Week 2 of Radiation

Life is getting better and better.

This week was the start of week 2 of radiation for me. I was able to get scheduled with the first morning appointment of the day, so I’m out of the house by 6:45 but I’m back home by 7:45. I get home just in time to make breakfast for hubby and baby girl, as well as pack hubby’s lunch. I’m starting to appreciate the craziness that is our mornings. It makes me feel as if nothing bad ever happened to me.

For those of you wondering why cancer patients undergo radiation treatments, I’ll give you the quick answer. Radiation targets the specific part of the body that had cancer. The radiation beams change the DNA of the cancer cells so that they can’t replicate and die off. Normal cells are also effected, however, they can restore themselves and recover. Combined with chemotherapy, the two are extremely effective in getting rid of the cancer for good.

So far my side effects have been mild. My right breast is sore and sensitive. I’m also suffering from lymphedema. Lymphedema is when there is swelling in the body because the lymph nodes can’t/won’t drain properly. I have to massage my skin in a specific order to get the drainage going. Hopefully this will subside within the next few months.

On a random note, I ran into one of my managers from my previous job. They had heard I was diagnosed with breast cancer and I had heard that they didn’t believe it. Anyway, baby girl and I were in Target just browsing (I needed to get out of the house) when my old manager completely walked by me. Didn’t even blink or recognize me. As she walked by, I called her name out and she turned and gave me the “Who are you?” look. I said “Hello, it’s me, Miss May, remember?” You should have seen the look on her face. She was absolutely stunned. She recovered quickly and we exchanged superficial pleasantries. I could tell she thought I looked bad. That night, I came home and really looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes are sunken, my skin super dry. I’m still puffy all over and I’m missing eyebrows and hair. I’ve just let myself go during this time. I’ve felt like I look a man with earrings. I guess my outside reflected how bad I’ve felt on the inside. So the next day I went to the Nordstrom beauty counters and asked for help. The girls hooked me up with eyebrows, eyelashes and moisturizers. I walked out feeling like a million bucks and I finally felt like a woman again. Isn’t it crazy that something as simple as eyebrows can make you feel better?

And on to even better news…my hair has started grown back! I have soft long peachy fuzz going on. My scalp is now much less visible.

Things are starting to looking up. 🙂

 

 

Be Strong, Be Brave

Hi everyone!

Now that fall is here (not), I was hoping for cooling weather. Because of the zolodex injections, I’m still getting hot flashes. I’m not sure how much longer this is going to last, but I am praying it will go away. Like far far far away. Chemo for me has ended, and I’m still so happy to not have to go back to the oncology injection unit. As my mom often tells me: “You have reached the top of Everest, and now you are coming back to base camp.” Basically, the rough stuff is over.

On that note, I have just started radiation treatment. It’s not too bad, however, I am only finishing my first week and I’ve got 4 more weeks to go. I like my radiation oncologist a lot. He is also a cancer survivor and could empathize with everything that has happened to me thus far. The treatments are very quick; maybe a max of 15 minutes from the time I walk into the unit to the time I am back in my car. I have very early morning appointments as well, so there is little impact to our family life. (Of course as I type this, I’ve got a sink full of dirty dishes and laundry that needs to be put away.)

Things are getting better. Aside from the still constant hot flashes, sometimes I get a little nauseous during the day. I also have random headaches from time to time. But I am starting to have more energy. Baby girl and I are going for walks outside four times a week and we’ve got our schedule in the house down. I’ve been having a hard time cooking lately, but I’ve been thinking about going back to using the crock pot every day. We’ve been eating out way too much this last week and our budget has taken a huge hit because of it. A family member started talking to me about the “eat real food challenges” and I’ve been thinking about that as well. All the drugs and steroids have plumped me up, and I had just started to lose the pregnancy weight before this all happened. One of the goals for hubby and I is to get healthy. We also need to lose weight and the take out is not helping. Maybe my first step will be to cut out sugar.

On a random note, I’m starting to meet even more cancer survivors and relatives of cancer survivors all due to me rocking my baldy. Baby girl and I went on a road trip with hubby when he had to drive to another job office about 2 hours away to keep him company. She and I sat in the car and played, when one of the hubby’s colleagues came outside. He saw us and introduced himself and then went back into the office. When we got home that night, hubby told me that his colleague approached him and told him that his mother was currently in the fight against breast cancer. He also said: “Tell your wife to keep fighting. To be strong, and to be brave.” Things like that always move me…when total strangers come up to me and give me positive, uplifting words. I don’t know when my hair will grow back, or when I’ll stop feeling so bad, but I know that I will always fight against this disease.