God is at work!

My Dad took me to see my local oncologist, Dr Beck, yesterday and guess what Doc said?!?! 

He said, you are a miracle after miracle! ✝️💜 I believe it! He said after reading my surgery report he was glad to see me on the other side of the big surgery doing good, because we got it out in the Nick of time! Well, praise God for the feeling of urgency moving in my spirit. 

I told him I had asked the elders to pray over me and that I believe that like the woman who bled for 12 years and reached out to touch Jesus garment hem for healing, I was reaching out in that same faith. Doc smiled and said he feels he is just to be used as a tool of the Lord! Yes, Jesus! May we all just be a tool for the Lord to use  the talents, time and treasure that God has given to us. 

Currently I am feeling so much better. I haven’t taken anti nausea or Tylenol for pain in my abdomen for a couple days. God is hearing all our prayers and He is answering with yes! Please join me in remembering to thank Him for answered prayers today! 

My wound infection isn’t causing me problems at the moment so Doc doesn’t want me to be to do another round of antibiotic, but said if it reseats ugly head again he will call me in a med that is a cousin to penicillin, but I’ve tolerated it before. 

I’ll have routine scans August 2nd with results on the 4th. Praying these are clearly cancer free scans!!! 

P.s. I included this TV playing Bob Ross at my appointment yesterday because I’ve never seen that here before and Mom loved learning to paint from Bob Ross. Made dad & I feel like Mom was winking at us. 💛 🌹

Great news with a hint of doubt

I had my check up at OU OKC and everything is healing perfectly! PTL! Thank you for praying for our drive. I survived. 😉 

The doctor said two more weeks before I can carry more than a gallon of milk. Also, he said it can take months to get my body back to accepting food normally since the stomach, colon and pancreas were all impacted and aide in digestion. I am only able to eat about 1/2 cup of food at a time and very few options settle well. I’ve lost 15 pounds since surgery so he said just eat anything my stomach will accept. He suggested that I get an appointment with pain management to help with ongoing discomfort, which I’ll talk to my home health nurse about tomorrow. 

He surprised us with the pathology report of everything that was removed and it showed there was cancer in ALL areas they removed except the stomach. I was shocked! I thought most of that was removed because of radiation scarring. I’m so thankful God gave me peace and even a sense of urgency to do the surgery. 

So the pancreas, spleen, kidney and adrenal gland are all good clear margins and the cancer should be gone. The colon they couldn’t tell if the margins were good because of the way the robot removes tissue, but there was only a cluster of 20 cells that showed cancer so they are hopeful that they got it. And on my back he sent in a sample and it was cancer there also, but he burned that entire area on my back so I’m hoping I’m good, but there’s no way to tell right now. It’s too early for scans while I’m full of inflammation.  He said he feels 99.5 % sure he got everything out, but we have to lean on our faith for the other .5% as this tumor had lots of little fingers reaching out. Pray and claim it’s all actually gone with us. Although the percentage feels good, there are still unknowns, which felt overwhelming today, and the enemy would like nothing more than to discourage us in our faith, stealing our joy and peace. 

Danina reminded me of this great quote. 

“Never doubt in the dark what God told you in the light”.  

I came across this while scrolling social media tonight. 

And Amy reminded me of the scripture in Isaiah 55:9-11. 

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
 and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.“

Lastly, I always turn to Psalm 91. 

Fall fresh on us Lord as we soak up your scripture to fight off the enemy and increase our belief. Be our refuge and our peace. - Amen

First pre op appointment

Billy is driving me to OKC for a 10:15 AM appointment with Dr Patel, the urologic oncologist and robotic surgeon. I’m dreading the ride as it still hurts my insides just to hiccup. We’re bringing my soft blanket and lots of pillows to soften the bumps in the road for me. I’m walking on my own now, but not that far, so hopefully they have a chair Billy will be able to push me in. Mainly so I don’t have as difficult end to my day when I’ve overdone it. I am expecting a good post operative check up, so just looking for some advice on timing for healing and eating more normally, plus answers on a few new side effects. Please pray that the long travel day goes ok and that I get good news and answers tomorrow. 

It’s too early for a scan so this is just basic blood work and an in office exam.  I think I may get more vaccines that require boosters after removing my spleen. 

Thanks for continued prayers, encouragement and support. Some days the recovery feels real slow and long. You all help me keep going! 

So you ask God for help…now remember to thank Him for the answer

I am thinking about how we (me, you & so many more people) have continued to ask, seek, and knock on the great power of our God to help all involved and ultimately heal me in a miraculous way! I believe that God has healed me of my disease and redeemed me to live a life bringing glory to God in all ways He provides me. 

Now, 2 weeks after surgery, I want to remind us all that  it is time to go back and thank God for doing as we ask and praise Him for the way I am healing from the big surgery I needed to endure to get to the other side of this cancer trial! 

May we never forget to go back and give thanks to the One who answers our prayers, directs us all in the best way and provides healing on earth and in Heaven.

Guess who is HOME sweet HOME

We were thrilled to hear that we could leave the hospital and make the 3 1/2 hour drive home today! 

