True peace, joy and calm are not circumstantial.

"True peace, joy and calm are not circumstantial, even in the midst of chaos.  They come from the Divine.  Do not be afraid. Our needs will be met and we will not be abandoned by God."

I received this message the day I found a second Phyllodes tumor which was a metastasis of the first Phyllodes tumor. This message has served me as the cancer became aggressive within my body.  My upcoming posts will fill you in with the details on the additional metastasis.  But for now, may you be blessed, as I, with this message from the Divine.

Weigh the pros and cons of a decision and then commit.

Radiation treatment has two potential side effects, fatigue and sun burn/blistered skin. No one knows for sure why some people experience the side effects while others don't.

I checked in with my Phyllodes Tumor support group and asked the ladies for their experience. It ranged from no side effects to side effects that sound difficult:

- Extreme exhaustion regardless of how much sleep they had.

- Extreme pain to have their clothes touch their skin.

The side effects started about 3 weeks into the treatments and lasted about 3 weeks after their last treatment session.

But, isn't that life? You weigh the pros and cons of a decision and then commit. Choosing radiation treatments in spite of the side effects have kept most of the ladies with malignant Phyllodes Tumor, cancer free. The ladies who haven't had radiation treatments (typically because it wasn't offered to them) have had a recurrence of this cancer.

I was told that exercise can help combat fatigue. Most of you know, exercise has not been a strength for me...until now. I used to say, "I hate exercise". Now, I say, "I love exercise". What we say out loud or just to ourselves helps drive our actions.

I've been doing very light exercise over the past two weeks. Now that I have recovered from the surgery, I am in our little gym at our complex.

Today, I was able to do 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes on the stationary bicycle. I really do love exercise. I clicked on my Pandora App and hit "shuffle" and away I went.

Exercise is important for all of us.

No. 1: Helps us to manage our weight
No. 2: Combats health conditions and diseases
No. 3: Improves our mood
No. 4: Boosts our energy
No. 5: Our sleep is better
No. 6: Puts that zing/spark in our sex life

Ladies, regarding #6, if our mates understood this one, they would have us at the gym on a regular basis, right?

To try to minimize sun burn or blistered skin, I'm using a product called Aquafor. It was the number 1 choice by my doctor. I started using it 2 weeks ago and apply it 2 to 3 times per day.

So, I'm doing my part. I can count on God to provide me with what I need when I need it.