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| My armpit burn |
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Radiation is not kind to me
I finished radiation 11 days ago and my armpit and back wounds have continued to get worse. I went to Dr. Fisher last Friday because they continue to ooze and they are sticking to my clothes. The other night my shirt stuck to my back wound and when I pulled it away it started to bleed because it pulled off some skin. It is so gross and it looks like big green boogers that get all over my clothes. I asked Dr. Fisher if I could cover them up with something so that it doesn't get all over my clothes. He told me I could use non adherent pads and paper tape. I went to Walgreen's right after the appointment and stocked up. I keep them on during the day and sometimes at night so that my clothes can stay dry. He did say that is best to let them air out so sometimes at night I will go without them but I don't like the sticky wet feeling and then the goo is all over my arm and back and I have to literally pick some of it off because when it drys it is very crusty. I can't believe my body is producing something to yucky. It is very hard for me to put the Silvadene cream on them because they are so sore. I am still taking about 10 Ibuprofen a day for the pain. Dr. Fisher said this moist desquamation happens in about 1 out of every 20 people and I just happen to be the lucky one! This is also the most painful type of radiation burn a person can have, again lucky me! I have gotten every rare side effect there is from both chemo and radiation. I don't know why I thought this would be easy.
HAIR growth weekly/monthly/yearly etc.
I am going to document my hair growth and will be adding a new picture from time to time. The pictures are from newest to oldest.
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| September 29th, 2016. A few days past 1-1/2 years since chemo. My hair is really starting to grow. I started putting some highlights in it since June. I finally like my hair however I am still going to grow it longer. |
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| One year post chemo. March 23, 2016. I have had numerous haircuts but only in the back. I have only had the front cut one time and it was a very tiny amount and probably was not needed. I have had to keep the back shorter so that I didn't look like I had a mullet!!!! I will continue to grow it out and cannot wait for it to get longer on the top. It is a much slower process than I could have ever imagined. |
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| 6 months since chemo back view- look at all those unruly curls!!!! |
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| 6 months since chemo front view- my hair is super curly and I cannot do anything with it. |
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| 17 weeks 2 days post chemo. July 22, 2015 |
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| 17 weeks 2 days post chemo. July 22, 2015 |
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| 13 weeks post chemo. 6/22/15. My best friend Heather gave me a little haircut and shaped it for me tonight. Today is also the day I decided to put the wig away for good and show off my new hair. It was hard to walk out the door without it but I felt confident and amazing. |
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| 11 weeks post chemo. 6/8/15 |
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| 10 weeks post chemo. 6/1/15 |
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| 9 weeks post chemo. 5/25/15 |
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| 8 weeks post chemo. 5/18/15 |
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| 7 weeks post chemo. 5/11/15 |
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| 6 weeks post chemo. 5/4/15 |
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| 5 weeks post chemo. 4/27/15 |
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Post radiation update- help my skin is falling off!!!
I finished radiation almost a week ago. My poor skin, it is literally falling off. My armpit is the most affected by this. It is oozing and very moist as the skin continues to fall off. It is hard because it sticks to my shirts. My back is doing the same thing but not as bad as my armpit and it is not as painful either. This just sucks!!!! I cannot let my arm fall to my side, it is so painful. I take 4 Ibuprofen in the morning right when I wake up and then another 2 at lunch time and 3 before bed. I have to keep up on the pain pills or else I am in trouble. I can't believe how painful burns are. This is another rare side effect that I am experiencing but once again I am not surprised. They said it usually takes a good two weeks before your skin starts to heal. My chest on the other hand finally looks a little better today. It is still bright red but it isn't itching near as bad as it has.
This sure makes sleeping and bathing difficult. I don't sleep to well. I can only sleep on my left side and I have to make sure my right arm is propped up on a pillow so that it doesn't fall to my side. Sometimes I will give in and just sleep in my back with my arm up above my head but then my cream rubs off onto my sheets and my back starts to itch. I can't win! It hurts to shower because then the water touches the tender exposed areas. I have to take a bath and keep the water from touching my burned areas.
I am continuing to use the Aquaphor and Silvadene cream. It feels better when I keep the areas moist. If they start to dry out then I start to itch and then with the itch comes more pain.
I can get through it I am almost a week out and should only have another week left to go.
