Our first entry....it's a doozy

Well, welcome to our new blog! We’ve been meaning to start one for a while now, but are just now getting to it. So we’re starting in a time that we welcome your prayers and support. And we are praying that soon the blog will just be a way of updating you on what fun things are kids are into, and the random daily experiences of the Thomas Clan.
We know many of you are checking this blog because you are wondering about the status of all my testing. So I guess I should start. I’m going to start from the beginning for those of you who are just now finding out about all of this.
For the past six weeks or so I have been having random symptoms such as nausea, dizzyness, lightheadedness, headaches, tremors, and shortness of breath. This led us to several doctors in the last several weeks. This past Monday I saw Dr. Richard Hinton (a neurologist) who was recommended by Dr. Jay Burns (thanks Jay!!). Dr. Hinton ordered an MRI on my brain and referred me to Dr. David Harper (cardiologist). Thankfully the MRI on the brain was normal. Praise the LORD! Dr. Harper did a stress echo on my heart yesterday (Wednesday). He said that my heart itself is in good condition, but the echo showed a mass above my heart. He had me do a cardiac MRI and a chest x-ray today so that we could receive more information about the mass.
So the results of today show that there is definitely a mass. The mass is most likely an atrial myxoma which is typically a benign tumor that sometimes can cause symptoms or important consequences. These tumors also tend to grow. So, tomorrow I will have some more tests done which are:
1)CAT scan of my chest (to see if there are any clots in the lungs)
2)Bloodwork to test for clotting and/or inflamation
3)TEE (Transesophogeal Echo) where they put a tube down through my mouth and esophagus to take pictures of my heart. This will give them a good look at the tumor so they can further decide the appropriate next steps.
From our conversation with the Dr. Harper, there is a strong possibility that I will need to undergo surgery to remove the tumor. This would be a median strononomy(sp?) where they go through the breast bone into the right atrium. They would remove the tumor then patch the heart. An easy recovery would be 4-5 days in the hospital, then a 4-6 week recovery period where I would not be able to be the primary caretaker of my children.
WHAT TO PRAY FOR:
1) that Rob and I and our dear friends and family would continue to trust that God knows what’s happening and that we can rest in Him.
2)That the tumor would be benign and that nothing else (processes or clots) would be discovered in my body
3)That if surgery is necessary that it would be low risk and problem free.
4) That God would be glorified at every point in this process
5) Wisdom for the doctors
Rob and I are taking this one day at a time. We trust FULLY that the Lord God is sovereign, that He loves our family, and that He has a divine plan that is much better than any of us could create for ourselves. We feel that regardless the outcome, He is in control.
So many of you have asked how you can help us right now. We have felt overwhelmingly loved and cared for. Thank you for the calls and emails, and thank you for the grace you give us when we do not answer right away. The main way to help us is to pray. If you would like to help in another way, you can email Sarah Fifer at sarah@fiferrenovations.com .
Thank you for praying for us, for loving us, and for helping us feel God’s comfort through your actions. There are no words to express our gratitude.