Hello friends!
I have a lot of updates but I'm not sure if any of them are of interest to anyone...but here goes!
Part of the purpose of this blog has always been to share the experience. That means all aspects of the journey - the good, the bad, the irritating...all of it. Whether you're just interested, you have a loved one who is dealing with cancer or if you, yourself, are a patient, I hope that you find something helpful here on the blog. So let's start with the not so fun stuff.
You haven't heard me complain about my feet lately - that's because, against my better judgment, I announced a day without foot pain...and the next day, I KID YOU NOT, the pain was back. Since that time I've had one other day that my feet felt ok. Overall, I'm seeing improvement but I'm far from being "all better" and if I spent a lot of time on my feet, I pay the price...trust me! I have figured out some things that help the pain (finally!) and that makes me happy. If I can keep it under control I can continue to increase my activity levels which will be helpful in reducing the size of my a$$.
Treatment is going well. I still have skin and it's only mildly angry. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it helps that much of the treatment area is numb. As of this writing I have 6 treatments left. One more of the initial treatment and then the final 5 will be electron therapy. That starts on Thursday. While my current treatment involves 3 treatment areas, the final round will focus on my surgical/scar area. I'll give you more detail later. I'm playing catch up here so I need to move on.
I'm still dealing with the mixed emotions that come with the end of treatment. I'm not freaking out or losing my positive attitude or anything like that. It's just that my life has been a certain way for the past 7 months and there is some comfort in action. Like I said before, I'm taking comfort in my daily Tamoxifen and my year of Herceptin infusions. It's all good!
My radiation oncologist did it again today. We were discussing treatment and she said "You're almost done." I responded that, yes, our time together was coming to an end, that I would be finishing up next week. She responded with a disappointed "Awww." I know I've told this story a zillion times but I'm not sure if I've posted it here, but a few weeks ago she told me she didn't want my treatment to end. Ummm...yes you do! I can visit, we can have lunch, hang out...whatever...but I want my treatment to be over. I know what she meant but to the Jinx Queen (me) can't her having saying stuff like that aloud. I told her again today I would be happy to visit but we don't want anything even hinting at extended treatment - I don't want to NEED it, you see. I could not be more pleased with all of those who have been involved in my care and I'm sure I'll keep in touch. There's not a bad one in the bunch!
If you're following along on Instagram, you're seeing the "no one gives a crap" hair and eyelash updates. I'm living the "watch what you wish for" dream right now. I hoped my hair would start filling in and now it's getting so thick it's driving me nuts and I'm on the verge of shaving it. Of course, I won't...for now...but I need some length so I can do something with it. You can't flat iron hair that's a 1/2 inch long...not safely anyway. I'm just happy that it seems to be moving right along. Strangely, it's a lighter brown than it was prior to it falling out. I haven't seen my natural color in about a decade so it was a bit of a surprise. After the chemofuzz portion grows out, it may be yet another color. I love surprises! (sarcasm intended)
It's almost time to shift gears here on the blog. Treatment is winding down and next comes life after treatment. Is anyone interested in the other side of the journey? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me - I'll keep writing because it helps me. I just hope what's been documented so far has helped a couple of people or made someone laugh or not be so afraid of the hideous disease. I'd love to hear from you if you have any feedback. You don't have to post a public comment here or on FB, you can send me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you. If you have questions about anything, I'm (clearly) more than happy to share. I'll post a dedicated e-mail address you can use to contact me.
On 12/26, it will have been 9 months since my diagnosis and what a time it has been. Let's get this treatment wrapped up and see what's in store for us in 2015, shall we?
So much love to all!!
Andee
I have a lot of updates but I'm not sure if any of them are of interest to anyone...but here goes!
Part of the purpose of this blog has always been to share the experience. That means all aspects of the journey - the good, the bad, the irritating...all of it. Whether you're just interested, you have a loved one who is dealing with cancer or if you, yourself, are a patient, I hope that you find something helpful here on the blog. So let's start with the not so fun stuff.
You haven't heard me complain about my feet lately - that's because, against my better judgment, I announced a day without foot pain...and the next day, I KID YOU NOT, the pain was back. Since that time I've had one other day that my feet felt ok. Overall, I'm seeing improvement but I'm far from being "all better" and if I spent a lot of time on my feet, I pay the price...trust me! I have figured out some things that help the pain (finally!) and that makes me happy. If I can keep it under control I can continue to increase my activity levels which will be helpful in reducing the size of my a$$.
Treatment is going well. I still have skin and it's only mildly angry. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it helps that much of the treatment area is numb. As of this writing I have 6 treatments left. One more of the initial treatment and then the final 5 will be electron therapy. That starts on Thursday. While my current treatment involves 3 treatment areas, the final round will focus on my surgical/scar area. I'll give you more detail later. I'm playing catch up here so I need to move on.
I'm still dealing with the mixed emotions that come with the end of treatment. I'm not freaking out or losing my positive attitude or anything like that. It's just that my life has been a certain way for the past 7 months and there is some comfort in action. Like I said before, I'm taking comfort in my daily Tamoxifen and my year of Herceptin infusions. It's all good!
My radiation oncologist did it again today. We were discussing treatment and she said "You're almost done." I responded that, yes, our time together was coming to an end, that I would be finishing up next week. She responded with a disappointed "Awww." I know I've told this story a zillion times but I'm not sure if I've posted it here, but a few weeks ago she told me she didn't want my treatment to end. Ummm...yes you do! I can visit, we can have lunch, hang out...whatever...but I want my treatment to be over. I know what she meant but to the Jinx Queen (me) can't her having saying stuff like that aloud. I told her again today I would be happy to visit but we don't want anything even hinting at extended treatment - I don't want to NEED it, you see. I could not be more pleased with all of those who have been involved in my care and I'm sure I'll keep in touch. There's not a bad one in the bunch!
If you're following along on Instagram, you're seeing the "no one gives a crap" hair and eyelash updates. I'm living the "watch what you wish for" dream right now. I hoped my hair would start filling in and now it's getting so thick it's driving me nuts and I'm on the verge of shaving it. Of course, I won't...for now...but I need some length so I can do something with it. You can't flat iron hair that's a 1/2 inch long...not safely anyway. I'm just happy that it seems to be moving right along. Strangely, it's a lighter brown than it was prior to it falling out. I haven't seen my natural color in about a decade so it was a bit of a surprise. After the chemofuzz portion grows out, it may be yet another color. I love surprises! (sarcasm intended)
It's almost time to shift gears here on the blog. Treatment is winding down and next comes life after treatment. Is anyone interested in the other side of the journey? Honestly, it doesn't matter to me - I'll keep writing because it helps me. I just hope what's been documented so far has helped a couple of people or made someone laugh or not be so afraid of the hideous disease. I'd love to hear from you if you have any feedback. You don't have to post a public comment here or on FB, you can send me an e-mail. I'd love to hear from you. If you have questions about anything, I'm (clearly) more than happy to share. I'll post a dedicated e-mail address you can use to contact me.
On 12/26, it will have been 9 months since my diagnosis and what a time it has been. Let's get this treatment wrapped up and see what's in store for us in 2015, shall we?
So much love to all!!
Andee