"Crazy" Prayers for a Crazy Girl

I just wrote half this blog, pressed the wrong button, and lost it all. Usually I would take that
as a sign that I'm being too bold, too pushy. Not this time. This time I feel there is a reason the enemy doesn't want me to spit out what's in my heart. So I will carry on...

If you didn't already think I was crazy, you probably will after this post. That's okay, I am no longer trying to serve men, but I serve God instead (Galatians 1:10). I have a new prayer request that is bolder than any I've prayed before. The good news is that our God is bigger than what I realized before! There is no limit to His power, but only a limit to our perception of Him. He created me, my ancestors, and my DNA. Now I am asking Him for evidence that He has CHANGED my DNA. I have been praying about whether He might want me to pray for my genetic mutation to be gone, and whether I should have a test done to confirm it. As soon as I forgot about it, a bunch of doors opened and I have found myself in a great spot to get a new genetic test done--for free, no hassle, no worries.

I am aware that this could be a set up--a snare by the enemy to make me look like a fool. Bad results could discourage me and cause me to lose focus. That's why I need prayer. I need to make sure it is His mighty will for the test to be performed, and that I should be praying for proper, BRCA negative genes. Ps 25:21, "May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you."

Here are my thoughts: My doctors still want me to have my ovaries removed, and I'm extremely resistent to this. If I'm not BRCA positive, they won't care nearly as much about that. And, honestly, it would help me be more comfortable in my refusal to have them removed. More importantly, if God removed the genetic mutation from my body, there is no way my girls would have that mutation. When they turn 18 they wouldn't have to be concerned with those tests and deciding what to do about potential results (it would be recommended for them to have prophylactic mastectomies, ovary removal, and hormone therapy very early on). Finally, and MOST importantly, I do believe God has answered my prayers of a total healing and forgiveness of the generational sin I think started it all. If so, it makes sense to me (can't speak for God, of course), that the genetic mutation would be gone as well.

The more I pray for and attempt to minister to people who are in pain, the more convinced I am that we have not because we ask not (Luke 11:9), and because we do not believe He will answer us. People make really good arguments for not believing He will answer, but I can't find those in the Bible. Instead the Bible is filled with promises that if you believe, He will answer! People see what they consider to be unanswered prayers and attempt to explain them away. Those become whispers and arguments against true belief (Gal 5:10, "The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty"). Those arguments are just fears though. Perfect love drives OUT fear! I don't want to limit God by setting parameters on what I believe or expect Him to do. He is El Elyon, Sovereign over ALL!

So, that's that. I plan to continue praying to ensure that my heart is aligned with His (James 4:3, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives..."), and in the meantime I will proceed with the test and pray for BRCA negative results. Obviously if it comes back negative this time the doctors will just say the first test was wrong, but we'll still know...and they might start wondering a bit more...

"And I will do anything you ask in my name, so that the Son will bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14

Always something to whine about...

So, I never asked it while dealing with the diagnosis or treatments, but now that God has a tiny, insignificant request of me, I find myself a tad depressed, moaning, "Why me?". It's embarassing to even type it, but there's no point in pretending I'm something that I'm not...over the past few weeks God has put it on my heart to stop watching tv. I sort of swept it under the rug with a variety of my own solutions: I tried watching a bit less, not watching for a day or two and only watching while I work out. I thought the issue might go away. It didn't. Last night, after cutting my Bible time short to watch Netflix, I couldn't fall asleep for hours. When I did I had nightmares and felt very strongly that I was surrounded by evil. I prayed it away but lost 4 hours of sleep total. Somehow out of that I was quite certain that God had allowed it because He wanted me off tv, so I promised not to watch until He said I could. Today of course, that didn't make any sense so I watched an episode of Bridezillas. I realize it is a ridiculous show, but I had no other options. Anyway, I tore myself away to listen to a message about Exodus (still studying the Old Testament), and the second I thought, "when this is done I'll watch one show", Jon Courson said somehing like, "Your motto should be, 'there's no time for leaven [sin], I'm on my way to heaven'. You know, you can't take communion on Sunday then go home and watch a bunch of junk on tv."