This sure makes sleeping and bathing difficult. I don't sleep to well. I can only sleep on my left side and I have to make sure my right arm is propped up on a pillow so that it doesn't fall to my side. Sometimes I will give in and just sleep in my back with my arm up above my head but then my cream rubs off onto my sheets and my back starts to itch. I can't win! It hurts to shower because then the water touches the tender exposed areas. I have to take a bath and keep the water from touching my burned areas.
I am continuing to use the Aquaphor and Silvadene cream. It feels better when I keep the areas moist. If they start to dry out then I start to itch and then with the itch comes more pain.
I can get through it I am almost a week out and should only have another week left to go.
Monday, May 18, 2015
2 month followup with my oncologist
Today was my 2 month followup with my oncologist, Dr. Stinnett. We first went over all the of side effects that I had from chemo and the only one that I have left is the hot flashes which will not be going away anytime soon. He was glad to hear that everything else has subsided because sometimes they do not.
Then we went over my list of questions and he answered each and everyone of them. A few of my questions were, can I take vitamins like Biotin to help grow my hair, how often do I need to see my surgeon, how do I know if I am in permanent menopause, when can I get my chemo port out, how often are scans etc. So yes, I can start taking vitamins again. It is up to me how often I want to see my surgeon but he will be taking care of me as far as cancer goes. I am free to get my chemo port out anytime, it was only put in for the AC chemo and I won't be needing it anymore. He said he doesn't like to do scans unless you are having a symptom, they give the patients too much anxiety and he would rather wait for a reason to do them, like if you are having a symptom that won't go away. He said they have done studies where they had two groups of women, one that did regular scans and ones that had a symptom and then did the appropriate scan. Both groups of women lived the same amount of time. Stage 4 breast cancer is fatal so it doesn't matter if you find it 3 months earlier from a scan or wait for symptoms to appear. Either way they will try and prolong your life with maintenance chemo etc. I was glad to hear that because I would rather have my money to live and to make memories rather than paying for unnecessary scans that would honestly cause me a lot of anxiety. Instead he said he will check my blood counts every 3 months and talk to me about any new symptoms I might have. The blood counts will be checked primarily because of the kind of chemo I had, it can cause Leukemia. He also said sometimes the blood counts can give him a hint that something might be going on if there are changes to the counts. At that time he might order a scan based off the blood work results.
The we discussed my next 10 years of hormone therapy treatment. So I have two options. Option 1: Tamoxifen hormone blocker. This drug can cause uterine cancer as well as hot flashes. However option 2 has a 4% better chance that the cancer will not return but it involves a lot more side effects. Option 2 involves suppressing my ovaries with a Lupron shot every 3 months or ovary removal as well as taking an aromstase inhibitor which is another hormone blocker but this one has more side effects than Tamoxifen. Of course the hot flashes are one of them as well as bone loss and joint pain. For now I decided on Tamoxifen and should my menstrual cycle come back I can always try option 2 with the Lupron shots and aromatase inhibitors just to get the added protection. If the hormone blockers are too hard on me then I can always switch back to Tamoxifen. Honestly I want the best quality of life possible even if it shortens my life. It is hard to make a decision like this because I have completed chemo and radiation, now I need to be sure to keep the cancer away. I didn't do all of that just to have the cancer return. I am sound in my decision thus far. I will start the Tamoxifen hormone blockers around June 15th. He said he wants me to heal from my radiation wounds first. I will continue to take Effexor for now. I really don't know if it is helping my hot flashes or not but I am not getting as much as I used to. I am still getting about 15-20 hot flashes in a 24 hour period. He doesn't want to switch the Effexor to something else right now because he wants me to take Tamoxifen with it and see how I do. Later on we can try something else once my body gets used to Tamoxifen.
I am very happy about the way this appointment went. I was honestly dreading the scans and the worry that would be involved. I know my body more now than ever before and right now I know how good I feel with the exception of the localized pain I am feeling from the burns from radiation. My skin is literally falling off under my armpit. It is very painful right now. So I will know if something is not right and that is when I would discuss this with Dr. Stinnett and then he would order the appropriate tests. I love my oncologist so much. I love that he is so in tune with studies and not ordering any unnecessary tests. I love that I might be able to take a vacation each and every year with the money that I would have spent on testing. I am excited to get my life back and make lots of memories.
