Tuesday 8/9/11
I had my physical therapy evaluation today. I learned that after a few months of inactivity, muscles atrophy and joints do as well. My left side is suffering from reduced range of motion, joint stiffness and muscle weakness. I have an exercise plan that consists of stretching and massage. The plan is that I attend therapy twice a week and exercise daily. As far as therapy is concerned the plan is to work on muscle flexibility first then strength. I am excited about getting back to the things I love - the therapist said that running will absolutely help with muscle loosening and strength.
After a full day of work Matt and I decided to have dinner out (mini corndogs as an appetizer -- they were awesome) and a few drinks. I have been eyeing a bottle of high end tequila in the shape of a skull at a local store and we picked one up on the way home ... it is delicious!!
I understand that the road to recovery is going to be long and physical therapy will not be easy ... but I am excited to get back to my normal activities and physical therapy is the first step.
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| Matt and I out at Cahill's for Dinner |
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| Mini Corndog ... Seriously these were super cute |
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| Tequila in a skull ... it tastes just as good as it looks :) |
Monday 8/8/11
No run today - I am still recovering from yesterday as a first day back. I am optimistic that I will soon find a good routine that works for me.
Sunday 8/7/11
Today was the big day ... I was excited to get out for my first run. Any runner will tell you that the first day back can be pretty terrible and I recently learned that for cancer patients it is estimated that it takes as long as you were in treatment for you to start feeling better. I have been in treatment now since 1/17/11 almost a full 7 months at this point. The truth is that I absolutely love running ... not because it feels good - but because it doesn’t feel good. I always feel like a run fulfills my interest in exercising, I feel tired and worked out. I never get the “runners’ high”, instead my satisfaction comes from the pain reminding me that I did something good for myself and am working hard.
So how did my first run go?
I was absolutely reminded of a few things:
- My breasts hurt all the time but running they hurt more ... at least for the first mile they did ... after that all I felt was a dull throbbing.
- The first mile ended with a feeling of nausea ... may have been the heat or the heavy breathing ... not sure.
- My fastest pace was a tiny window of a 7.5 min pace. Which I have to admit I am pretty proud of.
I am so glad to be able to run again and as I get more runs in I will share more data -- I am able to download all types of geeky statistics to my computer from my heart rate monitor that I will share once I have a few more runs for comparison.
I got home and was reminded that running is exhausting ... I was tired for the rest of the day but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It feels great to be healthy enough to get healthier .. if that makes any sense.
A special note to my amazing husband: Matt you always support my journey to better health like I never thought possible. I appreciate you helping me advocate for my own care and I appreciate you helping me work to be healthier. I love you with all my heart.
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| Me right before my first run after surgery |
Saturday 8/6/11
This afternoon Matt helped me prepare for my first run. I haven’t been spending much time shopping for fitness gear these days but today I picked up an appropriate running bra / top and shoes. I was struck by how welcoming the active community was. Shopping for clothes I found that people were excited to get me back out there comfortably. Shopping for shoes I felt the same thing that even other customers were interested in hearing about my first day back as a runner after taking so much time off ... in all honesty I was so inconsistent during chemo it feels like I am starting from scratch. It was great and Matt was absolutely great company (anyone who knows Matt knows how much he hates shopping, but he was fabulous).
After a very early dinner I reminded Matt about the local event “White Linen Night in the Heights”. This is the events’ 5th year running but we have never been. This year the event was hosting it’s first ever “Pink Street” on White Oak all to promote breast cancer awareness. There would be several streets closed for the event so I convinced Matt that we should walk from our house to the event. We dressed in White and were out the door. We walked 7 blocks to get to the event and spent the rest of the evening walking ... we covered about 20 / 30 blocks ... weaving back and forth to the shops and through the busy streets. We were also drinking the entire time as the shops give away free drinks. Matt was “feeling good” after the first few blocks. By the time the event ended we were on White Oak (which is equivalent to 6th street and we live on 27th street) and that was a little too far for us to walk home at 9 pm. Besides I had my first run in the morning :) So we took a cab home ... it was a great night!!
