Health

I had my mammogram several days ago.  The technician said that all the images she took were good.  As far as I was concerned it was just a routine exam.

Today I got a call telling me that I needed to come back in for a repeat mammogram and the radiologist will be there to go over the results with me.  The lady who called said is is normal for about 10% to need additional images and it's nothing to worry about.

Maybe so, but I have that feeling of fear in the pit of my stomach that is telling me that something is wrong.  I know that I'm the type to always expect the worse and in the process become frozen with fear.

I am making every effort to focus on trusting my heavenly Father.  During times like this, I turn to the hymns that have stood the tests of time. and with the authors of the hymns choose to say...

Have Thine Own Way Lord,
Trust and Obey,
My Father is Omnipotent
Just a closer walk with Thee
Through many Dangers, toil and snares I have already come...

Some of these are just phrases, snippets that come to mind, long buried in my mind for such a time as this.
And on the Holy Scripture...
He who has begun a good work in you (me) will see it to the end...
Nothing can snatch me out of my Father's hand
Yea tho I walk through the valley...I will fear NO evil for THOU art with me...

HE is in control.  He knows the future and will see that I have everything that I NEED

I can rest in peace because He holds my hand.

Be an advocate for your health

I have seen first hand how important it is to be your own advocate especially in the area of health care.  If a dear sweet lady at church who is only about 10 years older than me had not pushed and persevered, most likely her cancer would not have been found in time and maybe the treatment she is now receiving would not have been as effective.

To that end, I sat down today to make a spreadsheet to track everything I need to keep up with. 

• Blood sugars, check at least 4 times daily
• Lung function. check several times a week
• Migraines, how often, what triggered them, how I treated them, etc

It's a lot of info to keep up with, BUT in the long run it will help me stay in better control of my health and help my doctors.  I do wish I had thought of this sooner. But better late than never.

I have been tracking things seperately, just not in one big spread sheet.

I've got it all printed out for the year and in a 3-ring binder.  It's bulky, but will also be too big to misplace, I hope.

Of course I keep thinking of other info I could have added to it, but my goodness, it's already 14 pages long and 11 columns wide.  I think I'll just jot in my weekly weight check like I have already been doing.

So, what does this have to do with being your own health advocate?  Well, the way I see it, you can't stand up for yourself if you don't have evidence.  The log will be my evidence.

It will also help to keep me on track and hold me accountable.  Don't you hate that word?

Chemo Cap and Scarf

I just finished a cap and scarf set for a dear lady at church who is battling cancer. This is the first of several sets I hope to make for her.

This set was made using Lion Brand Homespun, it is a very easy care yarn and comes in many colors. One skein made the cap and a 34” scarf. This scarf has a keyhole to allow the wearer to pull the opposite end through thus keeping it securely around the neck..
I hope Melinda will like it and I hope that this is one way I can bless her during this time.
Please keep her in your prayers.

Just a tidbit of info:  if you don't have a mannequin head on which to display your crocheted hat and scarf set, 2 rolls of toilet tissue work just fine!

Health Update

Went to see my Doctor today. Good news. No wheezing in my lungs, so no new meds for my asthma, just use my rescue inhaler as needed and call her if I think I'm using it too often. I've lost 12 pounds!! in the past few weeks, that's really exciting for me. Especially since everything else seems to have been going the other direction! She did increase my medicine for my diabetes, BUT it's the same medication and it's one that does NOT cause weight gain, instead it helps with weight loss. That's a good thing.

So, I'm praying for good air quality days so I can be out working in the yard and going for walks with the kids and Oscar. For continued weight loss and improved blood sugars and improved health.

The one thing that continues to be tricky is the migraine disease. We still have to find the perfect combo of preventive and rescue meds. But I hope we are on the right track there as well.

We're on a 2 month school break, so hopefully when we start back on August, I will be feeling better, more organized, and able to be the wife and mom God has called me to be. And if I'm not where I think I should be, I need to remember that God is in control, and His ways are higher than mine.

Blessed be the name of the Lord