Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Thursday, January 28, 2010

More Happy Dancin'!


The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated.
Plato



Radiation is done.  Woo hooo!!  I can't believe all my major treatments are done and that I've made it this far.  I need to recuperate from all my body, mind, and soul have been through the last year, but I already feel glimmers of energy.  And thanks to support from so many, my spirit is not only intact, but is stronger than ever.  Friends and family -- the physicians for my soul -- thank you.  You held my hand, you listened, you laughed with me, and maybe best of all, you cried with me.  You knew I was going through much more than a treatment to free my body of cancer, and you understood.

Other news, in brief:

Still have some neuropathy pain/numbness, but I also still think I see slow and gradual progress. Still taking meds to help control the pain.

Started hormonal therapy today. It's simply a daily pill that blocks estrogen; I'll be taking them for the next five years, or as long as I have insurance to cover the bulk of the $461 monthly fee! Keep your fingers crossed that I find a decent job with great insurance!

Have another mugascan next week to see if my heart has rebounded since the last scan.  More finger crossing!

Have a CTscan at the end of Feb. to check a spot on my lung.  I've been assured that this kind of spot is normal and nothing to be alarmed about but they want to do follow-up to make sure.  So, I'm not being alarmed.

Now you'll excuse me while I go do a happy dance....


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Latest News

Good news:  I had my last full-breast radiation today; tomorrow I get the first of 8 that are targeted to the original lump.  Then I'll be done!  I'm hoping my skin and my energy can slowly start rebounding with the reduced radiation.*  Last night I was in bed at 7 and slept all night -- and I wanted to stay in bed longer.  So I'm ready to see my energy return.

Not quite as good news:  my latest mugascan showed more heart damage (chemo/radiation) which could be permanent or could be temporary -- either way, I couldn't get my herceptin today.  Another mugascan in three weeks will hopefully show improvement and I'll be able to resume herceptin.  Please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Meanwhile, I think I hear a pillow calling my name :)

Keep moving forward!

~~~~~

*edited to add:  it's actually not reduced radiation -- it's all concentrated in a smaller area.  I'll still be getting full doses, so fatigue relief is still a little ways away!

Friday, January 8, 2010

21 Down, 12 To Go

If you read the last post and were paying attention, you're thinking, wait, the numbers don't add up the same.

You're right, they don't, because I'm actually getting 33 treatments, not the 30 I thought.

25 are for the entire breast area, and the last 8 target the original tumor site only.

I'm having a lot of tenderness, my skin is moving from pink to red, and I'm pretty constantly tired (although I can push through it, I just don't have any energy).

At least after treatment 25, most of my skin will be out of the radiation area and can start healing.

Projected last radiation:  January 27.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

19 Down, 11 to Go

Radiation treatments, that is.  At least, I think I have 11 to go -- 30 in all.  That will put my final treatment somewhere around Jan. 20, assuming I don't miss any between now and then.   Missed treatments get added to the end so that I get the full 30.



As much as I haven't always felt like it, life goes on even after a big loss, and keeping up with treatments has been important.  I was glad to see the pages of the calendar turn over to Jan. 1 -- although it's just another day in a series of days, it still felt good to put 2009 behind me.  It was a difficult year for me, and for many others as well, and I know I wasn't alone in being glad to greet a new year.

I haven't had any horrendous side effects although my skin is getting brown/pink from the radiation. I have some tenderness and pulling in muscles/scar tissue/ligaments, and where they put the small stickers on to mark critical spots (so they can line me up for treatments the same way each day), my skin is torn and red.  I slather aloe vera gel on the entire area and then put shea butter or Aquaphor on top of that, which is helping prevent dry, itchy skin, and so far has prevented blisters and peeling.  Lovely thought, eh?

I also have some fatigue, although nothing like during chemo.  Enough to keep me from feeling perky, and I tend to go to bed pretty early most nights, and I have to admit to some extra enjoyment when I can sleep in on the weekends, but really nothing to complain about.

It's been fairly cold here but it hasn't kept me from getting out for some walks, although if it's windy the walks have been short.  I'm just not fond of those below-zero wind chills!

A happy and healthy new year to everyone.



Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow;
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
                                       from the poem by Alfred Tennyson


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