You can call that a coincidence, but if so it was about the tenth one since I started suspecting He wanted me off tv. That equates to some sort of memo from God reminding me, "No tv. Tv doesn't feed your soul, I do." Message received. Finally. I imagine if God wasn't so perfect and patient, He would be rolling His eyes at me right now.

But....why me? Why does everyone else get to watch tv but me? Why can't I enjoy some lighthearted entertainment? What does it hurt? As I type this, my husband is in our bedroom playing video games online against his brother. I actually hear them shooting each other. How is that better than my watching an innocent tv show that only shows a few "minor" sins?

As much as I hate to admit it, God's answers are clear. His motives are clear. I just don't like them. It is so hard to embrace things we don't like! I am so wrong to take issue with being asked to sacrifice a miniscule part of my life. For one, I can't compare myself to other people, I must instead strive to be like God. 2 Cor 10:12, "But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.". I have also clarified that I wasn't watching quality, life-giving television, but I don't know if that matters. He may just want more of my time, be watching to see how much of my own desires I am willing to give up, or be unpleased with the specific entertainment I was selecting. I don't know what shows I have access to that are filled with joy and love, and that's because I don't seek them out. If God gives me the "okay" to watch things again, maybe I need to pursue those, but I'll take one step at a time. For now, I have more time to spend pursuing eternal goals and I will embrace that without questioning Him about it.

To the One who saved me from eternal damnation, I am fully devoted. By the One who blessed me with an amazing husband and two perfect children, I remain awestruck. For the One who chose me to display His miraculous power with supernatural healing, I am humbled and grateful. And when  am tempted to forget I will remember that "I love the Lord, for He heard my voice. He heard my cry for mercy." Ps 116:1

Radiation et al.

Alright, here's the whole schbeel on radiation. I'll go blow by blow so people have an idea what to expect for this type of treatment:

I go every business day, I think 33 times total, for 6.5 weeks. It takes exactly 20 minutes, but there can be time spent waiting around. It's at the same time every single day, 11:40 am. That wasn't my choice but is working out nicely, because it's during Naomi's naptime so I don't miss anything.

So, I had two set-up appointments, one week apart. At the first one I laid on this pillow with my arms holding handles over my head. It was then vacuum sealed to pull all the air out of it. The result was a plastic form molded perfectly to my back and head. I lay on that hard plastic mold every time now, and it keeps my body in the exact same position it was in when the initial measurements were taken. They used all kinds of lasers and scans to figure out exactly where to radiate, and marked my body all over with a rainbow of Sharpie markers. At the end of that, three important marks were covered with clear stickers that cannot be washed, bathed, or swam in order to protect the marks. Tomorrow I will be getting tattoos in those spots so the stickers can come off and they'll always know where to line up the beams.

After the first measurements, a physics team figured out the exact angles and details that are being used to radiate the area that previously had the most cancer. In many cases, the radiation is used to kill the cancer, but in mine it helps keep it from coming back. The area of the original tumor spot is where it is most likely to return. The downsides are that once it has been radiated one can't get it again if cancer does show up there, and of course there are side effects of putting all this radiation into your body. These are not concerns of mine because I trust in the Lord. If He wanted me to go through this, He will take care of the rest!

The scans showed that my heart sits in the exact spot they need to radiate. So, they have me do a ridiculous breathing technique to move my heart out of the way and get a clear shot. Dr. Bolek (my radiologist-oncologist), and all three of his staff who have looked at it, have all remarked how amazing the difference is when I'm breathing the special way and normally. They say that with the breathing my heart just scoots over, entirely out of the way. They say not everyone can do this breathing technique, but because I have low anxiety and am willing, I do it. Maybe that's one more reason the Lord has been showing me not to fear--because the one time I sort of messed up and got stressed out, it compounded the problem and was a bit disastrous.

