Warrior Mode Activated

"There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind." ~ C.S. Lewis I'm in-between surgeries and treatments and I have to be careful not to let worry creep in. Today, as I sit here in my recliner, I feel good. I am finally starting to feel normal, or at least more normal than I have since the mastectomy & reconstruction. I don't have constant pain, really I don't have much pain at all. It's just more uncomfortable at times, usually when moving from laying down to standing up or vice versa. I can actually sleep on my side again, although not completely as comfortably as I did before. I think it has to do with not having any sensation across most of my chest. It's a very hard thing to describe. My physical therapy is going great! It is by no means any fun and often quite painful, but it has helped me SO much! I now have full range of motion in both of my shoulders again. What remains is to finish breaking up the tiny amount of cording (scar tis...

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there someday.” ~ Winnie the Pooh Within the last two days, my eyebrows have suddenly started to grow again! I realize to some of you this may seem silly to celebrate but I gotta tell you, losing my eyebrows affected me more than even the hair on my head! Once they were gone, there was no doubt I was sick. Looking in the mirror I didn't recognize that sick person staring back at me. So yes, I am celebrating eyebrows today and as an added bonus, my eyelashes are also coming in nicely!! Hoooray for eyebrows and eyelashes!!! I am also quite amazed at how much insulation a baby-fine layer of hair on your head provides. I have a feeling I'm gonna look like a chia pet for a while once it really starts growing, LOL! I have PT at 8:20 tomorrow morning. I've been doing my home exercises every day and it really seems to be helping a lot. As most of you know, I love technology, and my Dr uses an app to assign me exercises. I o...

"The enemy would have us so blinded by the thorns that we can't see the beauty of the rose garden."  ~ Ruth Chou Simons This past Wednesday, I had a consult with a radiation oncologist. I knew when my Dr. sent me that it was because she thought I needed to have it, and she was right. The new Dr. did, in fact, recommend 5-6 weeks of radiation beginning Feb. 20th. The main reasons he said I needed it is that I am still fairly young, and since I had 2 positive lymph nodes out of 11 even after chemo, he thought it best to make sure that they had killed every last little cancer cell. He told me that studies show that it prolongs life expectancy even more than just chemo and surgery alone. He also shared with me the bad things that can happen from radiation because, as he said, he had to do so. There is a possibility of injuring my lung, my heart (though not likely since it is my right side and not the left). It could injure the nerves in my right shoulder and arm or c...

I'm having one of those days. For no apparent reason, I'm sad. I keep crying and I can't really put my finger on why. The fish tank needs cleaning. The dogs need a bath. The floor needs to be swept and mopped. My bedroom is a mess. I can't really do anything about any of those things because it hurts to move my arms and I'm not supposed to pick anything up. So, instead, I'm sitting here having a pity party. Sometimes you just need a good cry. All the little things build up over days and weeks until you hit the tipping point and it all spills out. I just need to let it go and then I'll feel better. It's just one of those days and it will get better. It doesn't mean anything bad has happened, or I have a bad attitude or I'm depressed. It just means I'm human and I'm a little tired. I recently read that "anyone with cancer who is positive 24/7 doesn't have both oars in the water", LOL! I agree 100%! The sun is finally out a...