The Most Wonderful News

As you know, Nick and I have wanted to start a family for quite some time. We had a plan that involved me getting pregnant the month that all of my testing began and we were forced to put it off. Then my disease metastasized in my pelvis and diseased my ovaries, requiring me to undergo chemotherapy. I was told that the amount of two of my chemo drugs in particular would most likely leave me unable to get pregnant. Then when the surgeon went into my pelvis to remove what was left of the tumors after chemo, he found the tumors to be growing off of my ovaries. He was able to salvage parts of both ovaries, but was sure that they were dried up and dead. He told me that I wouldn't be able to get pregnant. He told me I could carry a child if I had an egg donor, most likely. When I told him I was still going to try and was hanging on to hope, he smirked and assured me it wasn't going to happen. That was last March and April.

We started praying hard, specifically and asked you all to pray too. Well, it just so happens that I am currently 11 weeks along. Yesterday Nick and I met our doctor, whom I like very much, and had our first OB appointment. Apparently I was three weeks along when I had my PET Scan Dec. 31. I took a pregnancy test the night before, just to be sure, but it didn't register. I've been anxious to make sure everything is alright, since the PET came when the major organs are being developed in the fetus. Our first ultrasound a few weeks ago showed very little, but what it did show looked good. Yesterday we heard the baby's heartbeat for the first time and it was wiggling around in my belly. It was a very encouraging appointment and my anxiety level has gone way down.

Thank-you again, Prayer Warriors, for your faithful prayer and support. We are still in awe every day at the support of those around us and the love that God is showing us through all of you. May He bless you all.

Ding Dong, The Power Port Is Gone

Sorry it's been so long again between posts. My port came out just fine, though it was another interesting experience. It was a procedure done in the surgeon's office. He numbed me up by inserting a needle with local anesthetic under my skin on my chest. He then rooted around under the skin and injected me about eight times in the general area, but only pierced the skin twice. It was painful at first, then he cut me open with the scalpel and I felt a substantial pulling feeling on my skin. He dug around, pulled out the port (which was larger than I realized) and sewed me up. I felt lots of tugging as he closed the incision. It was a very strange experience for me, but Nick was sitting next to me holding my hand and he saw most of it. I chose not to look at it, but Dr Wood held the port in front of my face and told me to say goodbye to it.
As you know I was overly anxious about the port removal and asked people to be praying for me and my anxiety. My friend's elementary students prayed for me that morning and my anxiety melted away and it all went much better than I could have expected. Thank-you to all of you who kept us in your prayers. We appreciate it.