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

This breathing technique can be hard to imagine, so if you're bored, do it with me! I lay on my back, on that hard mold I described. My arms hold handles over my head, parallel to the floor. The mold was created with my head looking forward, but I have to turn it to the right during treatments and scans. That means fitting the whole side of my face into a hole made for the tiny back of my head. There's even a pointy part that pokes me.That part is painful. Once my upper body gets moved into the machine, the radiation therapist tells me when to inhale. I breathe in as deeply as I can, but only exhale a smidge. I can't release my lungs the whole time (I think the first is a scan for 3 minutes, the second is a treatment for 5 minutes).Instead, I just inhale and exhale at the upper part of my lung capacity, short little breaths. It's hard because I have to stay really calm. In that position I can feel my heart pound heavily, like it would if I was terrified. Somehow, that hints to my brain that I AM terrified, and if I don't stay calm my already-short breaths speed up like I'm panting. In case you didn't know, altogether that spells a freak out session. It brings back memories of asthma attacks. The worst time was during the second scan ever, and my legs took over, wriggling to get the rest of my body out of the machine. All the other times I've been better though.

I have heard that radiation is very lonely, because the worker is in another room, and you go into this machine that reeks of sadness and pain. How many people have cried inside that thing? How many have died from the same cancer that brought them there? Who prayed aloud for relief in there but heard only the echo of her human voice in response?

"Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD." Ps 27:14

I am not lonely in there. Maybe I'm too busy breathing, or maybe I'm too focused on living. I got my miracle! That doesn't make it any easier for other people, of course, but my view differs now. There's been a lot of heartache for people I know lately, and even though I have more compassion than before, it doesn't bring me down like I would think. I have the utmost faith and assurance that God is in control. There will ALWAYS be a happy ending, even if it is too far off for us to see and feel. At the beginning of this journey that idea bothered me so much, because I wanted to dictate my own happy ending. But with so much more trust in the Almighty I see the big picture more clearly. And for those times I can't see the literal picture, my confidence in Him assures me that it's still there; It's just not my job to see it. It's His!

"Nehemiah said, 'Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength'." Neh 8:10

It's easy to see how people let us down, and when you're in the midst of trouble you get sucked in to allow Satan to convince you they can't improve. But beyond the fact that you can always believe in miracles, you can also remember that God is bigger than humans. It doesn't matter how awesome a man of God might seem to be; he's still just a MAN of God.

"This is what the LORD says: "Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD." Jer 21:5

We aren't doing Him any favors by doing His work. It is out privilege and an honor to do it. And if we don't, God will take care of it. When all else fails and every man falls short (as we do), God can use billions of other options to get His work done. Remember King Belshazzar in Daniel 5? God sent him a message through a human hand--with no body attached to it! "Suddenly the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. The king watched the kand as it wrote. His face turned pale and he was so frightened that his knees knocked together and his legs gave way."

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Isaiah 40:28-31

Started Radiation but Who Cares?

I started radiation. It's weird, but I'm not in the mood to blog about it. I AM in the mood to talk about Leviticus! I'm reading through the Bible and as you might know, Leviticus is one that is really easy to gloss over. It's all about the details for the sacrifices God's people had to make before Jesus came along as the ultimate sacrifice.

I was reading line after line of what people had to do after sinning. Whether it was an intentional or accidental sin, they basically brought a sacrifice, treated it in a certain way, then presented it to a priest who passed it on to the Lord. For the umpteenth time, I thought how easy it was back then. A man screwed up so he'd go catch a sheep and take care of it. Done. Over. No embarassment or repercussions besides the loss of time and goods.

I like how cut and dry it was back then. Messed up? Follow this to-do list and forget about it. As I marveled at this the Holy Spirit reminded me of several important things: The first is that Jesus had to come as the ultimate sacrifice because all those laws didn't properly control men. So as good and simple as the old stuff sounds, what we have now is better for us, and doesn't cost anything. More importantly, we HAVE the same to-do list now, but better! We know we messed up because we have the Holy Spirit to tell us (Jn 14:26, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."). Then He gives us GRACE and FORGIVES us without having to sacrifice a first-born lamb and whatnot (e.g.John 8:11).

Anyway, back then there had to be a continuous fire burning for the sacrifices. Fire was present all the time, and at least some of the offerings had to be burned up completely (Lev 6:13, 23, 30, etc.), and that is an awesome reminder of what God desires from us nowadays. We need to be on fire for Him all the time, not just in the heat of the battle. If we do lose focus a bit (like I have since surgery), we use the word, pray, and beg the Holy Spirit to rekindle the flame. He didn't want His sacrifies lukewarm back then, and He doesn't want us to be lukewarm now (Rev 3:16, "So because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth").

