Just checking in--I don't have any news. My oncologist appointment isn't until December 9, I guess I'm missing a few brain cells.
Feeling much better--still tired but I stay so busy with Tiger Lily these days I don't have time to think about it, I just go to bed really early every night. So far this week we've been to cooking class (Thanksgiving dinner this time), acting class (they have an agent coming in a few weeks to meet the kids--just to meet and great so don't get scared everyone, Hollywood isn't ready for her, not by a long shot), tonight is dinner at a friend's house and her group therapy, and tomorrow we're having a TGIF party at our house. Saturday night I'm going out with friends so by Sunday I'll probably be comatose...
I'm also trying to finish up three manuscripts at work and (hold your breath everyone) am applying for an assistant professor position at Notre Dame. I have always wanted to be a professor and I am going to start dreaming for me again since I have been given a second chance to live and do what I want to do. Besides, I can't afford tuition for Tiger Lily any other way....
Hope everyone is staying warm, it's been chilly for the past few days here--those 5:30 am dog walks just kill me.
Hugs and kisses.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
I'm Done, I'm Done, I'm Done
So, first off: I apologize for not posting for a few weeks, we didn't have internet at the house and I hate to use my work computer to blog--something about misuse of government resources and all.....
I'm done with radiation!!!! It's been a whole week of not seeing my new friends in radiation oncology but I have to admit I don't really miss the radiation part. All in all, for my skin I was very lucky. Due to being so scrawny I didn't have a lot of the issues most women have with their skin during radiation--it got red (really red), very itchy, tender and scaly but I never had the really bad stuff that most women develop. I'm tired and have actually taken a few naps at my desk last week and this week. Nothing is worse than having the Chief of Urology show up at your office and you know that you have a big red mark across your forehead from where you had it resting on your arm though.... Guess I'm glad I didn't drool too.
I meet with the oncologist next week to start the next phase and will keep everyone posted on round III as soon as I know what it entails.
Tiger Lily and I had a blast celebrating the end of radiation--I took her out to lunch on my last day and then we went to the Cheetah Girls concert on Sunday! Lots of screaming girls but sooo worth it. I was so happy to be able to see the wild child spend two hours jumping up and down and singing all her favorite songs.
Please say a prayer for a friend in Virginia that recently had a traumatic head injury, he's a great guy and his recovery is still not 100% certain. He is a young man to admire given all he's faced during his life.
Hope everyone is enjoying the cool fall weather and is getting ready for the holidays!
Hugs and kisses to everyone.
I'm done with radiation!!!! It's been a whole week of not seeing my new friends in radiation oncology but I have to admit I don't really miss the radiation part. All in all, for my skin I was very lucky. Due to being so scrawny I didn't have a lot of the issues most women have with their skin during radiation--it got red (really red), very itchy, tender and scaly but I never had the really bad stuff that most women develop. I'm tired and have actually taken a few naps at my desk last week and this week. Nothing is worse than having the Chief of Urology show up at your office and you know that you have a big red mark across your forehead from where you had it resting on your arm though.... Guess I'm glad I didn't drool too.
I meet with the oncologist next week to start the next phase and will keep everyone posted on round III as soon as I know what it entails.
Tiger Lily and I had a blast celebrating the end of radiation--I took her out to lunch on my last day and then we went to the Cheetah Girls concert on Sunday! Lots of screaming girls but sooo worth it. I was so happy to be able to see the wild child spend two hours jumping up and down and singing all her favorite songs.
Please say a prayer for a friend in Virginia that recently had a traumatic head injury, he's a great guy and his recovery is still not 100% certain. He is a young man to admire given all he's faced during his life.
Hope everyone is enjoying the cool fall weather and is getting ready for the holidays!
Hugs and kisses to everyone.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
10 more treatments!!!!!
I'm happy to say I'm getting close to the end! At the end of next week I will finish the radiation of my entire breast and will spend the last 5 sessions having focused radiation to the cavity where the cancer was removed. Studies have shown that any recurrence will more than likely show up in the site where the original tumor was so I get a little extra just to make sure everything is really really dead.
