Well, the results are finally in. My last CA125 level was 45 and this months came in at 47. It is not considered to have gone up but is simply staying stable. I was initially surprised that it didn't go down but after I thought about it I realized that this simply confirms my thoughts. I am at my "normal" level now.
The verse "we live by faith, not by sight" kept running through my head after the phone call. I am faithfully believing that God has healed me and not relying on the "sight" which would be a lower number.
The song "I Will Boast" kept running through my mind as well. As the line went through my head "I will boast in the Lord my God" the thought continued "not in my CA125 level". As I looked up the lyrics tonight for the name of the song it also listed the scripture it is from. It was Psalm 34 . . .
1I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
What a perfect way to sum up everything! I prayed long and hard before deciding to stop chemo. My next appointment is on May 12. If at that visit the ct scan is clear and the next CA125 level doesn't dramatically jump up then I will officially claim that I am a cancer survivor! I can't wait! I already feel like I am but that appointment will make it "official".
The cold that I was starting to get thankfully ended as quickly as it started. Unfortunately Emily has come down with a terrible cold. She has a runny nose, a cough and a low fever. Brian is also still coughing like crazy. His chest is sore from all the coughing. He said tonight that he doesn't think it's the "asian bird flu" anymore but thinks it's "sars" (severe acute respiratory syndrome). He becomes quite dramatic when he's sick.
Tomorrow is Brian and my 15th anniversary! To celebrate we bought new kitchen appliances. It was actually a case of bad timing - our oven has been slowly dying and Sunday it was done. The microwave and refrigerator aren't close behind so we decided to just bite the bullet and get them all at once. Sadly enough we bought new dishes for our 10th anniversary. Practical but fun :)
A final exciting note to end with - we received an update regarding Rich yesterday. He met with his doctor in Boston this week and he was very happy with his progress. He also said that he will not need any chemo or radiation! Yea! He would like continued prayers for his shortness of breath. This should improve as he adjusts to life with just one lung. It can take up to a year for that remaining lung to reach its full capacity.
Thank you for your prayers. I know the higher CA125 level will be upsetting to some of you but I hope that you will be able to feel the peace that I have and that we can boast in God's goodness!