Finally, we're all being refined through fire. For some of us there's a slow, steady burn, for others it feels like stepping on fireworks. During chemo I became terrified of the future, because God brought me through the fireworks but I felt like I'd reached the maximum capacity for growth in this lifetime. Satan whispered that because I'd passed the cancer test, the next would be even harder--TOO HARD. I didn't want to face anything more.

I finally rejected that fear from my enemy because I don't think it's biblical and because the Lord will always be there to help. He created fire. Zechariah 13:9, "This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them, I will say, 'They are my people' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God'."

Romans 3:21-24, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the law and the prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference. For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justfied freely by his grace through the redemptiion that came by Christ Jesus."

So...none of this had anything to do with the radiation treatment I logged in to blog about, but I'm really excited to remember that He can use even crazy books like Leviticus to remind us of things. God is good. The end.

Preparing for Radiation

I haven't blogged in awhile, but fear not--it's because I just didn't have anything to say. Believe it or not I'm doing very well.

I've struggled a bit with fatigue that was worse than during chemo. I was sleeping 11 and 12 hours some nights, but was still exhausted and kept telling Yaacov I thought something was wrong with me. Next thing you know, I went for a monthly shot I get at Rassam's and the chemo nurse mistakenly had my blood tested. It came back as dangerously out of order. Everything was off, and the white blood count was very low. Dr. Rassam said it was too delayed to be caused by chemo, so it was either that cancer was suddenly released into my bone marrow, or a mistake at the lab. They took my blood again and it was fine. YAY, God wins again!

I guess the fatigue was just because my body finally released all the stress I was dealing with over the course of cancer. It also happened to get considerably better after the ordeal with my blood. I think Satan used the fatigue to get my mind ansy about my health. It didn't work, there was no panicking, just a little prayer and letting God take care of business. Deut 31:8, "The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; Do not be discouraged."

The last time I blogged I was on my way to the funeral of a precious, 18-month-old baby girl. I haven't been to a lot of funerals so can't compare it well, but it seemed very crowded as so many people wanted to support the family. The poor parents had to stand there in a receiving line for hours and that seems so cruel to me. Everyone there was trying to support them, but how much support can they get from having to stand and be polite to hundreds of people? Isn't the point of helping people to ease their burdens? They had to be "in charge", by keeping the line moving, listening and responding to everyone saying the same thing. I would think this would be one time that they shouldn't have to be responsible for the success of a big event. I suppose one good point of that would be if the busy-ness helped delay dealing with the reality of the situation. I don't actually know what a solution would be, but I hope people (including myself) can find better ways to encourage them. "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness." Heb 13:3

The really cool and encouraging thing someone mentioned during the service was that as soon as they heard about their loss, the parents immediately vowed not to let it break them. I've been relatively obsessed with that concept lately, because it's the same thing I felt with the cancer diagnosis. But I've been trying to understand why some people don't have that desire to fight. For example, Yaacov told me if he'd gotten the Stage 4 diagnosis he would have just accepted it. So, why is that? Is it a personality trait? Is it a desire for those of us destined to survive to fight against all odds, but those set to actually die just don't have that same fighting desire? Are the fighters in God's will and the non-fighters aren't? Nehemiah 4:14, "Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes." Obviously an argument can be made for not fighting against our circumtances too, because we live in this world (although we are not OF this world), and we are not to love our lives. So, I've been looking up more about the desires of our hearts but still don't know. The answer always seems to be an individual one, depending on the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Right now I'm waiting on the guidance of the Spirit regarding whether to go through with radiation or not. There are a lot of reasons on both sides and I'm not hearing clearly from the Lord. I need to keep praying about it and will blog soon on all the details.

Thanks to all for all the prayers. The Lord is taking such great care of me. I don't feel any different than I did before the mastectomy, and my hair and eyebrows are growing back nicely.The radiation therapist today said my scars are some of the nicest she's seen, which might be helping. Plus, in less than two years (hopefully more like 6 months), I'll be able to get reconstruction and look better than ever.

