Prayers Answered!

This was the beautiful sunrise we enjoyed while on our way to STL yesterday morning! Isn't it fantastic? There's something about a sunrise that makes me so thankful that God has allowed me to wake up and enjoy another day that He has created, being so thankful to be His child.

Yesterday was a great day! We got up at 4am and left here around 5 and headed to the city. Almost 3 hrs later we arrived at Siteman and headed upstairs for my heart echo. Now, I must prepare you for a true miracle... At my very first echo before I started treatment, my heart ejection fraction (the amount of blood your heart pumps out with each beat) showed 50%. Normal is considered 50-75%. So mine was low-normal...what?! Even with all the running and activity I do, my doctor was shocked that it was so low! So we would have to watch it closely because the drug that makes me curable, Herceptin, has a small chance of causing damage to this very heart muscle. So after 3 treatments we checked it again, it showed minimally improved! Yay! I was so stoked that even on a drug that could cause my percentage to go lower, my heart actually showed a point or two improvement! So yesterday's echo was ordered because I had had 6 treatments. The nurse/tech that was doing the echo was like "I don't know how they ever got low-normal from your ef%, I just measured it three times and got 62%, 73%, and 67%." I almost jumped off the table!!! I said more that one "Praise God!" and "Thank You, Jesus!" The nurse was excited, too! I truly believe with all my heart that God answered my prayer that my heart would show dramatic strengthening, and any doubt that I should be able to take my cure (Herceptin) would be completely gone! I can't tell you how excited I am! And how God manages to strengthen my faith every single day, just leaves me in complete awe.... I'm almost at a loss for words.

I had the best treatment day yesterday, too. I had my very fave nurse, Renee, who I had for my very chemo treatment back in October who taught me so much and is so charismatic and fun! I just love her. And my treatment took only ONE HOUR! No pre-meds: so no steroids, no Benadryl (!!), nothing. Just my bag of Herceptin that takes one hour to run in. Yay!

And I was glad to be done so quickly because I couldn't wait to go see Tiffany. And I was so impressed when we got there because she looked great...especially considering what all she's been through. She is 4 days past transplant and hopefully will continue to gain strength every day and get to leave the hospital in a week and half or so.

I was so ready to get home when we left the hospital, but we hadn't eaten yet so we stopped at a new mexican restaurant in South County that was just so-so...nothing like our Maya's. And it was on home after that. Hallelujah!

This morning it is so warm and beautiful here so I took advantage and headed to the park for an OUTSIDE RUN! It was great. I parked in the middle rather than at one end just in case I didn't feel like doing much (not sure with yesterday being my first Herceptin-only treatment), and I ran for an hour and did 6 miles. I was a little slow, but I didn't care because I was running outside! So here's to another day of wonderful-ness! Hope ya'll are having one, too!

"Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed..." Jeremiah 17:14