as one of my legs, strap you down, put your arms above your head, and send you into a tunnel that moves about two inches every 20 minutes. I think whoever invented this little torture chamber (my arms made me feet like I was on the rack after the first twenty minutes) probably lost several patients to insanity before he found the exact length of time a person could lay totally still in a six inch chamber with arms above the head before the mind gave way. I was just about there when the little nurse stuck her head in and told me two more minutes. It made me feel better but I think she lied to give me hope. Again, I don’t know what I would do if I could not talk to my Lord and recite scripture. It did tell me that if I have to do this often, I need to memorize more of the Word.
Ten o’clock Monday morning found me sitting reading when the phone rang and they told me to come in at 11:00. Kent was at the gym and I will be honest, I panicked. All types of things started going through my mind as to why they would want to see me so soon. It was when I looked down at my journal and saw what I was writing that I was reminded who was in control. I was reading Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, You are my God.” Kent made it home and as we were driving to the doctors Lisa called to ask what time my appointment was. I asked her how she knew I had an appointment as I just found out myself. She said she had it in her head that I was going to see the oncologist – in fact she had people praying all week for the appointment on Monday. Isn’t God good – He covered me with prayer even when I didn’t know I would need it. My tests were all clear – no sign of cancer. The doctor does want me to do Chemo to lessen the odds of the cancer showing up in five years. Without Chemo there is a 25% chance of it returning – with Chemo the odds go to 10 %. Today we went back to the surgeon and he will put in a portacath on Friday and we will start chemo in the next two weeks. The chemo will be done using a combination of three drugs that will be injected slowly over a 24 hour period. I will go to the center to get it started and then come home while it drips into my body; then back to the center to have it removed. This will be done every two weeks for six months. I have been so blessed in so many ways. The Lord has kept me from so many things that all I can do is thank Him for His goodness. Jeremiah 17:7 says “But blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.” Thanks for continuing to pray for Kent and me as we face the next step in this journey.

Janice