I have noticed that the swelling is definitely going down in my legs and ankles – thanks so much for praying!! One of my Facebook friends suggested looking up lymphatic massage on YouTube, so I did that the other day, and have tried the techniques a couple of times.

Today I had an appointment with the lymphedema specialist at the Cancer Center to see where I’m really at! She took measurements every 4 cm on my arms, as well as around my ankles and calves. Apparently my right arm is 4% larger than my left arm! I also stepped on a machine that measured the fluid in my body, and the good news is that I have more fluid inside my cells than outside – just barely, but she was happy with my numbers!

She wanted to see what I was doing for the lymphatic massage, and made a few recommendations and changes – for example, don’t massage the lymph nodes in my armpits!

She also showed me some exercises to do pre-surgery, post-surgery with drains, and post-surgery after the drains come out. I have two more appointments set up with her several weeks after surgery so she can see my progress.

This is today’s fun mail!! My friend Karen has been teaching adult individuals with special needs at Brookwood Community how to make soap and body products. She sent me one of the spa boxes they are selling for Mother’s Day, along with the Soul Spa devotional book – what a great collection! I’m super excited about using the products and reading the devotional!

I also made some soap for fun this afternoon, and have been working on updating the Soap Challenge Club website. It will have a whole new look very soon. I can’t wait to show you! I’m feeling stronger every day – I can even do jumping jacks again! My stamina isn’t back to pre-chemo days, but even the lymphedema specialist told me I’m pretty strong after doing some muscle testing.

One thing I still would like some prayer for – the decision to do reconstruction with silicone implants. I’ve been doing some research on breast implant illness, and personally know two women who had it and had to have explants (they didn’t have breast cancer). I may be more prone to it, as it is more likely for those who have autoimmune disease or have a family history of autoimmune disease. My mom has fibromyalgia, and I have the markers for lupus, although I’ve never shown any symptoms. Prayers for wisdom are definitely appreciated!