Warrior Mode Activated

"One day, you will look back and see that your scars became your strength and your wounds became your stories." ~ Unknown Some marathon runners say that the last few miles of their run are the hardest. They're running on fumes, willing one leg in front of the other, knowing that if they stop for one second they will not start back up again. I just crossed the finish line after 9 months of fighting for my life. I don't think it's sunk in yet that I am done with treatments. I have coasted in on fumes, completely exhausted, but with God's help and your prayers, I made it. Work is going well. I am getting back into the swing of things. I really enjoy my job and the people I work with and for. They made me feel very welcome when I returned and I am truly thankful! Eventually, I will get used to getting up early again...I think!! My doctor says the fatigue will last a while longer and the burns may get a little worse in the coming week, but eventually, my bo...

Monday I had an appointment with my Oncologist after radiation. They did bloodwork and then he talked to me about the medication I have to be on for the next 5-7 years. He said the side effects are minimal and it reduces the chance of recurrence by another 40%. He said that my body still makes a tiny bit of estrogen even after having my ovaries removed and that this medicine would reduce it even further. He, of course, had to tell me that it would cause more hot flashes and possibly weight gain. Oh, joy. Today I had radiation #7 (of 30) then straight to a post-op appointment with my GYN, home for lunch and then to the dentist for some major dental work. All my Drs are wonderful (especially my dentist ( Dana Shumate at Porters Neck Dentistry 😊 ) but I am exhausted and tired of being poked and prodded. My mouth is still pretty numb so I had rice pudding and apple sauce for dinner. As the numbness began to wear off I had a vasovagal episode and nearly passed out at the kitchen tab...

"Patience is not about doing nothing. It's about doing everything you can but being patient about the results." ~ unknown Let me start by saying I'd be lying if I didn't say my patience is wearing thin! I am just tired of recovering from stuff. Tired of being tired. Tired of being in pain and tired of sitting in my recliner all day instead of doing the things I want to do! I found the above quote and realized that even though I'm mostly just sitting here with my feet up, I am doing what I am supposed to do. I finally got insurance approval to start radiation this Monday. Not sure what the hold up was. I've been told it is called IMRT or Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy . You can click the link for an explanation, but it is a newer form of radiation therapy that helps to evenly distribute the treatment to the defined area. I will go Monday thru Friday for 6 weeks and I should finish up April 5th. I met the ladies that will be doing my treatment ea...

"Every scar on my skin i s a beautiful reminder  of a moment when I didn't give in and I walked through fire. 'Cause  in the dark there is a light.  Your truth it keeps on burning bright.  Makes me brave to fight the fight  and shout the battle cry. You'll never stop me. I'm a warrior."  ~ Hannah Kerr, Warrior Today I had my radiation planning appointment. I was a bit confused as to what they'd be doing at this appointment. I thought I was having an MRI, but it was actually a CT Scan. When I arrived, I laid on the CT table on a plastic bag full of styrofoam balls, kind of like a beanbag. They got me positioned just right, shaping the beanbag around me to get it in just the right spot, then a machine sucked the air out of the beanbag and it formed a cradle around me. Every time I go back, I will lay in this cradle so that I am in the exact same position each time. They also gave me four tiny tattoos. They are tiny dots that they will use to line me up ...

"Ya cannae break a stick in a bundle." ~ Scotty, Star Trek I ran across this quote I had saved in my phone from a couple years ago. I don't even remember why I saved it. I suppose it struck a chord with me at the time, but it does even more now. I cannot imagine going through all this without the support of my family and friends, as well as all the doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers I've met along the way. These people are my "bundle" keeping me from breaking. God is the rope binding/bundling us all together. I cannot fathom how anyone could get through this without God, without family & friends. I am blessed beyond measure and I know it! I had my pre-op appointments yesterday and all is set for my next surgery on Feb. 15th at 7:30am! I have to report at the horrible hour of 5:30am! I'm glad I'm first though so there won't be any delays. I am a bit apprehensive about the anesthesia this time around. Apparently, it was very hard...

"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...