Prayers for Dear Francie26,

[DumNDumer]

FRANCIE,

MAY THE HOLY SPIRIT COMFORT YOU.

PRAYING FOR YOUR SPEEDY RECOVERY AND HEALING.

LUCI

[Francie26]

I discovered this thread when I came home yesterday afternoon, but I was so overwhelmed by the love and beauty in your gracious notes that I couldn't respond until now without crying. I simply cannot tell you how much I appreciate your extraordinary kindness. I have responded to others with prayer before, but this is the first time it was ever done for me, and it is a far different thing to be on this side of that equation. I am still overwhelmed by the beauty of your kind words, and I feel God is highly pleased with his sons and daughters who beseech Him for others, such as you have done for me. To catch you up, I had a lymph node removed from under my left arm, a small surgery, but one that required a full anesthetic, and the pathology report will be back sometime between Wednesday and Friday. The good news is that these are relatively common, and less than 20% of them are cancer, while the other 80% are infections or blockages of some sort. The lymph system is a filter for fluids that escape from everywhere else in the body, so it isn't hard to imagine how easily a node could become infected or blocked in some way. I fully believe mine will be one of those, but if it is cancer, I will most likely take some chemo treatments, lose all my hair and look like a romantic heroine in a novel, with possibly some pills that make me sick at my stomach, but I will then be pronounced well, and won't have to color my hair or get it styled quite as often for a while. And I will no doubt acquire a collection of knitted caps to keep my head warm. It's quite exciting actually since I will get to start over with my hair style. I haven't seen the "real" color of my hair in so long that I will be surprised to find out what it looks like au naturale now. I live with my youngest daughter and her family, and I am loved and wanted, and they all try to take good care of me. I love them for it, although one of my dreams for after the RV is to have another house of my own.

I have printed your prayers for me, and I read them out loud to myself often, almost always with tears in my eyes. They remind me of the power of prayer and of keeping our strong connection with God. And your good wishes keep me strong.

Now, I want to talk to each of you quite sincerely about something else, equally important. I have long used October as my month in which I get annual physicals. I read once that it is best to just assign a specific month, perhaps your birth month, but if you don't do this yet, I think you should do it in October of this year, just to get it done this time. For some reason I stumbled upon doing this in October. Last year at this same time, there was no indication of a lump under my arm, nothing. So that tells me that this is fairly new, not an old one that has had years to create problems. But if I had not just made October the month in which I perform this health housekeeping annually, I would not have found it this year. This year, my doctor decided that I needed to get several tests that are performed somewhat regularly, but not annually. So to that end, I had a yucky colonoscopy (every 10 years), a bone density test, did a sleep study, got a flu shot and a tetnus shot, and went over carefully all the vitamins and nutrients I take normally. So far, all is well except this one minor little correction of a lymph node. I had already gotten a shot for that problem some people have with shingles, but if you havent done this, you will regret it sincerely if you don't do it. Shingles is a disease that lingers in the system for many years after you have childhood chicken pox, and when it does come back out, it does so with a vengence. It is extraordinarily painful. It usually breaks out around teh waist and back, and it burns and stings horribly, and it lasts and lasts. So you should also get the shot to prevent this. it is something you will sincerely regret not doing if you are one of those whose chicken pox returns in such a vicious way. I learned that I have sleep apnea, so I am looking forward to the little oxygen machine that will regulate my sleep each night, and will give me a better sleep pattern. Getting a good night's sleep is vital to all other systems in the body, at any time, but especially as you begin to get a bit older. And I had not done this, kept sleeping for a few hours and then up a few, etcetera, so it is amazing that just that little oxygen during sleep can change everything so profoundly.

I don't tell you this to give so many people I have never met all this delicate personal information, but to tell you that, if you haven't done so, you need to get a thorough physical while Medicare is still available. I don't know when it will stop, and Obamacare kicks in, but I didn't want to miss any care I could still get on a plan with which I am familiar. Once it stops, we will lose Medicare as we know it, and I just cannot believe Obamacare will be nearly as good as Medicare is. Who knows what we will be able to do next year, so I am hoping that the RV will be completed so I will have the money to take care of my health as I continue to age. And I certainly hope the same for all of you. But go get your physical and then follow through and take care of any problems that may exist while they are still small. At least, no matter what you get done, you will go into the New Year with a powerful sense of well-being since you have taken care of your health. And there really is a good feeling about doing this and getting it all behind you for another year. I am extremely healthy, have always been so, and if such little corrections are needed for me, many of you are living with such situations as well. So go. Get it done. This is your Earth Mother speaking. haha

And again, thank you for your support and prayers, and for the simple fact that you care. That means very much to me. And one way or another, I will be fine.

Blessings to all of you, and much love.

Francie