Challenge Accepted: January 2012

It has been a very long time since my last update - this holiday season has been very busy. In that same vein this holiday season has helped me realize where my priorities do not lie, just to name a few; christmas cards and christmas presents. So while the holiday got away from us and Matt and I didn’t send as many cards or presents as we had in the past, we were clearly reminded of the importance of family, friends and one another.

Cancer is awkward - as a cancer patient I can honestly say that once people know I have cancer they treat me differently. Most of the time the main difference is the feeling of awkwardness. They don’t know when to ask about my illness or comment on my looks and I completely believe that people find themselves saying things they may not normally say. Matt and I are honestly ok with the awkwardness and it has become normal to us. I know this illness is different for everyone, but for me the best thing is to talk about it. I have found that only in talking about it can I and those around me be comfortable. Cancer is an illness that has impacted so many people and it is a huge part of my life. Throughout the year I have learned to embrace Cancer and appreciate what it has given me. I have changed / matured over the last year in a way I did not think was possible - I believe I am a much better person. I didn’t arrive to this place alone - every person in my life has helped me in an amazing way and for that I am eternally grateful.

Wednesday 1/4/12

Today I had a follow up appointment with my radiation oncologist. It has been 7 weeks since I concluded my radiation treatment.

Symptoms reviewed today:

Skin Pigment - my skin looks great, my pigment / color has almost returned to normal.
Cough - only an issue during exercise and extreme laughing
Pain - I have pain most days on my left side. I am managing this with advil. The pain is worse on days that I do a lot of physical activity but at times it comes on for no reason.

My doctor is very happy with my response to radiation. I remain in the care of several doctors including: oncologist, surgeon and plastic surgeon, therefore the radiation oncologist has released me from his care. He said if there are any questions that come up later he is available. It feels great to reduce my team of practitioners by one.

I also received the results from my PET Scan. I was told that my scan overall looked normal. The doctor did not see any cancerous cells in this scan. This is GREAT NEWS!!

Tuesday 1/3/12

Today I had a PET Scan. My last PET Scan was done during chemo. As my first PET Scan after radiation my oncologist wanted to wait at least 6 weeks after radiation to allow my cells to relax as inflammation after radiation is very common and can lead to a false positive if done prior.

This is a pretty wild test.

Prep: the day prior of limited activity (you are advised to avoid excessive walking which even means avoiding the mall). You also have to fast 4 hours prior to the test - no food or liquids.

Test: during the test you are given an injection of radioactive material / liquid. You also drink 2 glucose drinks. The glucose bonds with the radioactive material and highlights the cancerous / bad cells. When you use the restroom prior to the actual test you use a special bathroom for radioactive patients.

Post Test: you are advised to avoid pregnant women and small children. If you interact with small children you are told that they should not sit in your lap because the radioactive material pools in your bladder. You also have to pay close attention to your injection site because the radioactive site is prone to infection.

Drinking my glucose drink
(banana flavored yum)

Second drink was so thick my straw was standing straight up
(wow)

I didn't know they were called technologists ... I thought they were technicians

This is the sign on the bathroom
(kinda spooky)

Monday 1/2/12

Over the last month and a half we have been traveling and getting our house worked on. This has been stressful for everyone and upon our return home we noticed that our German Shepherd’s (Gusta) tail was missing a portion of fur and in between her toes on her hind legs she appeared to be rubbed raw. We took her to the vet and were told that for now we will take measures to keep her from licking and treat the skin with ointment. In order to keep her from licking we need to use a cone and since she is a big girl she needs a big cone. She is one of the most clumsy dogs and this cone is her enemy. She ran into all of us; Storm, Matt and I as well as every piece of furniture we own. For now Gusta just needs a little extra TLC.

Sunday 1/1/12

Happy New Year!

We brought the new year in a very relaxed fashion. We celebrated by staying home and watching movies one scary and one not so scary. Interesting thing about new years is that when we were younger we always wanted to go to a party and bring in the new year with lots of noise and people, while now we are happy to be together and low key. Overall a great new years!

Friday 12/30/11

Today I had another chemo maintenance and overall it went well. Matt went with me and it was great to have company while getting my treatment. I still tire pretty easily - so the benadryl they give makes me very tired.

Me during Chemo Maintenance

Over the last year I have learned a great deal about my insurance and about the cost of treatment. I will be taking some time soon to tally everything up. Every time I go to the doctor I have a balance anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000. And I recently spent a long time on the phone with the insurance and clinic billing office and they are working on clarifying a few outstanding items from Jan 2011. The reason I am sharing all of this is because for the first time since I started treatment my balance at check in is $0 - I was so taken back I had to take a picture of it. Honestly it seems rather ridiculous that patients who are undergoing life saving treatment have to learn so much about insurance - enough to make anyone feel sick.

Self Pay Balance is Zero -- I was in such shock I had to take a picture

Thursday 12/29/11 - Thursday 12/22/11

Matt and I spent the Christmas Holiday in Massachusetts visiting Matt’s family. We had a great time and did lots of fun stuff including: Bing with Grammy, Candlepin Bowling with the family, Green Chile for the family and Mexican Train Dominos with the family. I have included a few pictures taken during our trip. We had a remarkably smooth time at the airport and glad we had a chance to spend time with family for the holiday. It did not snow while we were there - so it was not a white Christmas, but at least it was cold, which made it feel more like Christmas.

Self Portrait with Santa Hat :)

Matt won during bingo with Grammy

Grammy and I pictured together

Calla at the bowling alley

Calla and Matt - so cute

Me with a candlepin bowling ball
(this was challenging)

Matt and I at the bowling alley

Mexican Train was fun

Matt and I made Green Chile -- recipe calls for over 20 tomatillos
we had to buy them in packets of 4/5 - guess people don't use tomatillos a lot in New England :)

Sunday 12/18/11

Today I had a cut and color. And the craziest thing happened I was cut on the ear during my hair cut. My stylist cut my ear with the thinning sheers. Thinning sheers are sharper then normal scissors so it was a pretty bad cut. I didn’t get a chance to see the cut while I was at the salon. I picked up some peroxide on the way home and have been cleaning and medicating daily. As this was all happening I realized that it didn’t stress me out as much as it may have in the past. While I was unhappy and uncomfortable I didn’t see any benefit to acting like a crazy person during the ordeal. I will say that I didn’t appreciate the way it was handled and I will not be returning there for any additional services (live and learn).

By the way - I did add a little funky color to my hair (purple that you will see in later photos).

Cut on My Ear

Friday 12/16/11

Tonight Matt and I attended a Christmas Party and had a great time. It was great catching up with friends and fun to participate in the yankee swap. My gift was stolen several times and I think we ended up giving our final gifts away prior to leaving the party. We had a great time and we are reminded that friends are very important.