I have a lot of time on my hands, so I decided on one final post before Christmas because there is more to tell and more for prayer.

I arrived home from the hospital on 12/11 and cried tears of joy. Not only was I greeted by our neighborhood trees with the snowfall from that week (the freezing temperatures kept the snow frozen to the trees), but I came home to "Christmas"- a beautiful tree, lights, decorations and the beginning of Christmas cards, thanks to my family and precious friends.  I kept saying that I left in fall and came home in winter.  

Unfortunately, though my nausea had been under control in the hospital for several days, it returned the next day pretty intensely.  I struggled, mostly emotionally, because I kept thinking that if my nausea returned and I was unable to keep my potassium levels up, I would be back in the hospital.  Towards the end of the day, I sensed that I needed to text a few friends and ask them to pray for me to accept the nausea if that was where God wanted me and also that it would leave.  Within 30 minutes I was sitting up, sipping broth and getting down my meds.  The nausea ceased and has not returned since.  God reminded me that He does see my pain and asking allows Him to work!

I continued to improve through the week and celebrated 1 week out of the hospital doing something normal-going and watching my amazing kids support a local dance non-profit by performing in "Clara's Storybook Nutcracker".  It felt so good to be out and about NOT visit the lab or doctor.

On Monday I visited Dr. M.  He was overall very pleased with my recovery, took me off one of my medications and sped up my steroid weaning schedule a tiny bit.  We discussed resuming my treatment and what that will look like.  He is doing some additional research and would like me to get a PET scan in the next few weeks, but I can't resume immunotherapy until later in January when I am on a low enough steroid dose.

So, for now I get to focus on getting stronger, hopefully training my body back into a normal sleep schedule, and enjoying Christmas with my family. 

Fear hasn't been a huge issue for me these past weeks.  God keeps answering so many prayers so that I have had a lot of peace.  This verse reminds me that He is bigger than cancer or side effects and NOTHING can interfere with His sovereign will.

"Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

~‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭41:10‬ ‭New Living Translation‬‬

Thank you for praying and our prayer is that you all will enjoy a beautiful Christmas!

Praise God for:

• Getting home and staying home!
• Nausea gone, eating more foods daily and tolerating them well.
• The swelling in my legs is going down significantly and is much more comfortable now.
• Stable potassium and magnesium levels.

Pray for:

• A return to a normal sleep schedule-right now the steroids have me sleeping for 5 hours and then awake the rest of the day (I try to nap but remain wide awake).  I am very productive, but that probably isn't great for my body.
• Leg swelling to go down completely.
• Strengthening of my muscles-I'm pretty weak now, so I'll start some easy weight lifting this week and also hope to take short walks when the weather is nice. The stairs to my basement are also providing a good workout!
• No return of side-effects when I continue treatment in January.
• If it's God's will, that He would eradicate every cancer cell with my immunotherapy treatment.
• God to be glorified in everything that is going on.