My journey since an osteosarcoma diagnosis
We all have an ongoing journey through life Well, I, like you, am on one, and decided to share about it since I received an osteosarcoma diagnosis in January 2019. It won’t all be about cancer. There’s a lot more to this life than that. Thank goodness! ♥
I intend to Live Life on Purpose. You are welcome to join me.
If you have never read a blog, the posts are seen from newest down to oldest. At least this free blog site is that way.
It’s been almost 2 years since I did anything on this blog site. I have found even trying to journal, I have a difficult time. I’m not sure why.
Are there things that you want to try and do and even give them a shot and then they just don’t work out? I think in the beginning, when I first started this in 2019, it really was beneficial for me and many people to read about my osteosarcoma journey. Then, as life went on and still goes on, and my journey has changed, I stopped sharing so much.
I can’t say that I will do any better at keeping this up. I appreciate those who take the time to read when I do post something.
I’m not sure why it’s so difficult for me to keep up on posting in this blog or even journaling. I think posting in a blog like this would be more beneficial for me so that I can think things out loud but also for others who read who might benefit from what I put down.
If there is anyone reading this, I would love to know your thoughts about the benefits or disadvantages of blogging or journaling. Which one do you like better? Why?
Once again, thank you for reading. Who knows, maybe I will be led to share more here in the times ahead.
It sure has been hot so far this summer! The rain hasn’t come as much as we would like. Thankfully we have gotten a bit of rain here at home in the past week or so.
This past weekend we took the grandboys tent camping for their first time. We tried fishing with our boat on Lake Ontario. We got a couple of small ones we put back and then I had a big salmon on and totally lost it. I let too much slack in the line.
Funny how that can relate to life. As Christians we may slack off on reading God’s word or spending time with Him, or even spending time with fellow believers. Then, when hard times come we wonder why we feel alone or without hope. Rest assured, the Lord is there, waiting for us to turn back to Him, to spend time with Him. It makes a huge difference in how we navigate our day to day lives and also how we deal with difficult situations.
Back to our weekend- we also went swimming in the lake. The boys loved that. They would have stayed out all day in the beating down sun if we had let them. Brian and the boys walked the pier when they finally got out of the water. I love seeing the three of them, Grandpa and Grandsons, hanging out together.
We had a campfire both nights. Of course we had to make s’mores. The second night we threw a packet into the fire and it made it different colors.
Another thought comes to mind. We show our true colors when we are put through fire. When we know Jesus we can show His light even in the tough times, because we have this Hope that we received when we accepted the Lord as our Savior. No matter the fire we go through, we know that we are being refined and can look forward to one day with no more fire, just pure Glory.
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
Romans 12:12 NLT
It sure was a nice weekend. There were some difficult times, but that can be expected. We definitely we go on another camping adventure again. ❤️
Blessings to you.
Tricia
Once again it has been a long time since I checked in. No excuse. I just haven’t. Don’t you dislike when people make excuses for things when there really isn’t one? Well, I’m not going to.
I trust everyone who reads this is doing well. It is summer here, and 85 degrees today. How’s the weather where you are? There is a tiny bit of a breeze, which if you stay out of the sun, makes the heat tolerable.
We went to Harris Hill with the grandboys yesterday. It was my husband’s work picnic. It was a lot of fun. One of the things we did is watch the glider planes take off. That was neat. The view from the top of Harris Hill is incredible. God’s creation sure is awesome!
Back track to May. Brian and I went salmon fishing up by Niagara Falls on Lake Ontario. We got some nice fish. This is the big one we got. It was 27 pounds! It took some effort to get it in the boat for sure. It was all about teamwork with the two of us.
When you back track even further, I mentioned in January that I would be having another surgery. I did have that, and got the titanium rod put in. I went home that same night. That was a blessing! So grateful for God’s provision through everything.
I won’t promise to write more often, but I will try. Thank you for reading!
Wow. I’m ashamed at how long it has been since I posted anything.
There isn’t anything super exciting going on right now. Of course, we are still dealing with the C word. That stinks on so many levels.
I guess the most exciting thing is that I am having surgery next Friday, January 28th. This will be the last one, unless I choose to have all of the hardware removed at a later date. I am having one static titanium rod put in, with a few screws to keep it in place. That’s a huge difference from what I have now. in the second picture, you can see the part on the left that still hasn’t grown in. That’s why I am having a rod put in, rather than just removing all of the hardware.
The surgery was already pushed back from yesterday, January 21, to January 28 because of issues related to c…. We are praying that this week will be a go. I’d love to just get it done. But we know that God already has everything planned out. We will trust in His timing. 💛
I trust that all of you who are reading this are doing well and staying healthy.
Until next time.
Blessings,
Tricia
I had my follow-up visit with my orthopedic oncology surgeon, Dr. Prince today. He is please with how everything is progressing since the latest surgery on March 4. The bone is growing in quite nicely. My next visit with him will be a telehealth visit at the end of July. I did get the “official letter” allowing me to return to bedside nursing. The news I wanted to hear! Praise God! I need to continue with PT, strengthening my right leg and working on increasing my range of motion.