We had a swift discharge and Billy got me loaded in the truck padded on all sides with pillows and blankets. We had a quick meet up with Billy’s Dad and step mom, Anita,  at a gas station on the way out of OKC. They came to the truck to say bye while Billy ran inside for a couple things. 

The first 2 hours of the drive went ok, but then I began to hurt a lot from all the bumps on the road. Reminded me of my TPE surgery in 2013 where every single bump is felt throughout the entire abdomen. The other thing that reminded me of my 2013 Total Pelvic Exenteration was that for the second time in my life a surgeon pointed at me and said, if anyone ever wants to do surgery in that area again, you tell them no way! 

Billy got me home as fast and gently as he could and got me to the bathroom and to bed. He ran to the pharmacy to get my prescriptions and back home to give me my dosages. Then to the grocery store to grab a few things I can eat and drink, which are few and far between right now. I’m eating small amounts of unsweetened pears and peaches. I like a small scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy. No sugar added Fruit popcicles and dragonfruit vitamin water over sonic style ice. I’m trying to think if anything else sounds good and White Basmati rice from Tazikis sounds good. Lol. My diet will be real picky and small for a while. We’ve done this before and have learned ways to sneak in protein with scrambled or hard boiled eggs and some chocolate Boost. Anyway, if someone wants to bring Billy a big juicy burger or gift cards for meaty type places I bet he’d like that. Lol. Isaiah is living in his apartment at Fayetteville and Alyssa is gone working a lot still. Im looking forward to seeing Alyssa tonight and the boys again soon though. 

For now,  I’m signing off for my first night sleeping out of the chaos of the hospital. I’ve already had the best nap ever and Billy’s started a notebook list of my many meds and dosage times. He’s a a good one. 

Thank you God for getting me through a larger surgery than we even expected, plus the first week of recovery. There were a few times all I could do was ask for help from you. You always came through. Help us to be able to manage pain well at home. Please provide safety from infection and pancreatic leaks. Help my bowels to keep moving. Use our experience of suffering to bring you glory and populate Heaven.  ~ Amen. 

Surgery Results

Thank you for carrying Kristi, the family and the medical team today through prayer.  

Kristi is out of surgery and in recovery.  She has done well.  There were several surgeons involved and they feel good about what they were able to do.  We are thanking God they were able to do this all robotically as it will be much easier on her body for recovery.  This was an answer to prayer.  Kristi told them this morning to take any sign of cancer out they saw and they were able to do this.  Another answer to prayer.  Our hearts are both thankful and heavy.  

They have removed the cancerous adrenal gland along with the top 1/8th of her kidney.  Cancer was also found in her spleen so they have removed her spleen and the tip of her pancreas where the spleen attaches.  They had expected they could find this.  The cancer had unexpectedly attached itself to the colon and the stomach so they also had to take a small part of each organ to get clear margins.  The removal of a small piece of her stomach and the tip of her pancreas will require extra care in her recovery.  

She will stay at the OU Medical Center Hospital in OKC through the weekend and they will evaluate her next week before sending her home.  

Please specifically pray that her bowels and stomach will adjust quickly and for no leakage of pancreatic fluid causing complications in her healing.  

We started the day praying Psalm 138:7,8 and will continue!   So thankful for God’s steadfast love, and His promise to fulfill HIS purposes for Kristi’s life and her suffering!

-Danina

Being obedient to God’s nudges

After seeing the oncologists on Wednesday 5/11 I felt God saying to call our Pastor and ask for a time of prayer with the elders and some of my friends and family. This nudge grew into a loud repetitive thought in my mind by Saturday. So,  on Saturday, 5/14, I reached out to our Pastor and He invited the elders to come and carry out James 5, anointing me with oil and praying over me for healing. I got excited in anticipation and invited family and our community group, my bible study group, my cancer posse ladies and several others. I began to feel pain in my back, wrapping around my side. My fatigue went to an extreme level and pretty soon my whole body was aching. By Tuesday night I was so discouraged I was in tears. As I drug myself into bed I thought…Satan is attacking me. This is spiritual warfare. I prayed for God to take captive my every thought and for Satan to flee in the power of Jesus name, and I went to sleep once again tossing and turning and hurting all night. Wednesday I napped to be ready for our prayer time at the church and hoped I’d have enough energy to share with the group. 

I entered into our place of worship and saw so many faces of those I love and care about. We went to a smaller room and everyone circled around me. My dad on my right and my husband, son and daughter on my left. The Pastor called us into prayer and then ask me to introduce my guests and share about what I am facing next. I felt the aches of my body begin to dissipate as I talked about being obedient to the Lord’s leading. As each elder and pastor read scripture over myself and my family, anointed our heads with oil and prayed, I grew lighter and less in pain. 

The Holy Spirit was powerful and moving in that room. 

This may sound like a crazy thing to do for some of you, but I just see it as an act of obedience to my creator, reverence to my God and surrender to my Savior. 

Today, after doing this last night, was the most productive day I’ve had in quite some time. The Lord is at work and I’m definitely here for it! 

Please read some of the scripture read and prayed over me last night and if you know Jesus and the Holy Spirit lives in you, these scriptures also are for you to accept for yourself. Name and claim the goodness and power of God in your life as well. 

Thank you so much to all who prayed locally and afar. Keep it up! Surgery in 1 week.