Linda Wager's Update Blog

  Update #6 1.26.22   A Treatment Plan! Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord .  (Jeremiah 17:7) Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God .  (Psalm 20:7) There is a plan!  As we approached the treatment options, we reminded ourselves that ultimately, we trust in God .  God may use doctors and treatment methods as tools to heal or to prevent recurrence, but He alone guards our health, our days, our time on earth. Linda’s treatment plan will consist of 5.5 weeks of radiation (5 days a week—in Antigo, thankfully!!) and then Hormone Therapy (a daily pill) for 10 years. We continue to be grateful for the surgeons, docs, therapists, and all who work besides them, and for the speed of appointments in such an uncertain time with so many shortages existing. Psalm 90:12 says this:  So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom . That should always be our ...

Good evening, family and friends! 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, m y God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:1-2 (ESV) We continue to dwell, abide and trust in God, our refuge and fortress, who is omnipotent, omnipresent, and loving. It's only Wednesday, but we have completed our week of five appointments/procedures.  :-) Monday's whole body bone scan came back as a NORMAL bone scan, no areas of suspicious activity.  No evidence of bony metastasis.  Tears of JOY and praising God!!  (And what a blessing to know the technician from former youth club leader days.) Tuesday's post-op check up #1 went well, with a not-so-sad goodbye to the drain.  Healing is going well.  Post-op #2 is scheduled for next Tuesday. Tuesday's CT scan (chest, abdomen, and pelvis) also came back with no lytic or destructive bone lesions, no abdominal or pelvis mass, and no suspiciou...

  Dear Family and Friends, We continue to be thankful for your prayers, love, and concern for us during this unknown journey. The journey is unknown to us, but we trust in our known God. We know He is faithful.   We know He is good.   We know He has a plan.   We know He walks with us and before us. The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.   Lamentations 3:22-23 The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you….Deuteronomy 31:8 I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.   Isaiah 46:4 Today we received a phone call from the surgeon informing us that one of the two sentinel lymph nodes tested was clean, but that they did find cancer in the other one. We were also told that the cancerous tumor that was removed was much larger than initially diagnosed. This means we need to get back on the testing circuit to see to wha...

Good afternoon, praying and caring family and friends! We are home after a successful surgery yesterday (Monday) morning where it went as scheduled, (and even had a camp friend as an OR nurse, along with 2 other believer OR staff) and overnight stay at the hospital.  The doctor was pleased with the surgery and we now wait for a few days for the pathology results from the tumors and sentinel lymph node biopsy.  That will determine the next course of treatment.  We're on the road to the first step in recovery and pain is very tolerable right now.  Now---to try to follow doctor's orders and not do too much yet!  (She did say that cross-country skiing may happen this year---depending on how long the snow stays.  :-))  We really did sense God's peace that passes all understanding as we brought to Him our cares and concerns before surgery. (Philippians 4:6-7) Thanks again for journeying with us, and for your concern, prayers, and words of comfort. Linda and ...

 Dear Friends and Family- Right after we received Linda’s diagnosis, Dave was reading and studying in our sunroom, and noticed the activity of the birds out in the cold, yet feeding and flying, as if they had no worries in the world.   He was reminded of the verse in Matthew 6:26—"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.   Are you not of more value than they?” God takes care of the birds.   He who knows our name and every hair on our heads loves us, cares for us, and has a plan for us.   We trust in Him. Last week we ended up having 5 appointments.   Linda had a second biopsy (2 nd side) and we are grateful that it came back benign.   We saw Dr. Platta, the radiation oncologist for a baseline appointment if radiation is needed after surgery.   We also were able to get in another appointment in Wausau, and also then one with Dr. Stroede, the surgeon.   The te...

Dear Family and Friends, We want to share some medical news with you. As of yesterday, December 11, Linda has been diagnosed with Stage 2 invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer. Here’s the back story. In early September, Linda noticed a breast mass, and saw a PA in Antigo as her PCP wasn’t available.   She then had a mammogram (early for her annual typically in November) and an ultrasound.   Results for both came back with no suspicious findings, but a note of dense tissue that is fairly common A yearly appointment with her PCP scheduled for October 30 had to be rescheduled by the clinic for November 24.   At that time, her PCP referred her to a breast specialist, Dr. Stroede, with whom she was able to get an appointment in Rhinelander on December 1.   Dr. Stroede pre-diagnosed it quickly in her office as malignancy, and this week Wednesday and Thursday Linda underwent a MRI and Ultrasound Guided Needle Biopsy.   This cancer is known to be tricky and ...