Everyone looks forward to summer, the sunshine and long, lazy days, family outings, picnics. My summer started in a most unexpected way - I started bleeding. I had gone through menopause in my 40s so I knew this was NOT good and certainly not normal. It was enough blood and clots to scare me right away so I did something very out of character for me - I called my doctor immediately! My usual MO, since I tend to by a hypochondriac, is to wait a week and if it was still bothering me THEN to call my doctor. Thank God, I have not had any medical problems since 1977 and hadn't gone to the doctor's except for yearly physicals!
My doctor told me to come over immediately and did a physical exam. He sent me directly to the hospital to have my first ever sonogram. My mother-in-law had uterine cancer years ago that started with bleeding so you know what I was expecting to hear. I was scared and felt very alone. John was working so I could only leave a message for him. I didn't want to call my sister Kathy to come sit with me because it was her anniversary. And I didn't want to upset my children needlessly. I did the only thing I could, I prayed and repeated over and over "Jesus I trust in You." I used to have panic attacks and prayed that I'd be able to get through this (whatever it was) without losing it.
I tried to read (yes, I had the presence of mind to grab the book I was reading in case I had to wait. I am NOT a good waiter) but kept reading the same page over and over again. Then in walked our niece, Amy. She is a sonogram tech at the hospital and saw my name come up on her computer. Of course she couldn't do my sonogram because I was family but she came in to see me and tell me what to expect. I feel like she was an angel sent to me when I needed a friendly face. I felt calmer and got through the sonograms and was told my ovaries looked good but I had an abnormal thickening of endometrium in my uterus. They told me to follow up with my GYN who would no doubt want to do a biopsy.
John was waiting when I got home and I made the necessary calls to inform my children of what was going on. I was scared! More than anything I didn't want to be afraid. A couple days later I did what I do without thinking for everyone else: I sent out a prayer request. It was time to put my money where my mouth was but to do that EVERYONE would know and that would make it very real for me. I was overwhelmed with the responses I received! Promises of prayer and stories of faith flooded my inbox! I now understand what it's like to be able to FEEL people's prayers and truly be uplifted and strengthened by them.
The following day I went to the GYN recommended by my primary doctor (up until this time, his NP had been doing my GYN exams and Pap tests every year). I warned the nurse that my BP is always very high at the doctor's offices. My doc had explained years ago that I have "White coat syndrome". But I do have high BP controlled by medication. Anyway, my BP was normal! That was VERY strange. I found out later that my sister Kathy and best friend Judy had BOTH PRAYED that my BP would be my normal BP at the doctor's, knowing how anxiety affects me. My GYN did a PAP test and an endometrial biopsy right in the office and explained everything to me. She even showed me the sample she took. She said she can usually tell if it's cancer and she wasn't seeing cancer in my sample. But then she said that occasionally she is wrong. I would have results within a week then we would go from there. Now I had to wait for results - through the 4th of July weekend and Monday holiday.
Through this time, God ministered to me in a variety of ways. I learned to listen to the words to whatever song was in my head. Usually it was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment! A particular song ministered to me over and over. It just happens to be a song I sing with Fr. Bill Quinlivan about a woman who has been hemorrhaging for years. It's called "Someone Touched Me" and some of the words are "Courage daughter. I'll halt the flow. Come all you who pain and grieve, know my healing, just believe." Other times I'd hear "God is in Control" or any number of other Christian songs that seemed to be speaking directly to me.
The responses to my prayer request kept coming and I felt calm and positive. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." No matter what the results, I knew God and his Blessed Mother would be with me through it all. That realization brought me great happiness and peace. Eventually I got the results - it showed something abnormal so she scheduled me for a D & C.
Since it WASN'T an emergency, I had to wait until Friday, Aug. 13. Another "God Breeze" - 13 was my Dad's lucky number and I felt my Dad with me very strongly during this time. He had many many 13s in his life, too many to be a coincidence. My D & C was scheduled during the 13th hour and I was put in room #13 - imagine that! I went into surgery feeling very calm and peaceful! The surgery went well: I had no problem at all with the anesthesia! I woke right up - starving!
Again there was the waiting for results: hyperplasia with atypia which is a precancerous condition. 30% of the time
without treatment it turns into cancer. If I had followed by usual MO, I would NOT have called the doctor because the initial bleeding stopped within a couple days. I thank God that something inside me made me call the doctor RIGHT AWAY and not wait. Sometimes a D & C takes care of the problem, sometimes it requires further treatment. I have to have another biopsy in February to see what's what and we go from there.
Through this whole experience I truly learned the power of prayer. I always pray for people when asked but now that I know what I know, I will pray all the harder. Prayer does work!! A side note: whenever I ask Kathy and Judy to pray about my BP when going to the doctor, it is normal. When I forget to ask them, it's high. Go figure..............
Jesus I trust in You!!
Sammi and David went with us again this year. And Kathy brought William!
This year both David and I won baskets!! 
We all had a wonderful time and came home and camped out by the Christmas tree.
