The decision has been made !

Nov. 30, 2012 - The decision has been made. I struggled mentally for two weeks, reading, praying, talking and soul searching. 

In the beginning my mindset was….

I am only Stage 2 and clean lymph nodes….do I really need chemo? I don’t want chemo !

However, after reading everything I have, chemo looks like the right thing to do ( for me). I want to attack this cancer with everything I can and my doctor thinks that this is my best choice. 

I have prayed about it and I wish I could say I am absolutely sure it’s the right thing to do. But honestly it is a gamble, we simply don’t know who will get a second cancer and who won’t even if I am early stage breast cancer. They say if it comes back it is harder to fight. 

 So now I am reading about my Chemo drug names and the hormone treatment drug and the estrogen fighting drug. Some of which I will be taking for 5 years. 

This is not a pleasant journey….I urge all my friends to research plastics and estrogen, hormones & antibiotics  in our meat & poultry, pesticides, herbicides and more…stuff that we are subjecting our bodies to. 

1 out of 8 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. 

This is cancer society stats, not mine. 

 

There are things you can do now to protect yourself later. If you need help finding this information below are a few places to start. Copy and paste the links. You can also go to Cancer.org and American Cancer Society.

http://www.naturalnews.com/021808_cancer_prevention.html

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/kitchen-plastic-easy-greening.html

http://www.mcnallyinstitute.com/Charts/Carcinogens.html

http://www.cncahealth.com/health-info/general/top-five-cancer-causing-foods.htm

Drain tube pulled.....spacer filled !

Nov. 27^th   Hooray… got my second drain tube out. It had become pretty uncomfortable about 1 week ago, I felt like my body was wanting to reject it. Man…… that felt so good to get it out. 

I am having reconstruction right away, so right now I have what they call a spacer in my breast area. They fill it with more fluid every few weeks to stretch my skin slowly and get it ready for the implant. The Dr. added some fluid today and It feels so tight. Like a big rock sitting under my skin. It hurts with certain arm movement. But tolerable with Tylenol. 

 I still cannot get back to my yoga and treadmill. 

My Dr. says to wait another 10 days for the treadmill and yoga. He wants everything to heal before I start jostling my body too much. I do however do my yoga breathing... and some light stretches. I actually miss being able to exercise. I know how important it will be for me to continue the exercise, so I am anxious to get started again. Tomorrow is my Doctor appointment with the oncologist and decide my next treatment. I have been doing so much reading and I have a ton of questions for him. I sure hope he likes questions……??? 

Happy Thanksgiving !

Hope everyone has a wonderful day with their family and friends. 

Ours is small this year, Just the 3 of us. And since I am unable to lift anything over 5 lbs, that pretty well limits me from turkey, heavy bowls, pans and such. I knew if I tried… even with the guys help, I would overdo, so I decided to not put myself in that position.

We talked and decided we would be creative and have a different food day and 

be grateful we are together !

Steak, salad, candied butternut squash. Jace is also cooking a roast. We are playing scrabble and watching old movies. A quiet, family time day….. 

Hope everyone's day is filled with love and sharing!!

I mentioned I am an Optimist...

 Ok...... so in the beginning of my blog I mentioned I am an optimist. I guess you have not heard much of that from me,the last few days. Mostly because when I sit down to write I must be in one of my sadder or scared moments.

I do have good days and positive thoughts too. 

Right now I feel like I have been in limbo – awaiting my specific treatment plan. 

Well I have it now….and I will decide what to do in the next 2 weeks. 

Once I know what I want to do – it will be much easier for me to focus on positive thoughts and smiles.

 And besides.....

   I am depending....ON ALL OF YOU to bring a smile to my face 

when I am down. 

Tom’s too !

We appreciate all the texts, calls, emails, cards and prayers.

WOO HOO..... Got 1 Drain out!

Nov. 19^th  Woohoo got 1 of my 2 drains out !!! 

I might get the other out Wednesday?

For those who don’t know, when you have a mastectomy, they install and stitch two tubes in place. These drain the lymphatic fluids from under my arm (since 13 of my lymph nodes were removed ) and keep fluid from my surgical area.

And now the breast wall has to heal and everything adhere back together. So they want minimal fluid staying there. 

The tubes are 6 or 7 inches in under your skin. First few days you don’t mind them too much….but after a week and two weeks of lugging the tubes and the bladders around, dressing around them, draining them, and just being there, they get very irritating.

It’s like your body knows it has 2 foreign objects in.... 

and your body wants it OUT. 

Let’s just say if my body could talk….it was YELLING at me. 

My body was annoyed, agitated and sore.

It smarted when the nurse pulled it out. But yet - felt so good. Can’t wait to get the second one out.

It’s the small things – you learn to appreciate !