God is Good

God is good. I have felt joyful ever since waking up from surgery. The song, 'Lord I Lift Your Name On High' kept going through my head. The surgery is over, and it was a success. The surgeon drained 600 ccs (3/5ths of a liter) from my heart lining, made a hole in my diaphragm for future drainage, and stitched me up. I have approximately a 5" incision towards the bottom of my sternum going up and down. The doctor said there were areas the fluid was compressing my heart - not allowing it to pump properly. It hasn't been too uncomfortable with the use of pain pills.
My breathing is so much better, I can't believe it. Just sitting here I can tell the difference. I was able to eat my left over steak salad that Mark treated me to last night from Outback Steakhouse and still have room for a little soup and applesauce off my lunch tray and a couple of bites of cake my friend Joan brought by last night. Eating this much wouldn't have been possible before the surgery - four bites and I would have been full. I assume the fluid from the heart was pushing on my stomach, giving me my own version of a stomach clamp. This morning I was retaining a lot of water (my feet were puffy and my toes were like little sausages). My friend, Bonnie, who works on the heart diagnostic and rehab floor here, stopped by and explained that since my heart wasn't able to pump fluids out, it just was remaining in my system. Hopefully the 14 pounds I packed on in the last two weeks eating next to nothing will disappear rapidly! Hey, maybe I will even have lost some weight! A girl can dream!
My prayer warrior family and friends - I need your help. What caused this fluid build up is in question. It has a strong possibility of being cancer. If it is, my treatments will change to chemo. I also know that there is a possibility that it is not cancer. I am prepared - as much as I can be - for either way. I have done chemo before and I can do it again. Please ask for God's guidance for the tests, the doctors, for His healing grace and for strength for myself and my family. Either way, God is GOOD!