Today when I left my treatment there was another man waiting to come in--it's interesting cancer patients going through treatment belong a to sisterhood/brotherhood, you give each other an understanding nod and no one looks at you funny if you answer "how are you" with a tired, sick, really wish this itching would stop, will be glad when I get my iv out.... We all understand. The man waiting for his radiation treatment was a patient in much worse shape than I am and again all I can do is count my blessings. But, this is a fraternity no one ever asks to join and if that invitation comes in the mail you don't jump for joy that you got in. I'm glad I will get to be an alumni soon.
Tiger Lily had cooking class last night and had an absolute blast. She's asked for more classes and I'm happy to oblige. The school also has adult classes and the chef has a tail gating cooking class scheduled for November. That's one I will definitely sign up for, although NASCAR season is winding down it'll all start up again real soon!
The weather has finally turned cool and all my summer flowers froze so the guy in charge of routine yard work will have some work to do. We have an open house this weekend on Sunday from 1-5; most of the neighbors have said they'll stop by since they've always wanted to see what was done. It'll make my realtor happy anyways...
Hugs and kisses.
Today when I left my treatment there was another man waiting to come in--it's interesting cancer patients going through treatment belong a to sisterhood/brotherhood, you give each other an understanding nod and no one looks at you funny if you answer "how are you" with a tired, sick, really wish this itching would stop, will be glad when I get my iv out.... We all understand. The man waiting for his radiation treatment was a patient in much worse shape than I am and again all I can do is count my blessings. But, this is a fraternity no one ever asks to join and if that invitation comes in the mail you don't jump for joy that you got in. I'm glad I will get to be an alumni soon.
Tiger Lily had cooking class last night and had an absolute blast. She's asked for more classes and I'm happy to oblige. The school also has adult classes and the chef has a tail gating cooking class scheduled for November. That's one I will definitely sign up for, although NASCAR season is winding down it'll all start up again real soon!
The weather has finally turned cool and all my summer flowers froze so the guy in charge of routine yard work will have some work to do. We have an open house this weekend on Sunday from 1-5; most of the neighbors have said they'll stop by since they've always wanted to see what was done. It'll make my realtor happy anyways...
Hugs and kisses.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Just a quick hello
Just checking in to say hello.
I had my visit with my radiation oncology nurse today and I have officially gained a whole pound (I know, I know, I'm really not bragging, I'm actually unattractively thin). My PEO sisters and family must be feeding me well. The fun part is I now drink whole milk again (once you get used to it it really is sinfully good...), eat Ben and Jerry's ice cream before bed and always order the amazing chicken salad sandwiches at the Bethesda Country Store. Life is really going to stink when I hit my normal weight again.
I also found out my last day of radiation tentatively will be November 6th! November 7th will be a big day for me!!!! I can hardly wait to start the next leg of my journey and get to the 6 month cancer free part. Tiger Lily and I can now start to plan for some trips after Thanksgiving. I'm thinking I'd like to teach her to snow ski!
Here's Tiger Lily now: hi everyone i wanted to just pop in and say hello, well that was messed up, POP here i am! now that's better. tonight i made dinner, i made a kid qusine 4 dinner, and my moms friends are getting married. monday was my birthday, i turned 10 and i got a Wii. see ya soon.
Obviously, the cooking class I signed Tiger Lily up for will come in handy--she's going to learn how to make sushi!
I have another website to check out by the way: http://www.somuchmoreonline.com/, they have some really cute T-shirts!
A big shout out and even bigger hugs to my friends that announced their engagement!!!! We ran through the house screaming when we found out.
Hope everyone is enjoying the D.C. Indian Summer, have a great weekend.
I had my visit with my radiation oncology nurse today and I have officially gained a whole pound (I know, I know, I'm really not bragging, I'm actually unattractively thin). My PEO sisters and family must be feeding me well. The fun part is I now drink whole milk again (once you get used to it it really is sinfully good...), eat Ben and Jerry's ice cream before bed and always order the amazing chicken salad sandwiches at the Bethesda Country Store. Life is really going to stink when I hit my normal weight again.
I also found out my last day of radiation tentatively will be November 6th! November 7th will be a big day for me!!!! I can hardly wait to start the next leg of my journey and get to the 6 month cancer free part. Tiger Lily and I can now start to plan for some trips after Thanksgiving. I'm thinking I'd like to teach her to snow ski!
