Jasonroad
September 20th, 2008, 12:03 AM
Hello! Although we are familiar with RR- this is my first post. My husband is a pastor, and we have a wonderful church family and teach God's Word vs by vs and we know that prayer is powerful! I am a 38 year-old mother of a 4yr old boy and 6yr old girl. My husband and I will celebrate ten years of marriage- as well as our birthdays- this October! Last February, my husband noticed a large 'lump' in the soft tissue near my knee while we watched t.v. I had been having health issues for some time, including being tested for MS due to pain in my limbs and trouble walking...tripping, dragging, numbness, tingling. After the cat scans and mris- my doctor sent me to a surgeon... who sent me to another- an Orthopedic specialist. My husband couldn't come that day, and after consulting with the other surgeons in his practice, he came in the room and told me to sit down, beginning with the old, 'If you were my wife, here's what I would insist she do- speech...' He showed me the details of the films, and why it showed that I had a 'Soft Tissue Sarcoma.'
I had been praying for weeks, and was not too surprised... As the tumor was large, and it had taken months to get to him. He told me I had to go to Oakland to a Sarcoma specialist, to even have a good prognosis... And I would likely lose the leg at the BEST scenario... My husband and I prayed, and finally shared with our church. They prayed with us. Then our insurance denied the referal to send me to a surgeon. A devastating and scary set-back. More weeks passed. Our original surgeon got on the phone every day for two weeks telling our insurance if they didn't find me an Orthopedic Oncologist- I was going to die and it would be their fault. After weeks, they authorized sending me to the only Orthopedic Oncologist in Nevada- eight hours away in Vegas. After two trips and a botched biopsy- I finally had the surgery in July to remove the tumor. I had been told even if it turned out to be benign- it would/could be a year to walk... We went in to surgery not knowing what would happen- although several other surgeons were sure it would be malignant, was there a chance? Was it spread to every organ and I would be given a week to live? I was very scared, and had prayed for months- seeking the Lord, trying to trust Him... afraid of the pain or chemo, or amputation... What would happen to my kids? I didn't know if I'd come out of surgery without a leg and with a death sentence, as it had been six months from finding the lump to removal...
Here I am now- and it's two months + out... We had people praying with us from all over the world, as they'd watched my husband's messsages on our website- and wrote us that they were praying... It was the most wonderful, comforting thing... and I was truly able to just give up and give it to God on those scary days- knowing others were also praying for me... and it was a blessing and comfort. Talk about something that is not in your control! In spite of all expectations, the tumor was benign- or... God made it so after it initially wasn't- we may never know- but it was benign. And it turned out to be in the nerve sheath- not muscle, so I am almost no longer limping, although the pain is a bit worse... I'm in physical therapy and getting stronger, and our entire journey and unwavering trust in the Lord has helped others who also face a scary diagnosis... God will never leave us... And sometimes- just sometimes- when the 'cancer' word gets applied... sometimes in spite of all beliefs and expectations in the medical world- sometimes they're wrong. We are beyond thankful to the Lord for blessing us so, comforting us so, and for the hundreds if not thousands of prayers- which meant more than anything... And were part of all the praise and glory to God...
I had been praying for weeks, and was not too surprised... As the tumor was large, and it had taken months to get to him. He told me I had to go to Oakland to a Sarcoma specialist, to even have a good prognosis... And I would likely lose the leg at the BEST scenario... My husband and I prayed, and finally shared with our church. They prayed with us. Then our insurance denied the referal to send me to a surgeon. A devastating and scary set-back. More weeks passed. Our original surgeon got on the phone every day for two weeks telling our insurance if they didn't find me an Orthopedic Oncologist- I was going to die and it would be their fault. After weeks, they authorized sending me to the only Orthopedic Oncologist in Nevada- eight hours away in Vegas. After two trips and a botched biopsy- I finally had the surgery in July to remove the tumor. I had been told even if it turned out to be benign- it would/could be a year to walk... We went in to surgery not knowing what would happen- although several other surgeons were sure it would be malignant, was there a chance? Was it spread to every organ and I would be given a week to live? I was very scared, and had prayed for months- seeking the Lord, trying to trust Him... afraid of the pain or chemo, or amputation... What would happen to my kids? I didn't know if I'd come out of surgery without a leg and with a death sentence, as it had been six months from finding the lump to removal...
Here I am now- and it's two months + out... We had people praying with us from all over the world, as they'd watched my husband's messsages on our website- and wrote us that they were praying... It was the most wonderful, comforting thing... and I was truly able to just give up and give it to God on those scary days- knowing others were also praying for me... and it was a blessing and comfort. Talk about something that is not in your control! In spite of all expectations, the tumor was benign- or... God made it so after it initially wasn't- we may never know- but it was benign. And it turned out to be in the nerve sheath- not muscle, so I am almost no longer limping, although the pain is a bit worse... I'm in physical therapy and getting stronger, and our entire journey and unwavering trust in the Lord has helped others who also face a scary diagnosis... God will never leave us... And sometimes- just sometimes- when the 'cancer' word gets applied... sometimes in spite of all beliefs and expectations in the medical world- sometimes they're wrong. We are beyond thankful to the Lord for blessing us so, comforting us so, and for the hundreds if not thousands of prayers- which meant more than anything... And were part of all the praise and glory to God...