update

Again, it's been awhile since i have updated the blog. Life happens! Anyway, I had surgery on Feb. 24. For the sake of being symmetrical and less worry down the road, I had a double mastectomy. Foolishly, I thought I would be very much healed up after two weeks post op. Wrong. Remember, this was my very first experience with surgery, and actually being cut on. It's now April 6 and I am still in the healing from my surgery mode, but things get better every week. If I so choose, I can have reconstruction surgery towards fall, but I will have wanted to forgotten all about this last surgery before I undertake another one. For now, being flat chested is just fine, and my shirts now fit without gaping at the chest if there are buttons. Paul is fine with whatever decision I make in the end. I know my surgeon would like to see me go all the way through the process, but she is not me. So, right now, I am in Denver and staying with Kayla Mondays-Fridays so that I can get radiation therapy, 30 treatments in all. My last one will be May 3. Paul plans to spend the last week of it with me and do some fun things up here. This past Monday was the start of my 3rd week. Had a visit with the radiology oncologist yesterday and everything looks normal. She asked me if my skin was turning pink and I said No, but she said it was a little pink, that she knew what to look for. At any rate, it is not uncomfortable yet, and I have not felt any fatigue. That may still be to come, but those side effects are minor to me compared to doing chemotherapy. It's been an experience for this country girl to be flying around on the freeways up here, not my favorite thing to do, but so far have survived. After all, I am a survivor.

Chemo Completed.

Its been quite awhile since I have updated this blog. I guess I was just trying to get through all the chemos that were scheuled. I ended up have the last two chemos at the infusion center in the SLV Regional Medical Center, and that worked very well for all concerned. Last friday I completed my 6th and last chemo treatment, YAY! Now to get thru the annoying little side effects that go along with all of that. This coming week on the 9-10th of Feb I will be visiting with the oncologist, radiologist, and surgeon. I also have to get a breast MRI to check the progress there. Most of the women I have talked to (and my oncologist) have advised me to go the double mastectomy route...easier to dress, you will be more symetrical, easier to make the reconstruction the same size. Truthfully I still have trouble with the idea of cutting something off that is normal. Now, just because my big chemos are done, it doesn't mean that things are quite finished in that respect. Every three weeks for 52 weeks I will go and have a Herception chemo tx at the infusion center. It is a very little thing and should take only about a half hour to get done. There should not be any side effects involved. So...once I visit with the surgeon I should have a good idea of the surgery date...I think they give you about a month to 6 weeks to get beyond the chemo and then do it. It will be done up in Denver at either the Littleton Hospital or the SkyRidge Hosp, where my surgeon operates out of either place. I am thinking the surgery maybe getting done sometime the first week of March. To me it seems like this whole process is taking forever!! I will be so glad to get going on the next part of it. Thanks to all who have come along beside me on this journey in so many tangible ways...prayers, emails,  food, company, cards, encouragements, cleaning my house for me, taking care of my animals when I have to be gone, helping me pick out a wig, taking me for rides, getting me out of the house. You all can't know how much this has all meant to me. From the bottom of my heart and Paul's...Thankyou!!!!