At least I know my heart is beating!

Dear friends,

The last time I wrote, I was up with an ear ache. It is now 15 days since my left ear filled up and about a week and a half since my right one did. I am at maybe 1/2 to 1/3 level of being able to hear. I am missing lots of conversations going on around me and feel for the deaf and hard of hearing. Wow. I also can hear my heart beating in my head, but the rhythm is a little different in each ear which is driving me a little crazy. It impresses me how regular and hard my heart works. God invented some amazing systems when He designed the human body. I am very ready for my hearing to come back, however.

I went to the doctor for the second time and am now on steroid nasal spray to help clear up my sinuses and ears. Antibiotic didn't touch it. If I still can't hear in another week and a half, he will refer me to an ENT doctor. There has been some ear pain and terrible headaches, but I did go to church this week and to Bible study and the grocery store yesterday. So although I am sleeping a lot, I am getting some things done. Thank you for praying for my ears. It is such a small thing in the scheme of things. A chance for me to learn patience.

My colonoscopy went well. They are right that the prep is worse than the procedure. I had one pollop (sp?) and a lot of pockets which were not too deep. I should find out tomorrow the pathology on the pollop, but my experience is that when it is bad, they call you sooner. So I am not concerned about it.

On Monday I also saw my Integrative Medicine doctor. Dr. Valley is fantastic. Very smart and kind and is helping me with supplements and with my cholesterol, etc. One medication I am on for the rest of my life (Femara) is causing it to go up. I take that to help me avoid further cancer. But it has the side effect of bone density loss and increased cholesterol. Anyway, Dr. Valley ordered some blood work that he reviewed with me. My liver is doing better so I am now allowed to do my candida diet for a few months.

I have a yeast overgrowth in my body called candida. Lots of you know what that is, but I will tell you a little about it just in case. I also had this 3 years ago and got rid of it by doing a special diet and taking an antifungal for a few months. Cancer treatment in '06 included steroids for anti-nausea and antibiotics and chemo, etc., that allow candida/yeast to flourish. So I have known I had it again since before we moved lat summer, but my liver wasn't doing well enough to handle flushing out the candida when it dies. It is a strain on the liver to do that. Now that my liver numbers are better, Dr. Valley gave me the go-ahead. This might also help to lower my cholesterol. It did the last time. Last time I also lost 25 lbs. doing the candida cleansing. I don't need to loose much this time, but hope I will feel better when I am done. I have been very tired since my last cancer episode.

Tomorrow I see my oncologist for a check up. Greg might be able to come with me and meet Dr. Sienko, as the oncology office is a few hundred yards from the Partners International office. My physical therapist (for my shoulder which is doing great by the way), chiropractor, Dr. Valley, and my internist, all want Dr. Sienko to find out why my right side is hurting. A place on one of my ribs hurts when palpated, and also when I move certain ways. I used to get a stabbing pain once in a while, and I thought maybe my rib was out of joint or something, but it has gotten more frequent and has been hurting more and more. Now it is every day, almost all day. The oncologist's rule I learned almost 9 years ago is, "If something hurts and gets worse and not better in 2 weeks, come and see me."

You can guess where my head goes when that happens. I try to steer it away from the idea of cancer. Bones is one of the places breast cancer metastasizes to. But then I remember that the Lord is the author of my days, and He gives me peace when I remember that each day any of us has here on earth is a gift from Him. This life is so brief in the scope of eternity. But I do want to be totally His each day and not worry about what might be coming in the future. It could be something other than cancer that is not serious. God can heal it. But since I have had cancer twice, I sometimes wonder if that battle is looming again around the corner. If the worst that can happen is starting my stint with Him in eternity, then there is NOTHING to worry about!

So you can join me in prayer. Let's pray for God's perfect will, and for healing for my ears, sinuses and right side. And wisdom for Dr. Sienko. He might order a scan. Much of my prayer is also praise for the wonderful friends He has brought into my life. I am so very blessed, with amazing kids and a great husband and church and neighbors and Partners...I could go on all night, but I think I need to sleep. I am grateful for you too. Any and all who read this.

By the way, Erin, who we bought this house from, commented on my last blog entry that she saw 2 moose that day hanging out by her house. Pretty cool.

Blessings- Nancy