Friday ... and a timeline ...

 First, the good stuff.

Some of the flowers from my front garden.  Of the 200ish bulbs I planted in this area, not many came up.  Some gladiolas earlier in the summer and these.  I'm hopeful that next spring, summer, and fall more will come up.  Some of these look like there is a tiny hair-dresser that comes at night to nibble off the ends, like trimming off the split ends.  I have not seen anything on them during the day to tell me who the stylist is.

Next is the finished lamp for my dresser. 

This rocking chair was a gift and was handmade by the friend of the giver.  It was an apprenticeship project by her friend to see if he would be accepted into the program by the craftsman, and surprisinginly was not because one of the finger spaces on the armrests was one finger wider than the other.  A "flaw" no one would even notice if not pointed out.  Regardless, it is exquisite in my eyes, and wonderful in my living room!

I've been embellishing this hoodie to wear for Halloween with glow-in-the-dark fabric paints.

Last up, fall colors so far from yesterday evening at the bridge.  I can't wait for the mountains to be in full glory.

So, my timeline is of the medical adventures I've had this summer, and it comes with a request at the end of it for any physicians who read this, friends of physicians, and just anyone, in general, facing medical adventures which is pretty much all of us at some point in our lives whether it be our own adventures or those of someone we care about.

• 8 April 2021:  Diagnosed with diabetes.
• 22-26 April: Four-night stay in hospital for pancreatitis = $30,000 in hospital, ambulance & physician bills.  I'm overwhelmed.
• May-early July:  I've lost 30 unexpected and unplanned pounds.  My clothes are hanging off me.
• 13 July:  Had the first CT scan of my entire abdomen.
• 16 July:  Dr. K calls to tell me I have enlarged lymph nodes in my abdomen and he suspects cancer, wants me to see my gynecologist as soon as possible for a pelvic exam since the radiologist asked if I had a history of cancer in that area.
• 19 July: Dr. K calls again and now wants an MRI of the liver after talking further with the radiologist and a mass is detected larger than the hemangioma I've been aware of for decades.
• 26 July: See Dr. P for a pelvic exam.  The very first words she says to me upon entering the room, even before examining me, are "Radiation will give you the best chance for survival."  When I stated that I wasn't sure I wanted to go that route without more information, she said that she could leave right then without doing my exam if that was my choice.  I ask her to proceed with the exam.  [Made a mental note to never see her again.]  Biopsies taken during the exam do not show signs of cancer or other malignancy.
• 6 August: MRI done of the liver shows two masses, including the one I've been aware of.  The new one was not there on the last ultrasound of my liver in 2019. 
• 16 August: Referral to cancer center on 27th for possible liver cancer.
• 26/27 August: Oncologist calls evening prior to seeing him, to find out when I am having a colonoscopy.  He tells me that he believes I have "Stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to liver and lymph nodes."  I was very upset.  Colonoscopy was scheduled, also a liver biopsy.  Pastor and church members lay hands and pray over me the evening of the 26th that there will be no cancer.
• 14 September: After multiple cancellations and reschedules, colonoscopy is finally done.  Biopsies taken do NOT show any cancer or malignancies but show ulcerative colitis.  GOD is great!  Delay in getting the liver biopsy done because I need to be off arthritis medication for at least 10 days first.
• 30 September:  Liver biopsy is done finally.  Five biopsies were taken through the right side between ribs instead of the abdomen as previously told I would need.  All five come back negative for cancer or any malignancy.  More prayers answered, GOD is so amazing!
• 4 October: Find out that the 21.3k hospital bill from April has been reduced by 19.7k after a "financial assistance" charity reduced the amount of the hospital bill.  I'm overwhelmed but for a different reason.  GOD is so good.

This is my request to providers and healthcare workers.  Please, please, PLEASE don't speak a diagnosis without having some evidence first.  Twice I was told things based ONLY on what the physician saw on the CT, not on any definitive testing results.

My request to everyone else is to NOT embrace, welcome, or accept negative words spoken over you or someone you care about.  Man does NOT have the final answer.

Mindset is everything.  I believe that if I had embraced the negative words spoken over me by the gynecologist and oncologist, all of this could have had a different outcome.  But even more than a mindset, I believe that my FAITH in GOD is more powerful than any negative words spoken over me.  Even if what they had first said was proven true in the biopsies, I was not going to be afraid because of my faith, and the knowledge that this world is not my home.