I called Dr. Grunander's office when we got to the car. I made an appointment next week for a followup and the nurse said I could get my port out on Monday, June 1st. I could tell they were not happy with me because they feel a person should leave it in for two years just in case. Dr. Stinnett assured me that if the cancer comes back they can use my veins in my arm for chemo. Nothing is as strong as AC and won't cause any damage. In fact I met a lot of people who get it in their arms. I am not going to worry about that. I just want the dang thing out. It is a mental thing with me. I never liked when they had to poke it for chemo and anytime they needed to check my blood I had them draw it from my arm anyway. I was going to wait until later this year but I want to be done with EVERYTHING so I figured I am in pain from radiation right now, I might as well add to it and then I can heal all at once instead of dreading another surgery all year long. I have to have it taken out in the hospital under anesthesia which is probably best because it does go up into my neck and then down towards my heart. I don't want to feel the tugging when they take it out. After that I can put this cancer journey behind me.
The last thing Dr. Stinnett said that made my day was that I have more hair on my head than most people have 8 weeks post chemo. Yay, I think my Nioxin products must be working. I think another two weeks I will have enough short hair to cover up any thin spots that I still have and then I can start sporting my new short hair!!!!
Next oncology appointment in 3 months!!! What will I do with my summer? Have fun and live life that is what I will do with my summer!
Then we went over my list of questions and he answered each and everyone of them. A few of my questions were, can I take vitamins like Biotin to help grow my hair, how often do I need to see my surgeon, how do I know if I am in permanent menopause, when can I get my chemo port out, how often are scans etc. So yes, I can start taking vitamins again. It is up to me how often I want to see my surgeon but he will be taking care of me as far as cancer goes. I am free to get my chemo port out anytime, it was only put in for the AC chemo and I won't be needing it anymore. He said he doesn't like to do scans unless you are having a symptom, they give the patients too much anxiety and he would rather wait for a reason to do them, like if you are having a symptom that won't go away. He said they have done studies where they had two groups of women, one that did regular scans and ones that had a symptom and then did the appropriate scan. Both groups of women lived the same amount of time. Stage 4 breast cancer is fatal so it doesn't matter if you find it 3 months earlier from a scan or wait for symptoms to appear. Either way they will try and prolong your life with maintenance chemo etc. I was glad to hear that because I would rather have my money to live and to make memories rather than paying for unnecessary scans that would honestly cause me a lot of anxiety. Instead he said he will check my blood counts every 3 months and talk to me about any new symptoms I might have. The blood counts will be checked primarily because of the kind of chemo I had, it can cause Leukemia. He also said sometimes the blood counts can give him a hint that something might be going on if there are changes to the counts. At that time he might order a scan based off the blood work results.
The we discussed my next 10 years of hormone therapy treatment. So I have two options. Option 1: Tamoxifen hormone blocker. This drug can cause uterine cancer as well as hot flashes. However option 2 has a 4% better chance that the cancer will not return but it involves a lot more side effects. Option 2 involves suppressing my ovaries with a Lupron shot every 3 months or ovary removal as well as taking an aromstase inhibitor which is another hormone blocker but this one has more side effects than Tamoxifen. Of course the hot flashes are one of them as well as bone loss and joint pain. For now I decided on Tamoxifen and should my menstrual cycle come back I can always try option 2 with the Lupron shots and aromatase inhibitors just to get the added protection. If the hormone blockers are too hard on me then I can always switch back to Tamoxifen. Honestly I want the best quality of life possible even if it shortens my life. It is hard to make a decision like this because I have completed chemo and radiation, now I need to be sure to keep the cancer away. I didn't do all of that just to have the cancer return. I am sound in my decision thus far. I will start the Tamoxifen hormone blockers around June 15th. He said he wants me to heal from my radiation wounds first. I will continue to take Effexor for now. I really don't know if it is helping my hot flashes or not but I am not getting as much as I used to. I am still getting about 15-20 hot flashes in a 24 hour period. He doesn't want to switch the Effexor to something else right now because he wants me to take Tamoxifen with it and see how I do. Later on we can try something else once my body gets used to Tamoxifen.
I am very happy about the way this appointment went. I was honestly dreading the scans and the worry that would be involved. I know my body more now than ever before and right now I know how good I feel with the exception of the localized pain I am feeling from the burns from radiation. My skin is literally falling off under my armpit. It is very painful right now. So I will know if something is not right and that is when I would discuss this with Dr. Stinnett and then he would order the appropriate tests. I love my oncologist so much. I love that he is so in tune with studies and not ordering any unnecessary tests. I love that I might be able to take a vacation each and every year with the money that I would have spent on testing. I am excited to get my life back and make lots of memories.
