It's been a bit more than a week but here I am. If I don't have anything new to share, I try not to post - I hate to be repetitive just to get a post up. So, after a brief pause, here I am.
I'm still tired from a full day but before I hit the hay, I thought I would provide an update. Let's get started.
With only two weeks left in treatment, I've been thinking a lot about what life will be like as it slides back into something like normal. It may just be me, but I find life after treatment more scary than treatment. I like action and doing something about this whole cancer thing. As of now I have no tumors or any other signs of disease but recurrence will forever be a concern. I find myself wanting to ask if they just want to radiate me every once in a while or give me a shot of chemo periodically, just to be safe. It sounds crazy, I know but at least you know you're doing something during treatment so it's a little scary to go out into the big bad world and be independent. No chemical crutches. The training wheels must come off at some point, right? I do have several months of Herceptin treatment and a decade of my meds to go so I just need to tell myself that I AM doing something. I'm sure I'll write more about this particular phenomenon in future posts.
If you're following along on Instagram you already know that I stopped wearing wigs a few weeks ago and I really only wear hats to keep my head warm. I've learned something over these past few weeks that I feel I need to share, as a service to my fellow patients. BE WARNED: Apparently, the heads of people who have gone through chemo and are now showing hair growth are equally as tempting to touch as a pregnant woman's belly. Yes, friends, if I have my hat off people keep asking me if they can touch my head. If you know how I felt about anyone making any attempt to touch my pregnant belly, you will be surprised to know that I will let you touch my head. It's slightly less of an invasion of my personal space and significantly less weird than the belly thing, so I will permit it. If you lose your hair, for any reason, someone is going to ask if they can touch your head. Just so you know. :-)
I must sleep now...
Love to all,
Andee
I'm still tired from a full day but before I hit the hay, I thought I would provide an update. Let's get started.
- Since my last Wacky Wednesday just about knocked me out, Bobby took off work today to go with me. Yes...he's awesome!
- We started with radiation. They were running about 30 minutes behind this morning but the treatment itself was uneventful. Yay!
- We then headed home but were there for less than an hour before it was time to move on to the next appointment. We grabbed a quick lunch and then headed to the clinic.
- I met with my medical oncologist - it was time for my 3 week check-in. We chatted for a bit - we had to get caught up, ya know. He then "officially" told me that my echo looked great and I'll have another one in 3 months (it's a thing). All good news. Then he drops the bomb on me....he says, "You're doing great so I'm going to only see you every 6 weeks rather than every 3...so every other treatment, you'll see me." Oddly, I felt a little like he was breaking up with me. lol
With only two weeks left in treatment, I've been thinking a lot about what life will be like as it slides back into something like normal. It may just be me, but I find life after treatment more scary than treatment. I like action and doing something about this whole cancer thing. As of now I have no tumors or any other signs of disease but recurrence will forever be a concern. I find myself wanting to ask if they just want to radiate me every once in a while or give me a shot of chemo periodically, just to be safe. It sounds crazy, I know but at least you know you're doing something during treatment so it's a little scary to go out into the big bad world and be independent. No chemical crutches. The training wheels must come off at some point, right? I do have several months of Herceptin treatment and a decade of my meds to go so I just need to tell myself that I AM doing something. I'm sure I'll write more about this particular phenomenon in future posts.
If you're following along on Instagram you already know that I stopped wearing wigs a few weeks ago and I really only wear hats to keep my head warm. I've learned something over these past few weeks that I feel I need to share, as a service to my fellow patients. BE WARNED: Apparently, the heads of people who have gone through chemo and are now showing hair growth are equally as tempting to touch as a pregnant woman's belly. Yes, friends, if I have my hat off people keep asking me if they can touch my head. If you know how I felt about anyone making any attempt to touch my pregnant belly, you will be surprised to know that I will let you touch my head. It's slightly less of an invasion of my personal space and significantly less weird than the belly thing, so I will permit it. If you lose your hair, for any reason, someone is going to ask if they can touch your head. Just so you know. :-)
I must sleep now...
Love to all,
Andee