Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Those three words
Last year I wrote about a dear friend who was diagnosed with breast cancer, and what it might have felt like to hear, “You have cancer”. No one wants that phrase anywhere near them. I have Jan’s permission to write about this because we heard those very words on Valentine’s Day. There is a place in Jan’s right lung that is harboring a malignant nodule. It has to come out. Other than that, we don’t know yet what the next steps are. They will be made clear in the next few weeks as she meets with a chest surgeon.
There are some positive factors that we are focusing on now. It is less than ½ inch in size. It was caught relatively early. Surgery may be the only thing she needs at this point, but we don’t know that for sure. The medical professionals put the pedal to the metal to schedule a PET scan, get a referral to a surgeon, and schedule that appointment.
This diagnosis seems inevitable. The cancer gene runs strong in Jan’s family. Both parents and two brothers have died of cancer, which is something that Jan has lived with for years. When she’s had other health scares she sometimes assumes that cancer might be the diagnosis and I understand why. She has been spared up until this point.
She grew up breathing second hand smoke from her father’s heavy habit. She remembers car rides with windows closed so the interior was foggy with smoke. She herself was a smoker for about 18 years while in her 20’s and 30’s. After she quit she became one of those people who cannot bear to be in the presence of cigarette smoke. In fact, for a long time in our early relationship, my smoking habit was almost a deal breaker. (I finally kicked the habit for good in 2011.)
The last few years have been rough ones for Jan in terms of health scares. She has weathered each one and prayed for well-being after each episode. This just hasn’t happened for her, and so we have navigated from one incident to the next. She has courageously faced bouts of pneumonia and pancreatitis and other big-deal events.
Today is no exception. She is going to St. Luke’s to have her heart arrhythmia corrected, hopefully with successful insertion of a pacemaker. She developed a heart problem with serious consequences in the middle of last year. Through the grace of God she found a woman who may just be the best doctor I have ever encountered. And that’s saying a lot after 46 years in the nursing profession!
Anyway, today is the day Jan has been waiting for. An electrophysiologist, also a very good and nice doctor, is going to visit Jan’s heart. He will start by trying to do an “ablation” – basically a procedure where wires are placed in the very spot that is causing the heart arrhythmia and a small area of tissue is burned to eradicate the errant signals. Failing this, he will insert a pacemaker to take over the running of her heart. If so, she will stay overnight at St. Luke’s.
I write all this because I know that, at our age, in our 70’s, our bodies are changing and are more prone to suddenly manifest “surprise!” symptoms. So the message is about the importance of developing, or persisting with, healthy habits. It’s not rocket science that a reasonable diet, a fair amount of exercise to keep moving along, and a solid support system are all essential to a good quality of life.
We have access to all three. This morning is mostly about our awesome network of supportive friends and family. I have instructions to notify a plethora of folks after Jan’s procedure. These are people who are praying and sending positive heart vibes in her direction. Our minister, Jan, will meet us at St. Luke’s to pray for the best possible outcome. We are in good medical hands.
We will weather this, then move on to the next phase. We will do so by the grace of God and the love of a lot of people. It’s called being blessed.