I called Dr. Grunander's office when we got to the car. I made an appointment next week for a followup and the nurse said I could get my port out on Monday, June 1st. I could tell they were not happy with me because they feel a person should leave it in for two years just in case. Dr. Stinnett assured me that if the cancer comes back they can use my veins in my arm for chemo. Nothing is as strong as AC and won't cause any damage. In fact I met a lot of people who get it in their arms. I am not going to worry about that. I just want the dang thing out. It is a mental thing with me. I never liked when they had to poke it for chemo and anytime they needed to check my blood I had them draw it from my arm anyway. I was going to wait until later this year but I want to be done with EVERYTHING so I figured I am in pain from radiation right now, I might as well add to it and then I can heal all at once instead of dreading another surgery all year long. I have to have it taken out in the hospital under anesthesia which is probably best because it does go up into my neck and then down towards my heart. I don't want to feel the tugging when they take it out. After that I can put this cancer journey behind me.
The last thing Dr. Stinnett said that made my day was that I have more hair on my head than most people have 8 weeks post chemo. Yay, I think my Nioxin products must be working. I think another two weeks I will have enough short hair to cover up any thin spots that I still have and then I can start sporting my new short hair!!!!
Next oncology appointment in 3 months!!! What will I do with my summer? Have fun and live life that is what I will do with my summer!
Friday, May 15, 2015
My surprise from Jeff
My husband has been so supportive as we have gone through this cancer journey together. He has come to all of my doctor's appointments and chemo treatments.
Back when I first met with my surgeon in October to get the biopsy results I had both Jeff and my mom come with me. It was at the Ogden Clinic on Harrison Blvd. We were admiring all the pretty outdoor pictures that they have hung throughout the clinic. There was one in particular that I just loved. It was a sunrise coming up over the mountains after what looked like a rainy night. I have two interpretations of this picture. The first one being that no matter how hard today might be, tomorrow the sun will come up and you will be given a new day. The other interpretation I have of this photo is a glimpse into Heaven. There are sun rays shining through and it is as if you are peeking into Heaven. This picture gives me so much peace and I could stare at it for hours. Anyway we admired this picture each and every time we had an appointment with my surgeon at Ogden Clinic. One time Jeff ended up taking a picture of this photo and little did I know he was on a journey of his own to track down the photographer and get this print for me.
The print had the photographers name written on it and Jeff tried many times to search the internet to find him, each time without any luck. In April he was selling an item on KSL and the couple that came to our house to buy it started talking with Jeff about where they work and the gal said that she just got through hanging pictures at a clinic up in Logan. Jeff asked her about this photographer Kevin Mikkelsen and sure enough she knew of him and was able to give Jeff the information he needed to contact Kevin. I was not home this night so I had no clue of this conversation.
Jeff was able to contact Kevin and told him about my journey and how much we admire his portraits that are in the Ogden Clinic and told him about this one particular print. Kevin knew exactly which one it was and was able to get it printed for Jeff. Jeff wanted to present it to me on Friday, May 15th which is the last day of my radiation treatments and the conclusion of my cancer treatments. However, Kevin wanted to deliver this portrait in person and watch me open it. He was not going to be in town on Friday so Jeff had him come on the Sunday before my last week of radiation. It also happened to be Mother's Day and also Kevin's anniversary but he came anyway. I was making dinner for my mom and little did I know Jeff had her come over early so she could be a part of what was about to happen. At 4:30PM there was a knock at the door and Jeff answered it and had all of us sit down in the family room. Kevin had the print but it was wrapped up in paper. He handed it to Jeff and he stood up and told me all about his journey in finding Kevin to get this print for me. I was crying because this is the most thoughtful thing anybody has ever done for me. He went through so much searching to find Kevin. I opened it and immediately recognized this as being the print at Ogden Clinic that we had been admiring for months. I was a little embarrassed because I had been cleaning the trailer all day and cooking dinner and I was still in my pajamas. Jeff couldn't say anything to me about getting ready because then it would have spoiled the surprise.
Before Kevin left he signed the photo for me. I guess the ones at Ogden Clinic automatically print with his name on them but Jeff wanted him to bring a pen and sign it for us in person. Kevin is like a celebrity to us. We absolutely love his portraits in the Ogden Clinic.