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| Matt and I as were get ready for White Linen Night in the Heights Matt doesn't look happy does he? |
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| As we walked to the event we passed "Fiesta Auto" that little guy is the mascot :) |
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| Alright ... Matt is doing better once we arrived at the event |
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| Yup - that's me with a giant ice cream cone ... a dream come true :) |
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| Local theater had some awesome art This is a TV with an illuminated cross inside |
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| Same Local Theater Angel at the door .. she looks beautiful in real life |
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| Matt's Marine Corps Fighting Mug holds 2 beers A gift to Matt from a Friend (another Marine) |
Friday 8/5/11
With my prescription in hand I went to consult on the most appropriate compression sleeve for my needs (appropriate fit and a style I would enjoy). The vendor I used is one that works with the Lymphediva company as well as other vendors, she works hard to get you into the right garment, she is great - her name is Kristen Anderson-Knowles. Kristen is actually from New England and she and Matt hit it off instantly .. talking about all their old hang outs and how much they miss New England. I highly recommend going to see Kristen if you are in need of a compression sleeve, she was fabulous. I will let everyone know what sleeves I ordered once they arrive.
Link to Lymphediva company: http://lymphedivas.com/
Link to Kristens’ Bio: http://www.hairandwellness.com/Kristen_s_Bio.html
Thursday 8/4/11
I have recently spoken about the dangers of Lymphedema and today I had an evaluation. After many measurements, both manual and electronic I learned that my lymphatic system is working great, my arms were measured every 2 centimeters starting at my wrist and measuring all the way up my arm, the unaffected arm is used as a baseline. After my evaluation was complete the medical assistant was ready to put me into a very ugly brown compression sleeve. I asked if they had any other colors such as: white, black or basically anything. She said no, I asked if they fitted for and sold the Lymphediva sleeves and they do not. I asked for a prescription and informed them that I would be working with a Lymphediva vendor. In all honesty their lack of interest in getting me into something that I would be happy with upset me. They explained that most of their patients are older and prefer the natural tones ... that of course didn’t comfort me either. I said they should consider adding a little variety to their stock and maybe even start working with a Lymphediva vendor ... I don’t think they will.
Because my treatment plan consists of radiation I am still in a high risk category for developing lymphedema ... so I will come back to this facility for an evaluation after radiation has started. It should be interesting to see if their stock looks the same at that time.
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| Self Portrait of me with markings on my arm |
Wednesday 8/3/11
The latest visit to my plastic surgeon resulted in her decision not to expand my breasts (add more saline to my tissue expanders) until I start radiation and actually expand as I go. This seemed strange - but I figured I would talk to the radiation oncologist before starting radiation to see what he thought of this plan. Today was the day of my radiation simulation. I think I have explained before that radiation starts with what is called a simulation during which they fit you for your body mold and mark your vital organs in plans of starting radiation shortly after (that week or the following week). Matt and I asked if we could start with seeing the radiation oncologist before the simulation because of the fact that we had questions about tissue expansion during treatment. What we learned is that my radiation oncologist has to dose my radiation based on breast size, he will radiate my chest / chest wall and my collar bone. There are times when they radiate between your breasts but he will not be doing that in my case. He explained that if my breast size changes during treatment he will have to re-dose me, if I get expanded weekly this will result in a lot of work for he and his team. After discussing this he said it would be best to wait to start radiation until after my breasts have been expanded, there is no danger in waiting longer to start the radiation. If anything it is better because it also allows more time for physical therapy. By the way I haven’t started physical therapy yet because of the delays in healing after my surgery, but I should be starting very soon, I have not regained full range of motion or all strength since surgery.
While it might normally seem frustrating to experience another delay in completing treatment I am confident that waiting for the appropriate tissue expansion prior to starting treatment is the right decision. The other lesson is that it is important to understand that you are your own best advocate. While I trust the doctors I have to consistently remind myself that speaking up is best ... especially when it comes to important things like saving your own life.
This week a few co-workers are in from out of town and tonight they had a Happy Hour and I was happy to join them ... even if it meant driving all the way to SugarLand :) I say that only half way joking. SugarLand Texas is a suburb of Houston and while only 20 miles away ... at 5:00 pm it took me almost an hour to get out there ... gotta love Houston traffic. I arrived in SugarLand reminded of the fact that I don’t love traffic. Amy and Jenn are in from Minnesota and while they smiled for this picture they were not happy about the 100+ degree weather. It is funny to be at Happy Hour and have absolutely no alcohol - drinking makes me very sleepy these days so having a drink is not worth it unless I am home. But yes, I am able to drink again .. just much smaller amounts.
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| Me, Jenn and Amy at Happy Hour |
Stay tuned for more SuperMonkey Adventures,
Nancy
"Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right.”
- Henry Ford
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