What a day!

Well, today was quite a day.
The phone call from the doctor's office came at 8:30a.m. - it was the nurse stating that all of TP's reports from the tissue samples came back NEGATIVE! That means that there was no evidence of any kind of pathology (cancer, hepatitis, cholangitis, etc). But, TP will require another kind of endoscopy to make sure the exterior portion the stricture is okay. After that, the doctor will determine what course of treatment she'll need, if any.
The weight of the world was taken off my shoulders upon hearing that news. I am still feeling such a sense of relief. Thank you, Lord, for giving us such a gift. I am so exhausted by all of this, so I think when I get to the beach next week, I am parking myself in front of the shoreline and not moving an inch the whole time we're there!
So, I took the kids out to lunch this afternoon, in celebration. We had so much fun, and it was great to be with them, relaxed, without being distracted by worry.
I had to volunteer at the school's festival tonight. Upon leaving, DQ told me that "you-know-who" had succeeded in calling DQ's friend a name. I can't believe this is STILL happening - especially after all we have been through at that school. I am calling the Director of Education tomorrow to see how this can be handled. So, this kind of put a damper on the day - but I guess I really shouldn't allow it to. However, DQ has been through so much this year, too; much like TP has, only in a different area of her life. Oh well........my girls will grow up to be strong young women who will be able to face adversity with courage and grace. And that is something for which to be very thankful!

Here We Go Again

We are now in what I refer to as "the holding pattern". We have been waiting since Friday (it's now Wednesday) for the test results from TP's ERCP (an endoscopy which checked out her biliary ducts). The doctor did rule out cancer, and he doesn't think it primary sclerosing cholangiatis (but it still could be); however, there are still 3 or 4 things he's considering as a diagnosis and he'll get back to us as soon as the lab results come back in from the tissue samples. My husband thinks she'll be fine, and I wish I could be so optimistic. Of course, I am the one who reads all the medical research and so I realize what all the possibilities could be. What we do know is that this specialist says that whatever TP has is "atypical" - which, of course, fits her to a T!
I am sure this is somehow related to her lupus - perhaps the massive doses of steroids she's been on over the past year and the resulting damage, or perhaps it's an autoimmune response where the bile is being identified as a foreign substance and so it is being attacked, or perhaps it's an infection or some sort of hepatitis. I don't know. And it's killing me - this uncertainty.
So, I keep on saying prayers - but I am not really certain of what to ask for or how to pray for something like this. When TP was diagnosed with lupus, I was blessed with strength to help her get through it all - but right now, I am feeling pretty overwhelmed.
I hate waiting for the phone call.