Here's Tiger Lily now: hi everyone i wanted to just pop in and say hello, well that was messed up, POP here i am! now that's better. tonight i made dinner, i made a kid qusine 4 dinner, and my moms friends are getting married. monday was my birthday, i turned 10 and i got a Wii. see ya soon.
Obviously, the cooking class I signed Tiger Lily up for will come in handy--she's going to learn how to make sushi!
I have another website to check out by the way: http://www.somuchmoreonline.com/, they have some really cute T-shirts!
A big shout out and even bigger hugs to my friends that announced their engagement!!!! We ran through the house screaming when we found out.
Hope everyone is enjoying the D.C. Indian Summer, have a great weekend.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Halfway through round II
So, on Friday I was halfway through my radiation. Yippee!!!
The physical changes are becoming very very obvious, if I wear a shirt with even a scoop neck you can see. The interesting part is just how precise the radiation is, I have a rhombus on my chest that clearly shows where the radiation is being applied. I haven't described the process much but I realized yesterday when I went to get a massage and the therapist asked if I had any redness on my back from the radiation going through my body that I should.
Because of the dose of radiation I receive if the beam was focused above me like what you expect with an X-ray not only would I end up with a high dose to any remaining cancer but my heart and lungs would also be damaged. The radiation is instead given in a focused beam at two angles on either side of my breast. For the first dose the source is at about 2:00 and the window is very narrow. For the second dose the source is rotated to about 8:00 and a wedge is placed over the source to focus the radiation upward to just my breast. The treatment is basically 30 seconds for the first angle and 1 minute for the second angle. The second dose is longer since the cancer was located on the outside of my left breast. The hardest part of all of this is how isolated and alone you can sometimes feel--you're placed on a table, everybody leaves the room and you get to watch a machine rotate around you. It can be a little impersonal. They play music for you which is nice. Unfortunately the last patient of the day likes country music and for the first week no one changed out the CD before I came so I had to listen to the same Carrie Underwood song for a week, I finally put my foot down and said enough of that song.
As for the being tired part, it's started. About 2:00 I get a little tired and if I don't sit down and take a cat nap then at about 5:00 or so I start to feel like I have the flu--achy joints etc. so then I really do sit down and take it easy. Tiger Lily is starting to have to take over a few things which stinks for her but we both agreed that we are a team and for the next 6 weeks or so she gets to be the team captain. I am blessed to have some sisters that have volunteered to bring me meals for the next few weeks which means I won't have to eat mac and cheese or microwave popcorn for every meal. I think when this is all over I'll sign Tiger Lily up for cooking classes....
The really good news is that my house is finally on the market! It's not finished but close enough to get it out there. We're working on cleaning out the garage today. The pictures are up on the internet, http://www.homesbyaudrey.com/index.html, click on "our properties" and you'll see it. Trust me, you won't recognize parts of the house! Now that it's finally cleared out it's pretty easy to keep clean.
Hope everyone had a good weekend--Monday is Tiger Lily's birthday and I have several surprises in store for her!
ciao
The physical changes are becoming very very obvious, if I wear a shirt with even a scoop neck you can see. The interesting part is just how precise the radiation is, I have a rhombus on my chest that clearly shows where the radiation is being applied. I haven't described the process much but I realized yesterday when I went to get a massage and the therapist asked if I had any redness on my back from the radiation going through my body that I should.
Because of the dose of radiation I receive if the beam was focused above me like what you expect with an X-ray not only would I end up with a high dose to any remaining cancer but my heart and lungs would also be damaged. The radiation is instead given in a focused beam at two angles on either side of my breast. For the first dose the source is at about 2:00 and the window is very narrow. For the second dose the source is rotated to about 8:00 and a wedge is placed over the source to focus the radiation upward to just my breast. The treatment is basically 30 seconds for the first angle and 1 minute for the second angle. The second dose is longer since the cancer was located on the outside of my left breast. The hardest part of all of this is how isolated and alone you can sometimes feel--you're placed on a table, everybody leaves the room and you get to watch a machine rotate around you. It can be a little impersonal. They play music for you which is nice. Unfortunately the last patient of the day likes country music and for the first week no one changed out the CD before I came so I had to listen to the same Carrie Underwood song for a week, I finally put my foot down and said enough of that song.
