Praying for that Peace....
I realized that it is probably about time I updated my blog with pertinent information regarding my journey as I am now approaching two years as a breast cancer survivor. I of course still have regular checkups with my oncologist, cardiologist and radiation oncologist for blood tests and such. This has been a mentally & emotionally exhausting week as I await some decisions at work and my next appointments.
We made the very hard decision to rehome our youngest pup, Milo. He is a very high strung, needy little guy and to be honest we just were not able to spend enough time with him to train him properly. He was definitely more than we could handle. We found a wonderful, retired couple who couldn’t wait to spoil him rotten and spend loads of time with him. I am certain he will flourish with them. I am not sorry I rescued him from where he came from. I could never have left him where he was and I believe we have readied him for where he is now. It was still hard to let him go, but I know he will be much happier. Our household has since gotten much calmer and my senior doxies are quite pleased they are no longer his chew toys!
Tuesday I had a dentist appointment that went very well, aside from my jaw being quite sore afterwards. Darn TMJ! I admit to having some anxiousness when I have a dentist appointment and it has nothing to do with my wonderful dentist. I’ve just had to have so much dental work down over the years and with my jaw issues, I just get worked up over (usually) nothing! I am happy to report I have NO cavities! Hooray! LOL! I am also going to be getting Invisalign to help straighten my teeth & I am hoping it could possibly help a little with my mis-aligned jaw.
Up next, I had an interview for a job promotion at work that I REALLY want. I am one of about 6 or so that have interviewed. I am trying so hard to not worry about it. I have no doubt that I could do this job and do it extremely well, and I really want the opportunity to prove it, but I also know that whatever happens God’s got me. If I don’t get it, well...God has another plan. I know that I will be extremely disappointed though & so I guess that’s where my anxiety about it all comes from. I don’t want to be upset, but I know I will be, and that upsets me, LOL! What a goofball I am sometimes. Pray for me about this please! The last thing I want to do is have a melt-down at work. *sigh*
Yesterday, I had my appointment with my Cardiologist. The reason I even have a Cardiologist is because the chemo I had damaged my heart a wee bit. I am blessed that it wasn’t damaged more by the poison that was pumped into my body. Speaking of poison, as I spoke with my Cardiologist this time I had lots of questions that I didn’t even know to ask last time. They were important ones and the answers I got made me feel much more at ease. He explained that I need to remember that I was basically poisoned with some really bad stuff. You don’t get over that quickly. As a matter of fact, the effects can last for years & years! I had no idea. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t back to normal already. Here are the questions I asked.
So that is my HEART update! Overall, very positive!! I was so worried about this. I mean, it stinks that I have ANY damage, but it is very mild and most likely it can be reversed, or close to it. They will watch me like a hawk, make certain that my blood pressure stays low (not a problem as it was 90/68 at my appointment) & that I don’t start smoking, LOL (that will NEVER happen)! I didn’t survive cancer to die of heart failure from the drug that cured the cancer!!
On the 16th of this month I see my Oncologist for my every 6 months check up. That will be almost 2 years to the day that I finished chemo! Woohoo!! I have a few questions for him as well and will try to update the blog when that appointment is done. Coming up on December 14th is my 2 year - Cancer Free - Anniversary!!! I count from that date because that is the date of my mastectomy when it was all finally removed from my body. Please continue to pray that it STAYS gone forever!!
All in all I am doing pretty well. The Cardiologist said that chemo ages you 10 years! WOW! And you cannot get back to what you were before by just doing the usual things. This explains so much of what I deal with on a daily basis. I am not going to be able to lose weight, regain stamina, be pain-free or just feel normal again for a long while due to the type of chemo I had & the hormone suppression treatment I am still on for the next 3-5 years. But he feels like with the cardiac rehab, I can at least get back to feeling better than I do now and that makes me feel SO much more positive!
Thank you loved ones for your prayers for me. They have gotten me through some of the darkest times in my life and I am forever grateful for it!! I will, as I have done in the past, list specific prayer requests below.
Blessings, Amy
Prayer Requests:
We made the very hard decision to rehome our youngest pup, Milo. He is a very high strung, needy little guy and to be honest we just were not able to spend enough time with him to train him properly. He was definitely more than we could handle. We found a wonderful, retired couple who couldn’t wait to spoil him rotten and spend loads of time with him. I am certain he will flourish with them. I am not sorry I rescued him from where he came from. I could never have left him where he was and I believe we have readied him for where he is now. It was still hard to let him go, but I know he will be much happier. Our household has since gotten much calmer and my senior doxies are quite pleased they are no longer his chew toys!
Tuesday I had a dentist appointment that went very well, aside from my jaw being quite sore afterwards. Darn TMJ! I admit to having some anxiousness when I have a dentist appointment and it has nothing to do with my wonderful dentist. I’ve just had to have so much dental work down over the years and with my jaw issues, I just get worked up over (usually) nothing! I am happy to report I have NO cavities! Hooray! LOL! I am also going to be getting Invisalign to help straighten my teeth & I am hoping it could possibly help a little with my mis-aligned jaw.