"I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place." Ps 31:7-8

**If anyone who is sick or interested in healing lives in Tallahassee, there is a special church service dedicated to healing this Friday at LifePoint church at 7pm. I can forward you more information if you email me.**

Memorial

I can't sleep. Third night in a row. The tragic death of my friend's 18- month-old daughter is haunting me. I keep trying to imagine how it would feel to learn my only child had suddenly passed away. Then trying NOT to imagine how it would feel to learn my only child had suddenly passed away. I am often surrounded by people who have miscarriages or the babies die quite young, but 18 months is a different story. It's old enough to laugh, walk, run, and talk. Old enough that you can know her real personality. Old enough that life without her feels empty and meaningless.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted. He recues those whose spirits are crushed." Psalm 34:18

She died Saturday and I learned of it Sunday night. It took until Monday morning to decide to fly to Michigan for the funeral. Sarah, the mother, is my "old best friend". I think everyone has a few of those. I hadn't spoken to her in years but we reconnected around my cancer diagnosis. I suppose this new tragedy offers a way for me to redeem myself after years of being a bad friend. Unfortunately I'm pretty sure there were other ways. This isn't the redemption I was praying for, Lord! I wanted you to grow back my eyelashes and smooth away my new wrinkles!

"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him." Psalm 18:30

I feel like I'm suffocating. There's a weight on my chest that is heavier at night. Cancer has taught me how important it is to be there for people and I do it (or try to) without the strings or questions. But I'm worthless to her now, the baby has already died! I wouldn't have come for the funeral if it was before everything I've been through, but because of it I felt compelled. It made more sense to come later, after everyone but Sarah and her family went back to their old lives. But, God said now is the time I should go, so I did. He lined up everything so it wasn't even a big hardship. But, um, what now? What is the point? I have no wisdom, no power, no strength to offer.

"Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning, for in You do I trust; Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You." Psalm 143:8

She says she has a great support system and I know she'll be surrounded by loved ones, so I will just hug her and hang out. Maybe my silent prayers will help her in the future. Maybe. God is in this. So why I am?

"...we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." 2 Chronicles 20:12

Tips for those getting assessed for breast cancer

Well, I'm an "expert" now so I'm going to make some lists of random things that have or could have helped me through cancer and beyond. Maybe I'm not actually an expert but I know more than I wish I did about it. Today I'll write up some things I verbally advise people about for early days in the diagnosis process, and then sometime soon I'll put in one about surgery tips and how to support people with cancer. These tips are from my own experience and remember I am very, very unique (just like you!) so just consider these guidelines.

The secret reason for this post is that people give me inside info (yes, gossip) about some of the doctors in Tallahassee, and one in particular has done something so awful his patient is unlikely to recover, even though his cancer was initially curable. But the other day I ran into someone who sees him and I found it really difficult to hold my tongue. I did, primarily because she's almost done with treatment so it would have just been gossip. But it got me thinking that maybe I could help people be aware of ways to prevent awful situations like that.

Cancer and health problems are scary, so I hate the idea of adding fuel to anyone's fears. But I know of lots of horror stories, and my own could have been one. Very narrowly missed being one. So for the few people whose fears become reality here are a few tips starting with diagnosis:

1. Do your monthly self-exam ALL the time. By the time you can feel a lump (which is called being "palpable"), it's well-developed. If any women in your family have had breast cancer, you could be eligible to get early mammograms. My doctors recommend having my girls get screened 10 years before my diagnosis. That's when they're 22 years old. I am BRCA1 positive and thus can get them tested via blood test for that when they are 18. If you can't demonstrate a genetic or other cause for early mammograms, your doctor will recommend them starting at either age 40 or 50, there is some debate on this. Remember that mammograms are not enough--I know someone who had a clear one last year and this year was diagnosed at Stage 4.

2. If you have a lump of any sort, don't panic! Pray and repeat important Bible verses, like Ps 56:3, "When I am afraid I will trust in you." Don't let your mind wander or worry. Just call your doctor immediately (general practitioner or gynocologist will be fine) and get in right away. If he won't find a way for someone to see you within a business day he's not a good doctor. You might think I'm kidding. I'm not. (There might be an exception if you freak out about everything, because then they might not take you seriously. Not sure how to fix that, but try!)