As for the being tired part, it's started. About 2:00 I get a little tired and if I don't sit down and take a cat nap then at about 5:00 or so I start to feel like I have the flu--achy joints etc. so then I really do sit down and take it easy. Tiger Lily is starting to have to take over a few things which stinks for her but we both agreed that we are a team and for the next 6 weeks or so she gets to be the team captain. I am blessed to have some sisters that have volunteered to bring me meals for the next few weeks which means I won't have to eat mac and cheese or microwave popcorn for every meal. I think when this is all over I'll sign Tiger Lily up for cooking classes....
The really good news is that my house is finally on the market! It's not finished but close enough to get it out there. We're working on cleaning out the garage today. The pictures are up on the internet, http://www.homesbyaudrey.com/index.html, click on "our properties" and you'll see it. Trust me, you won't recognize parts of the house! Now that it's finally cleared out it's pretty easy to keep clean.
Hope everyone had a good weekend--Monday is Tiger Lily's birthday and I have several surprises in store for her!
ciao
Friday, October 3, 2008
2 Down 4 To Go!!
So, after rereading my post from last Friday I realized I sounded a little whiny which is never a way I would describe myself. I'm actually very happy to finally be at this stage!
2 weeks down!
I can't say enough nice things about the people in the Radiation Oncology Branch here. Everyone is so pleasant, works very hard to make sure I'm comfortable and they all figured out very quickly that I love the blanket warmer! I wish I could find one to keep at my house. I'm beginning to have some skin changes and am running a little low on energy (but it's Friday so....) but other than that this radiation stuff is nothing so far.
I'm looking forward to a fun weekend. We have a "white trash bash" on Saturday, Tiger Lily and I are planning on really getting into the theme of things. Ted hired a contractor to finish a lot of the little things on the house and I have spent just about every weekend for the past two months working on it so I'm officially taking a break. Hopefully, it will go on the market next week, I'll post the realtor's website so everyone can see the transformation. If you know of anybody looking for a house please pass along the info.
Hope everyone's weather is as nice as the weather is slated to be here this weekend.
Ciao
2 weeks down!
I can't say enough nice things about the people in the Radiation Oncology Branch here. Everyone is so pleasant, works very hard to make sure I'm comfortable and they all figured out very quickly that I love the blanket warmer! I wish I could find one to keep at my house. I'm beginning to have some skin changes and am running a little low on energy (but it's Friday so....) but other than that this radiation stuff is nothing so far.
I'm looking forward to a fun weekend. We have a "white trash bash" on Saturday, Tiger Lily and I are planning on really getting into the theme of things. Ted hired a contractor to finish a lot of the little things on the house and I have spent just about every weekend for the past two months working on it so I'm officially taking a break. Hopefully, it will go on the market next week, I'll post the realtor's website so everyone can see the transformation. If you know of anybody looking for a house please pass along the info.
Hope everyone's weather is as nice as the weather is slated to be here this weekend.
Ciao
Friday, September 26, 2008
5 down, 25 more to go (or 1 down, 5 more to go)
I am now officially done with my first week of radiation!
The whole situation still is somewhat surreal and I've have several up and down days this week. This was never what I planned for and 6 months ago I never ever thought I'd be going through a divorce, being treated for breast cancer and working to get my house ready to sell. I do still count my blessings and appreciate all everyone has done so far.
So far just minor effects on my skin from the radiation, I'm told I should start looking pretty sunburned by next week. I'm tired but I'm not sure if that's from all the hours I've spent working on the house to get it ready or the radiation. Even Tiger Lily has reached the point where she's tired of spending every evening and all weekend working on the house. My goal is to get this off my plate before the effects from the radiation start to drag me down so I can focus on getting rest and healing (and eating a few biscuits!).
Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the rain.
The whole situation still is somewhat surreal and I've have several up and down days this week. This was never what I planned for and 6 months ago I never ever thought I'd be going through a divorce, being treated for breast cancer and working to get my house ready to sell. I do still count my blessings and appreciate all everyone has done so far.
So far just minor effects on my skin from the radiation, I'm told I should start looking pretty sunburned by next week. I'm tired but I'm not sure if that's from all the hours I've spent working on the house to get it ready or the radiation. Even Tiger Lily has reached the point where she's tired of spending every evening and all weekend working on the house. My goal is to get this off my plate before the effects from the radiation start to drag me down so I can focus on getting rest and healing (and eating a few biscuits!).
Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy the rain.
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