May 15, 2011

Sunday 5/15/11

Today I felt good enough to get a work out in - before heading out Matt and I did 20 sit-ups each on his new sit up bench.  Due to the position of the bench I left for the workout feeling my new "back fat" - not pleasant.  We ran about 4.5 miles at the park and while we fully intended to ride our bikes - the run really kicked my butt.  I felt it mostly in my legs but my body still feels pretty full of the chemo chemicals - this final treatment is taking me longer to bounce back from. 

We came home and I went down for a nap - I felt as though I had run at least 15 miles / I was exhausted.  The rest of the day was very relaxed - we did lots of stuff around the house.  

Saturday 5/14/11

Track Day

So today Matt had a track day at "Texas World Speedway" (TWS) in College Station, TX.   College Station is about 1.5/2 hours away from Houston, therefore this meant that we had to be up and out early in the morning.  Since Matt likes to be at least 1 hour early to everything we left the house at 4 am - we were in line at TWS by 6 am (nice and early).   The day was expected to reach high 80s - but turned out to be a lot windier then I was expecting.  Thank goodness I brought a blanket :)

This was our first time at this track and the facility is very large.  Since we started so early as soon as the car was unpacked I went back to the car for a nap. 

A track day consists of rotation between class instruction and track time.  Matt started classes at 8 am and made it out for his first lap at about 9 am. I used this time to get oriented to the facility - the grounds are pretty big and while today's track crowd wasn't large - it is obvious that the facility can accommodate large crowds of racers and spectators.  

TWS Sign -- this thing is HUGE

Matt and I in our Pit Area

Matt Chillin'

While Matt was busy with class and track time - I wasn't able to find a good spot to watch the riding - so I spent a lot of time in the paddock with my book and crochet.  The paddock is covered and equipped with electricity.  Since the day was pretty windy I was actually pretty cold - so I spent most of the day sitting in the sun to keep warm - it worked out quite well .. As the day went on more and more people sat in the sun. 

About making friends at the track days - I have found myself treating track days a lot like I treat plane travel. I limit my conversations with others to folks who seems normal and even more then that limit it to those who spark a conversation with me - I am ok if I don't make any new friends at the track.  With that said today I met someone - "Bill".  Bill had actually said hello to me early in the day and seemed both nice and normal which fits the airplane criteria to conversation.

Bill eventually came over to chat with Matt and I.  Bill is actually a cancer survivor and his story is an amazing one.  He asked about my treatment and offered some fabulous words of encouragement.  We hit it off immediately - Bill's approach to treatment was unique - he was very athletic prior to his cancer diagnosis and was very aggressive with his cancer treatment.  I learned a lot about Bill and his incredibly positive attitude.  I was so excited about making a new friend and talked about Bill on the way home when Matt made a comment "I am glad you made another friend ... SuperMonkey made another SuperFriend". While Matt was half way joking I really liked the new label, I really do see Bill and others like him as a SuperFriend.  

Today was a great day - both Matt and I had an awesome day at the track!!

So Matt’s current track bike is a bike I formerly called my own - has now become a family track bike.  As a Ducati Xerox 999R owner I would get one question everywhere I went - “How fast have you had this bike?”  I always joked with Matt that my next answer would be that I have gone so fast on the freeway I turned myself right around.  I never actually had a chance to give this answer to the question in real life but I still find it funny to think about how Matt will answer when people ask him this question at the track.  Today I think Matt did go fast enough and I think he actually did turn himself right around on the track ... just kidding - he didn’t go SuperMonkey Fast.  But I did see some guy ride a wheelie through “Hot Pit” - I know I wasn’t the only one who saw him - but he went right back out on the track - that guy is crazy!!

Matt in Turn 11 at TWS

Matt in Turn 9 at TWS

Friday 5/13/11

There is very little to report this week as side effects go the biggest issue I have lately is stamina - I tire pretty easily.  I have found it necessary to nap everyday after work.  Not a lot of excitement to report this week ... But defiantly a lot of napping.  I gotta say that I would have previously categorized myself as a "nap failure" - I always woke up feeling tired only to go back to sleep later in the evening when I felt tired enough to do so.  But now I am a lot better at recognizing when I need a nap and my body actually feels rested when I wake up.   So I am not so much of a "nap failure" maybe more of a "nap newbie". 

My Sister-In-Law Annah just started Triathlon Training and I am super excited about the fact that she is interested in joining the ranks of healthy competition.  Of all the things that have helped prepare me for this the most challenging thing in my life I think competition has made the biggest difference.  I am excited about all the friends she will meet and the excitement she will feel when she wins her first medal.  I know she will do really well - I can’t wait for the race reports.  :)

Monday 5/9/11

In preparation for my upcoming surgery I was curious about how long my hospital stay would be.  I don't meet with my plastic surgeon until 5/19 so I decided to call to ask how long of a hospital stay I can plan for.  The nurse was very sweet and said that the double mastectomy and placement of tissue expanders is much less complicated then reconstructive surgery.  She estimated my hospital stay to be one night - baring complications.  I also asked about the type of activity recommended during recovery - she said the only recommended activity is walking - no running or biking. It is important to allow the mastectomy time to heal. 

Curiosity also pushed me to ask about prosthetics with the tissue expanders - she informed me that with tissue expanders they don't recommend the use of prosthetics.   I will probably be able to use a bra that is slightly padded, but that is all. 

This entire process has pushed me to learn all sorts of things and once again I am learning. Before today I hadn't really thought much about what surgery and my own treatment / recovery plan had in store - I was focused on one thing and that was kicking cancers' butt. But today it dawned on me that I would have to figure out what my life and I would look like during the process.  

Chemo's most obvious collateral damage was the loss of my hair.   Hair loss was something I chose not to hide - walking around with limited head coverings and most often choosing not to wear my wig.  

And given my need for radiation the next collateral damage is my breasts.   I will not have reconstruction until 2012 so I will live without breasts from 6/13/11 until reconstruction.  If it was the old days I would probably live the rest of my life without breasts and be thankful that I still have my life - so I am grateful that reconstruction is an option for me - even if it doesn't come until later. With that said I know it will require adjustment  to think about how I will look and feel without breasts.  

Society teach us a lot of things ... And for girls one of the lessons is that certain standards equate beauty. 

Stay tuned for more SuperMonkey Adventures,

Nancy

Aka:  SuperMonkey

"In the end, you're measured not by how much you undertake but by what you finally accomplish."

- Donald Trump