Though I’m glad to return to my “regular job”, I’m grateful for the time I have spent in the office working on things for the unit. I think we were able to get some things situated we had wanted to do for a while and just didn’t have the time or resources.
The next visit to NYC will be July 12th. I will be returning to the MSK main campus for extensive bloodwork, X-rays, a whole body Pet Scan and a CT scan of my chest. Except for the leg X-rays, this is all to check for any recurring cancer in my body. It’s pretty much standard procedure. I’ll have an appointment with my medical oncologist at MSK and then at Guthrie shortly after. I’m claiming Psalm 145:18- “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” So no matter how things go, He’s got me. ❤️
Thank you for continuing to follow our journey. We appreciate so much your words of encouragement, thoughts, and prayers.
In the words of Paul, “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
Memorial Day
As I go through this day, and every day, may I remember those who died while in service for our United States of America, for our freedom. May I remember the hopes and dreams that they had, that their families had. May I be ever grateful for the sacrifices that these service men and women made.
I pray that I also remember the sacrifice Jesus made by dying on the cross for my sins, for our sins. Some don’t feel it’s being free if you are a Christian, but I know that it is the ultimate freedom. I know that I will some day spend eternity with my Savior and Lord. I won’t be a slave to sin and living in hell for eternity.
And so today I say THANK YOU to those who have died for my earthly freedom and to the One who died for my eternal freedom.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”
John 15:13 NKJV
We are headed back from the post-op visit. It has been raining most of the way, and a bit foggy. We have about an hour left in our journey, depending on the fog and such.
I have a couple of praises to share:
First- the ride down wasn’t bad and I was able to tolerate it with minimal discomfort.
Second- the appointment went well. The hardware and bone all look good. My lab work was all ok also.
I have to go back in two weeks to see how the length of my right leg compares to the left. It was difficult to tell today because I couldn’t stand in a good position between the leg being swollen and it being painful to keep it turned a certain way while doing the X-rays. I will also have these sutures removed. The other six incisions I have all have dissolvable sutures but unfortunately not these.
Oh yeh, another huge praise! I can take a shower! Woo! Up until now I’ve been doing a “bird” bath with a basin of water and washing my hair in the kitchen sink.
Right next to the MSK office is a restaurant. They haven’t been allowed to do indoor dining in NYC for over a year now. Well, this restaurant and many others have improvised so that they can be open even in bad weather. It’s pretty cool how they set it all up. Just wanted to share that. Pictures below.
Again, thank you all for keeping us in prayer. We sure do appreciate it. 💛
Yes, it is almost that time. I woke up an hour ago because I had to go to the bathroom. At 0100 I have to use Whirly3 for one minute, so instead of getting back into my CPM contraption only to get out of it less than an hour later I thought I would read. This first popped up as my verse of the day on my youversion Bible app.
Wow am I grateful that I have The Rock. Life sure can be hard, but He will strengthen me. He will be with me through it all. ❤️
Well, now it’s time to use Whirly3 and get a few more hours of sleep. Sweet dreams to you!
Surgery was two weeks ago today.
I’ve been having quite a bit of discomfort (ok-pain) in my knee and lower leg for the past few days. Just had X-rays done. Dr. Prince looked at the images, well his PA Molly did, and said there are no hardware issues. Well, when I look at all of the stuff in my knee I can see why I might be uncomfortable. 😳😩
I would like to find a holistic approach to addressing this discomfort. Anyone with suggestions, I’ll take them. I’ll also take your prayers. Brian too. Poor guy. He hasn’t been getting a lot of sleep between the CPM and me tossing and turning. 😢
On the bright side, look at all bone that grew in, causing me not to need a rod in the middle of my leg. It’s amazing how God created our bodies to be able to regenerate bone. It’s called osteogenesis.
Also, if you look at the arrow in the first picture, it’s pointing to how far my bone has separated to grow that length I need (1.5cm). I am already over 9mm now. Less than a week to go for that, and I should be on an even keel.
{Settle down in the peanut gallery.}🙄😂
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.”
Psalms 139:14 💛
One week ago today we were headed home, actually, almost home, from NYC. I sat in the back seat, as usual, after surgery.
This morning I had a zoom appointment with a Guthrie provider because I’m having home health come in. It’s one of those requirement things. I’m grateful I was able to do it online because I can’t drive anywhere or anything. And, to top it off, the NP was someone who went to nursing school with me. That was cool to catch up.
Today I’ve been hanging out with the dogs, enjoying nature from inside because it’s way too windy and cold out for me to hang out on the porch, and getting into God’s word. I’ve been trying to do some of the exercises my home PT suggested.
Tomorrow will be a full day of home PT and the home health nurse coming in. I heard it may do some sort of snowing thing overnight. Hopefully it’ll warm up a bit so I can get outside.
Everyday, even though my situation isn’t what I had planned or wanted, I am reminded that God is with me and can use my situation for His glory. Thank goodness. I wouldn’t want want to be doing this for nothing. I’m just needing to be patient amd not worry. All in His time.
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”
Matthew 6:26
Life on Purpose 