My posts have been far a few between lately with the busyness of summer, and the additional burden of some health issues. The week after coming home from our fabulous vacation, I had chemo and the doctor looked at my shingles and decided to send me to a dermatologist at COH on Friday.
On Wednesday I felt some pain in my right arm, and by the end of the day it had increased. I noticed that my arm was swollen, red, and hot. I could not imagine what that meant, but 4th of July was the next day and then I would be at COH on Friday, so I soldiered through the holiday with the swollen arm, AND the painful shingles in my right jaw.
Thankfully, after the fabulous firework show in La Verne, a dear friend offered to drive me to COH the next morning, though I insisted that I could drive myself. The dermatologist told me the bad news, which is the shingles was not caught in the 72 hour window (EVERYONE PAY $250 FOR A SHINGLES SHOT if you have had the chicken pox). My shingles can only be somewhat controlled by medication, but that the nerve endings will need to repair themselves and it will just take time.
I had the doctor look at my swollen arm, and told her that I had felt some tingling in my fingers while on vacation, and slight pain. She was a little puzzled and said she would call my Oncologist to see if she was in. My Oncologist does not work on Fridays, but the next thing I know, she is walking into the room and checking me out. She happened to be in (no patients) to get caught up on things. Her brilliant mind started churning, and she suspected something and sent me to have an ultrasound. Usually ultrasounds are backed up and take a long time to get in. I walked in and it was like they were waiting for me. The technician took about 15 minutes scanning my arm and left the room. She came back and told me that I had a BLOOD CLOT! Next thing I know, my friend is called from the waiting room, a wheel chair comes, and I am taken into the triage (emergency room) area and put in a room. Eventually, a doctor came in and told me I will be on a blood thinner the next six months and will have to have shots and a medication for this. Three hours later we left COH, and I was so glad I did not drive myself.
I truly felt great peace through the entire process. It was like I was being guided by God's hand and everything had been put into place. Though frustrated with another "issue" that needs to be managed, I could not deny that I was on God's radar, and I am trusting that He will continue to monitor my situation.
I am taking ten Girl Scouts (Silver Award) on a Glenkirk Chinle Mission Trip on July 19th. We will travel ten hours to a Navajo Indian Reservation and be a part of a team that holds a Vacation Bible School all week, and fills 200 backpacks full of school supplies. At the moment, I am not sure how this is going to work out with shingles, a blood clot, and some spine pain that has not gone away. I am moving forward and trusting that God will take care of it all when the time comes.
For those who are unaware, there is a spiritual war out there, and I am certain that the enemy does not want me to take these girls on a trip that could not only open their eyes to another world of people who are below poverty level, but also deepen their relationship with Jesus. I am on Satan's "hit list", but he can only go so far. I know I am protected by the blood of Christ, and that Satan has limited powers to try and slow me down.
PLEASE PRAY FOR THE SAFETY AND HEALTH of the entire team (Jon and Rachel too!) of thirty people who are traveling next week to Chinle, Arizona. Be especially diligent in praying for these ten girls (my Michelle is included) and that they will be forever changed by being servants for Christ to these Navajo children.
God is good all the time, and I know He will bless this trip and provide pain relief for me to be there for the girls as they are away from their family for a week.
I Love My Prayer Warriors,
Sandy