Up next, I had an interview for a job promotion at work that I REALLY want. I am one of about 6 or so that have interviewed. I am trying so hard to not worry about it. I have no doubt that I could do this job and do it extremely well, and I really want the opportunity to prove it, but I also know that whatever happens God’s got me. If I don’t get it, well...God has another plan. I know that I will be extremely disappointed though & so I guess that’s where my anxiety about it all comes from. I don’t want to be upset, but I know I will be, and that upsets me, LOL! What a goofball I am sometimes. Pray for me about this please! The last thing I want to do is have a melt-down at work. *sigh*
Yesterday, I had my appointment with my Cardiologist. The reason I even have a Cardiologist is because the chemo I had damaged my heart a wee bit. I am blessed that it wasn’t damaged more by the poison that was pumped into my body. Speaking of poison, as I spoke with my Cardiologist this time I had lots of questions that I didn’t even know to ask last time. They were important ones and the answers I got made me feel much more at ease. He explained that I need to remember that I was basically poisoned with some really bad stuff. You don’t get over that quickly. As a matter of fact, the effects can last for years & years! I had no idea. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t back to normal already. Here are the questions I asked.
- I was worried because every time I exert myself I get out of breath & also that my feet seem to swell consistently.
Answer: 15 years ago, not many women survived breast cancer. Now almost everyone who has it does. They are seeing a consistent trend of survivors who say they have the exact same issue, even with zero heart damage or lung issues. This is a result of chemo (being poisoned). The damage done from this poison running through your body doesn’t go away when treatment is done, it can last for MANY YEARS! (I feel so much better knowing this is not caused by an issue with my heart!! - How often do I need an echocardiogram or ultrasound on my heart?
Answer: Every other year they will do the ultrasound, in between they will do bloodwork. If something in the blood work looks off, they will do an echo. They want to keep a close watch on me because this is still a developing field and don’t want to miss anything. - What are the signs of the damage to my heart worsening? (Heart failure, etc)
Answer: Extreme swelling (I don’t have this), trouble breathing at night (I don’t have this), shortness of breath from just walking around (I don’t have this). He said my heart is strong, it just has a little spot that isn’t squeezing as hard as it should. My bloodwork & ECG were both excellent! YAY!! - Is the damage to my heart permanent or is there a way to reverse it? Can I do cardio rehab to help it?
Answer: They are thinking more positively about this than they ever did before. He thinks it is very possible that it could be reversed. They have just started a new program there at Cape Fear Heart Association specifically for breast cancer survivors who need cardio rehab! They are only accepting 10 at a time, but he thinks I am the ideal candidate and he has given them my info so they can call me to sign me up. It likely will start in December when the next session begins. Please pray that I am able to get into this amazing program of rehabilitation that includes exercise specifically for the issues that breast cancer patients experience as well as dietary counseling. I’m EXCITED!!
So that is my HEART update! Overall, very positive!! I was so worried about this. I mean, it stinks that I have ANY damage, but it is very mild and most likely it can be reversed, or close to it. They will watch me like a hawk, make certain that my blood pressure stays low (not a problem as it was 90/68 at my appointment) & that I don’t start smoking, LOL (that will NEVER happen)! I didn’t survive cancer to die of heart failure from the drug that cured the cancer!!
On the 16th of this month I see my Oncologist for my every 6 months check up. That will be almost 2 years to the day that I finished chemo! Woohoo!! I have a few questions for him as well and will try to update the blog when that appointment is done. Coming up on December 14th is my 2 year - Cancer Free - Anniversary!!! I count from that date because that is the date of my mastectomy when it was all finally removed from my body. Please continue to pray that it STAYS gone forever!!
All in all I am doing pretty well. The Cardiologist said that chemo ages you 10 years! WOW! And you cannot get back to what you were before by just doing the usual things. This explains so much of what I deal with on a daily basis. I am not going to be able to lose weight, regain stamina, be pain-free or just feel normal again for a long while due to the type of chemo I had & the hormone suppression treatment I am still on for the next 3-5 years. But he feels like with the cardiac rehab, I can at least get back to feeling better than I do now and that makes me feel SO much more positive!
Thank you loved ones for your prayers for me. They have gotten me through some of the darkest times in my life and I am forever grateful for it!! I will, as I have done in the past, list specific prayer requests below.
Blessings, Amy
Prayer Requests:
- Please pray for me to accept whatever decision is made about the job I applied for with calmness, grace & strength.
- Please pray that I am able to get into the Cardiac Rehab program at CFHC & that it will help me.
- Please pray for my upcoming Oncologist appt that all will go well.
- Praise that my heart is minimally damaged & still strong & my tests were all good!
- Please pray for Jarod as he is still seeking a job after graduating from App State.
Wonderful as usual Amy
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