Melissa George - Breast Cancer, Faith, God, & Home Free

Breast Cancer,

Faith, God,

&

Home Free

By Melissa George

Book 1

I want to dedicate this book to some special people. They have walked this cancer journey with me day in and day out.

My family, My Mom Geneva, My Dad Joe, My Brother Mark, My husband Marty, My Son Chris, My Sister in Law Amanda, My Daughter In Law Cari, My Grandson Trevor and My Granddaughter Dakota. Thank you all for loving me.

A big thank you to All of my Earth Angels.

Tammy B.

Shawndi L.

Sharon L.

Kimberly F.

Joan J.

Tammy C.

Alan S.

Jean L.

Joe P.

To every member of Melissas Journey, Your prayers and support have meant more to me than you will ever know. I Cherish each and every one of you.

Melissa George 2019

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, copying, downloading, uploading, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher and/or Author.

Although the author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at press time, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage or disruption caused by errors or omissions. Whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident, or any other cause.

Cover Illustration Copyright 2019 by Melissa George

Cover design by Melissa George

Book design and production by Melissa George

Images from Morgue file

With all of the books that I have written, I must say that this one has been the hardest. I would like to share with you some things that have happened to me. As you read along, I will ask that you pay close attention to the signs. These small signs could possibly save the life of you or a loved one.

Im going to give you some background before I get into the things that have happened. My name is Melissa, and at this time, I'm fifty-one years old. I have been married for thirty-four years. I have a son, a daughter in law, and two beautiful grandchildren.

Before I got married, I was raised in a Church of God. It turns out that I married a Church of God preachers son. We attended my church until just after our son was born, then we got out of the habit of going each week. As time passed, we were only going for special occasions, Easter, Mothers Day, and Christmas. I didnt give it much thought, and life went on.

Things were great up until a few years ago. I'm going to begin my story here because this could have very well been where all of my trouble started.

Before all of this began, I was a very healthy female. I had just become a grandmother for the first time with no significant health issues.

One evening, about five years ago, my husband Marty and I were watching TV.

He was rubbing my feet and noticed that my right ankle was slightly swollen. I hadn't injured it, so I assumed it was my age. It was time to talk to the doctor about getting something for water retention. Not a big deal. Not a discussion that I was looking forward to, but still not a big deal.

A few weeks later, my daughter in law, Cari and I were having a cup of coffee when she told me that my face looked puffy. I assumed it was my sinuses. I have sinus infections in the spring and fall, so I didn't think anything about it. It's happened before.

I did see my doctor a few weeks later. I got an antibiotic for the sinus infection and some Lasix for the swollen ankle. The Lasix didn't help, and my right ankle continued to swell slowly. It was swelling so slowly that it was hardly noticeable. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it because there wasnt any pain. Weeks could go by before I noticed that it was still slightly more swollen. I finally told my doctor about it again, and he sent me for an X-ray. The X-ray didn't show anything, so he recommended I try elevating it. I did as he told me to, but it slowly continued to swell.

While all of this was going on with my ankle, my sleep apnea was getting worse. I have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, but I have never done the sleep study, and I don't have a C-pap machine. Marty told me that I was gasping more at night, and he would have to wake me more often. It was a stressful time in our lives, so I blamed it on stress. I had lived with some mild sleep apnea for a few years, and I functioned fine with it.

Gradually I was becoming more and more tired. I just didnt have the energy that I once had. I knew this too would come with age, but I was getting to the point that my seventy-year-old mother could run circles around me! Feeling tired all of the time gradually got worse. It was hard to get up in the mornings, and taking a two-hour nap in the afternoon still wasnt enough. I thought I was just worn out and eventually, I would get caught up on my rest.

I didnt see it at the time, but subtle changes were going on; that would lead to a severe issue. I began having a bizarre ice craving; it was much more than a need. It became a full-blown addiction! I had to have a cup of ice before my coffee, and then I would eat it all day. I couldnt go anywhere without my cup of ice. If I did, it was all I could think about, so I would end up stopping to get some. I actually kept a bowl of crushed ice sitting in water in my refrigerator. This softened the ice, so it was easier to chew. I would also have my hubby go to one of those side of the road Ice machines and buy two bags to keep in the freezer. These were just for me to eat. If anyone used them for a drink, I would get angry! My friends and family adjusted to my eating ice every waking moment. I remember being in the middle of the grocery store one day and I ran out of ice. My husband had to go to a fast-food restaurant and get me some more so I could finish the grocery shopping. If he hadnt have gone to get some, Im sure I would have just left the groceries and gone to get ice. I am well aware of how crazy this sounds. I knew it was nuts, but it was something I had no control over. I couldnt stop!

By now, I have a swollen ankle and foot, Im eating ice, and Im fatigued. I could sleep all day and all night If the family let me.

I cant ever remember feeling this badly. But I still thought that I was just overly tired. Maybe I needed to slow down. As if all of this wasnt enough to let me know something was wrong. I developed another symptom. I began to wet the bed at night. Now I know this can happen from time to time. But this wasnt normal. I wasnt even waking up at night with the urge to go to the bathroom. I was sleeping right through these accidents. All I knew was that I was waking up wet. This became such a problem that I was forced to buy the adult undergarments to wear at night. I remember telling my doctor on three separate occasions that something was wrong. She would test me for urinary tract infections, and nothing ever showed up. This progressed to where one undergarment a night was almost not enough! I was filling them up nightly but never woke up. I was very puzzled at this. Im a very light sleeper. I should have been waking up! I noticed that this urine was clear and odorless. It was bizarre. It didnt even seem to be urine!

I continued to feel exhausted every day. It gradually got so bad that I would fall asleep at my desk while working. If I got into a car to go anywhere, I would be sleeping in a matter of minutes. Then I began to fall asleep while talking! I could fall asleep in mid-sentence! This became very embarrassing for me. One morning I was eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.

When I fell asleep and went face-first into my bowl, I knew there was a problem, and I needed help.