3. Most lumps are nothing. Almost all of them, actually. The younger you are and the less family links to cancer make it more and more unlikely to be cancerous. Still, there are tons of stories about misdiagnosis, etc. My general practitioner sent me for an ultrasound and scheduled a mammogram, but the ultrasound technician misdiagnosed me then canceled my mammogram. So, no matter what they say it is (a cyst, galactocele, fibroid, adenoma, etc.), I would say pray about it (of course), but at least consider demanding a biopsy. The biopsy is a tangible way to determine what a lump is, whereas the others require more human interpretation and thus mistakes.

4. So, you still don't panic, whether your tests come back as clear, abnormal, or cancerous. Just keep praying. There are a few types of biopsy (needles are not intrusive, surgery is). I had a fine needle one and core needle one. Neither hurts, it's just a mental issue. Just feel like a shot. My fine needle one came back as abnormal, which is again, very frequently NOT cancer. I saw Dr. Crooms (my general surgeon) after that, and he could have chosen to do a surgical removal (lumpectomy probably), but decided on a core needle biopsy first. That is a really, really big deal. If I had gone to a bad general surgeon, he might have skipped the second needle biopsy and done a surgical one instead. It happens all the time. That mistake can kill you! If you have a lot of cancer you often need chemo BEFORE surgery. If you have surgery first it slows you down because you have to recover before treatment. Sometimes they cut you open and can't even get all the cancer, so you have tons of extra stress and trauma.
The point? Always, always, always get personal recommendations for your surgeon and doctors, AND a second opinion or hard evidence before surgery. In my case Dr. Crooms chose to get the evidence* before recommending surgery. I'll talk about that below, but it definitively showed it was cancer so he ordered a PET/CT scan and brain MRI to see if it had spread BEFORE surgery. Good move!!!!! Great move!!! I didn't get a second surgical opinion, but the oncologists I saw all agreed with that decision.
*Abnormal biopsy results are not always cancerous, especially as I was also breast feeding which can confuse cells. That first biopsy could have come back as conclusively cancerous then there wouldn't have been a need for another biopsy. So the second biopsy was basically for more info. The frozen section is a way for doctors to get a quick look at the cells that were removed. They are only slightly less accurate than a permanent section and take much less time. I believe a permanent section is always done, but ask your practitioner (and insist on one) first. My frozen section came back as an adenoma even though it was cancer. So a few days after receiving "good" news, we got the call that it was actually bad.

5. Always get multiple opinions BEFORE surgery or treatment starts. If it looks bad you will be anxious to hurry up but if you start the treatment first it can be much worse to change it later. For example, many (or all?) types of chemo can only be given once in a lifetime because your body builds up immunity to it. So if you go for a few treatments then ask another doctor what he thinks, you either can't take his advice or have to waste your chance to ever get the original treatment again down the road. And who wants to doubt that choice forever?
One trick about getting the multiple opinions is to schedule them at the same time. You don't need to meet with one doctor then make an appointment with the next. Just call them both and schedule for ASAP. It's your life.
When possible, try not to tell your other doctors what the original said. That way they won't accidentally be biased by evaluating the original advice. You want independent information first, then you can ask each what they think of the other.
Take notes on EVERYTHING. Remember to get lots of doctor recommendations, but go with the one you fit with best. Some people prefer a good bedside manner over certain medical training, especially if their cancer has a relatively standard treatment.

Psalm 112:7 "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD."

6. If you end up with cancer you'll probably have a medical team treating you. You still don't panic though because God is in control. He IS!!!!! At many hospitals the cancer doctors work together so you don't have to figure it all out. Mine don't exactly work together so I sort of make sure they know what each other is up to as needed. My medical oncologist is (or should be) the boss though. This depends on the whole issue, but he should be very aware of surgery and radiation stuff/scheduling before you do any of it. I know of a case where a patient started radiation without his oncologist being aware, and they were supposed to be done in conjunction. That will keep your treatment from working. Boo!!!!!!!!!!

That's all I can think of right now. If anyone has things to add, put them in the comments section. There are more details and verses about my own experiences throughout this blog,  but I couldn't explain much without including some personal details.

Psalm 86:2, " Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you."