A lump in the road....

Well, I thought I would share some of what has been going on with me for the past few months, unrelated to artwork, holidays, or kids. At the beginning of September, I discovered a large lump under my left arm. It did not hurt at all, but was fairly large. I don't know how long it had been there, but I had not noticed it before. After a series of doctor visits, ultrasounds, and mammograms, the latest doctor in the series of doctors assured me that he saw no cause for concern. He did, however, want to keep a close eye on things which required me coming in for subsequent visits. After the last of these which was also followed by the requisite dopplar ultrasound, there had still been no change. So the doctor recommended that, in lieu of the continuing visits, ultrasounds, mammograms, etc., he would go in and take out the offending lump and do a biopsy. So, this past Tuesday I went in for the outpatient procedure. I am the lucky recipient of a 2 1/2 inch incision under my arm, and later in the week I received the fabulous news that the lump (a lipoma) is nothing to be concerned about.

In all honesty, I must tell you that I really was not worried about it... in fact, I hardly thought about it at all. But then, I am not a worrier by nature. On the other hand, my mother-in-law, my mother, and my hubby all do enough worrying that I don't have to. Of course, this is all fresh for my mother-in-law who just two years ago completed chemo treatments for breast cancer herself. In her case, we all felt that her original doctor was not proactive enough. So she did not want the same thing to happen to me. And believe me, I am very thankful that these precious people love me like they do. I must tell you that I am also thankful to only be recovering from the incision and not having to make decisions about what kind of treatment comes next. Many people were caring and praying for me, and I want to give God the glory for answering those prayers.

I have many responsibilities as a wife and mother which I truly enjoy. But I haven't been able to do some of those the last few days. I am looking forward to getting back into a routine now and truly moving on from this "lump in the road."

Blessings to you all,