The last few weeks have been, for the most part, quiet and routine.  Except for one weekend when the kids came back to Raleigh “to visit”, Abby, Will, and Nate have continued their summer vacation in Charlotte.  And they are having an absolute ball.

Last week was “Grand Camp” with three of Autumn & Greg’s kiddos (Maddie, Katie & Hadley) and two of ours (Abby and Will).  Each morning, the five cousins attended a superb VBS at Sharon Baptist.  Each afternoon, my parents had a different activity for the kids.  We saw videos from Carowinds, McAlisters, Discovery Place Kids, the Page backyard “water slide”.  They played UNO, had treats, and enjoyed a giant week-long “cousin sleepover”.  Honestly, at ages 4 & 5, can you think of anything more fun?

Nate spent the week at Autumn & Greg’s, where he was perpetually spoiled by the nearly all female Lineberger household (thank you, Ashley & Kelly!).  He discovered a new-found passion for bacon thanks to Uncle Greg, went swimming, and in general, relished being the center of attention – a very unfamiliar but delightful experience for a 3^rd born.

Gabe, Mom Chong, Kai, and I have been in a unusually quiet home these last 5 weeks.  After my surgeries, we enjoyed visits from:

Allen & Anita (Gabe’s sis)

Greg & Autumn (my sis)

Stephen & Elma (dear friends from Gabe’s fellowship days in Miami)

Scott & Tina Lawrence (Scott is a glaucoma doctor like Gabe; the Lawrences are missionaries in Ethiopia)

Josh & Ashley Karshen and Eve Van Devender (friends from our original small group 6 yrs ago here in Raleigh)

Jennifer Yin (one of my best friend from college days at UNC)

 

All the sleeping and resting from surgery was doubly beneficial: by mid-July, I was healing from not only the two surgeries but also the chemo effects.  I have felt more normal in the last few weeks than since this journey began in February.

After three weeks of “arms quietly by my side” (doctors’ orders after the surgeries), my range of motion was greatly diminished.  Knowing that I needed to raise my arms over my head for radiation, I sought out a PT and began exercising.  Within a week, my range of motion was almost back to normal!

The biggest side effect continues to be some back pain that began during chemo.  It is near my left shoulder blade, and at its worst, it “radiates” across the band of my mid-back area.  I believe it could be an “old injury” (perhaps from pregnancies?) that was irritated by chemo and the surgeries.  During one of my pregnancies, I remember working with an excellent trainer Nick Outlaw to address pain in that same left shoulder blade area.  Since my range of motion has greatly increased, the PT (Samantha Brown at Emerge Ortho) and I have been focused on this left shoulder blade pain.  Though I feel good most of the time, I continue to have the pain off and on, at varying levels of intensity.  Thank you for praying for us to get to the bottom of this, and have the patience and wisdom to continue to rest and heal.

I’ll leave you with some picture of our “Victory weekend”, when the kids came back for a visit after the surgeries were done.