One More Day of Treatment....

Tomorrow is my last day of radiation and then John and I are taking a vacation to Myrtle Beach -
I am going to publish this because I tried two other times to publish this and I accidentally erased my post.

Thanks for all the support and love, and let the healing begin!

Mary

Ready for Radiation!

Don't worry I won't be radioactive - even though I will receive 30 daily treatments starting on March 13th.  John promised me if I am a good patient, we can take a celebration trip to the sunny south (somewhere) as soon as I am finished.  That is a good bribe and I will do my best.

I signed my consent for treatment today and then went in to get my cradle for my treatments -  My chest is all mapped out with colorful permanent pens and I got 4 tattoos so if the pens wear off - the tattoos will remain. They are very similar to Lisa Kudrow's tattoos on Friends - I believe they would look like a moon or a tiny star.  I may now become addicted to getting tats!  I'll keep you posted on that one - : )

Great days lie ahead.....I'm taking one step at a time.

Love,
Mary

Cancer free- that is me!

I got a great call from Dr. Julie on Thursday, and she said all the lymph nodes that she removed in the second surgery were clear of cancer.  So only the sentinel nodes had cancer, and she removed them in the first surgery.  So the tumor is gone as well as all the cancer in the lymph nodes.  My scan was clear when we started this last fall- so we have this removed the blasted cancer cells.  I am so relieved - and ready to move on to phase three of radiation.  This phase will be in a month.

Next step is to get the drain out of my surgery site - next Friday in the doctor's office.   I've noticed a little swelling in my arm and fingers today, so I'm doing a little massage and a little exercise and will let me doctor take a look next Friday.

Watching movies and laying low this weekend -  All will be well,

Mary

Surgery #2 on Thursday....

I got some good news and some not as good news from my first surgery - the lumpectomy went well and I have clean margins from that surgery.  The lymph nodes showed cancer in the two sentinel nodes, and 5 others were clean.  So this week, I am having the axillary nodes removed so we know we've gotten all the cancer.  I will spend the night in the hospital which I found out at my doctor visit today.   That surprised me, OK - that's alright.  Please keep the prayer going for a successful surgery and I'm praying that I don't have any problem with swelling in my arm.

I'll let you know how I do.....

Mary

Back to "work".....

Last night we had a nice dinner with the boys and their families at Twin Oaks, which we could walk to from our house. We got to see Samantha and Marie together - both girls are 10 lbs. + and just two bundles of joy!

  I'm feeling well so I will go to the office today for a FEW hours - I have to milk this (so to speak) for a while.  If I didn't go to the office, I would be watching daytime TV and that gets old.  So Wednesday will be a good day!

Two Months Ago...will have a crew cut again in a couple months.

Mary

Awesome prayers!

Thanks to the power of prayer and a wonderful surgical team - I am home, had a great happy  nappy and I'm watching Wheel of Fortune just like normal!  Just wanted everyone to know that I am very grateful for your kind words and prayers.  I am feeling pain free, and have medication if that changes.

Love to all,

Picture taken after "look good, feel good class" - (not today)

MaryPublish Post

What is my new normal?

I am three weeks out from my last chemo and I can now taste food again - pretty much as before my chemo life.  It is so much more enjoyable to eat and cook when my taste buds are getting the correct flavor - and not just the taste of something metallic.  I probably used a lot more salt and pepper during this time, so my food had some kind of taste.
I'm bring "Meredith" (my wig) with me most days, but since today is "casual" Friday - I left her at home and sport my bandana.  My oncologist told me when I asked him when I would have some hair back - he said I would have a nice crew cut in 4 months. - That will be my birthday time - it will be nice to see some hair growing - but I don't suspect that I will notice any new growth for a couple months.

My eyes now water continuously - and that may get better - one survivor friend told me she carries pretty hankies with her for eyes and her nose and she is a 5 year survivor.  This has resulted in some new eye wrinkles, but I am being careful to use lots of moisturizer and hope it works its magic to reduce the wrinkles.

My only other new normal is tingling fingers on my left hand, and I really hope this goes away.. . It is a very strange feeling, and I have a stress ball that I keep exercising my hands so it helps it to get back to the old normal.

I enter my next chapter on Monday - when I go to Siteman for my lumpectomy - and pray that my results will have clean margins and minimal discomfort. - It is outpatient, but I will be at Siteman most of the day starting at 6:30 am for 3 hours of lab tests followed by surgery around 10am.  As I have continue to say and pray - all will be well !  I have such wonderful supportive family and friends and have relied on all of you through this journey!  I'll post after my surgery - Mary

All is quiet - now what?

This morning was a little hectic getting Dave, Songzi, Dylan and Sofia to the airport for a 6:40 flight, but I had a few minutes to talk with Dylan while the final suitcases were being stuffed.  He said, "Nai, Nai, what are you going to do today?"  I knew it would be a sad day for me, but I told him I would be thinking of them as they flew home and I'd clean up a little around the house.  John is gone to our annual tradeshow, so really I was thinking I would do NOTHING and sleep alot.  He proceeded to ask me what I would do on Tuesday, then Wednesday, then Thursday, then Friday.  He is amazing!  I never read him the book I got from the cancer wellness center for kids, "When Someone You Loves has Cancer".  He saw that they were on my dresser and asked me about them.  I told them I got them for him to look at and he said, "I thought so, Thanks, Nai Nai".

After our all day Family Bingo at Joanne's, Dylan won a scrap book and we came home and put all our cut out pictures of the family in there.  Sofia helped cut them out as well.  Both kids LOVE to be with our family, and I thank Dave and Songzi for that - that they keep us very much alive a world away!  So many great memories of this year's Christmas - I will use today's quiet as a time to refresh and probably cry too!

Happy, HEALTHY 2012 to all!

Mary