We decided to hang this up in our bathroom above our tub. I want to be able to see it each morning and if it was in our bedroom I wouldn't get to see it. I wake up in the dark and then leave in the dark because Jeff doesn't wake up until after I leave in the morning. I love waking up to this picture. It has so much sentimental value for me. It truly is a reminder of the journey that I have been on.
My husband is the best and I am truly blessed that he chose me to spend his life with. He has been there every step of the way and our love is so much stronger now than it has ever been. We are hoping and praying for many more years together.
Back when I first met with my surgeon in October to get the biopsy results I had both Jeff and my mom come with me. It was at the Ogden Clinic on Harrison Blvd. We were admiring all the pretty outdoor pictures that they have hung throughout the clinic. There was one in particular that I just loved. It was a sunrise coming up over the mountains after what looked like a rainy night. I have two interpretations of this picture. The first one being that no matter how hard today might be, tomorrow the sun will come up and you will be given a new day. The other interpretation I have of this photo is a glimpse into Heaven. There are sun rays shining through and it is as if you are peeking into Heaven. This picture gives me so much peace and I could stare at it for hours. Anyway we admired this picture each and every time we had an appointment with my surgeon at Ogden Clinic. One time Jeff ended up taking a picture of this photo and little did I know he was on a journey of his own to track down the photographer and get this print for me.
The print had the photographers name written on it and Jeff tried many times to search the internet to find him, each time without any luck. In April he was selling an item on KSL and the couple that came to our house to buy it started talking with Jeff about where they work and the gal said that she just got through hanging pictures at a clinic up in Logan. Jeff asked her about this photographer Kevin Mikkelsen and sure enough she knew of him and was able to give Jeff the information he needed to contact Kevin. I was not home this night so I had no clue of this conversation.
Jeff was able to contact Kevin and told him about my journey and how much we admire his portraits that are in the Ogden Clinic and told him about this one particular print. Kevin knew exactly which one it was and was able to get it printed for Jeff. Jeff wanted to present it to me on Friday, May 15th which is the last day of my radiation treatments and the conclusion of my cancer treatments. However, Kevin wanted to deliver this portrait in person and watch me open it. He was not going to be in town on Friday so Jeff had him come on the Sunday before my last week of radiation. It also happened to be Mother's Day and also Kevin's anniversary but he came anyway. I was making dinner for my mom and little did I know Jeff had her come over early so she could be a part of what was about to happen. At 4:30PM there was a knock at the door and Jeff answered it and had all of us sit down in the family room. Kevin had the print but it was wrapped up in paper. He handed it to Jeff and he stood up and told me all about his journey in finding Kevin to get this print for me. I was crying because this is the most thoughtful thing anybody has ever done for me. He went through so much searching to find Kevin. I opened it and immediately recognized this as being the print at Ogden Clinic that we had been admiring for months. I was a little embarrassed because I had been cleaning the trailer all day and cooking dinner and I was still in my pajamas. Jeff couldn't say anything to me about getting ready because then it would have spoiled the surprise.
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| Me, my mom and Kaci with Kevin |
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| I had Jeff take this picture right before we hung it up the next day (I have a little makeup on) |
We decided to hang this up in our bathroom above our tub. I want to be able to see it each morning and if it was in our bedroom I wouldn't get to see it. I wake up in the dark and then leave in the dark because Jeff doesn't wake up until after I leave in the morning. I love waking up to this picture. It has so much sentimental value for me. It truly is a reminder of the journey that I have been on.
My husband is the best and I am truly blessed that he chose me to spend his life with. He has been there every step of the way and our love is so much stronger now than it has ever been. We are hoping and praying for many more years together.
All done with radiation
Today I finished my 5 weeks of radiation and Jeff came with me to celebrate. I was so ready to be done because I am burned so bad. Yesterday they prescribed me Silvadene cream to put on the burns and recommended Ibuprofen for the pain. It is helping quite a bit. Also yesterday Dr. Fisher said that he hasn't seen an exit burn with the Tomotherapy machine but I have a rather large one on my back. He also said that most people do not burn as bad as I have. I am not surprised though, it seems that I get the rare side effects of everything.
I was also told that my skin will get worse over the next week or so before it gets better. I am not looking forward to that but I will do my best to try and manage my pain.
I am going to miss all of my friends at Gamma West at Ogden Regional. I have spent the last 5 weeks with them and have gotten to know them all. When I left today they gave me a bag with a blanket for myself and one for Kaci. I love how people are so thoughtful and think about my daughter.
Now that my cancer treatments are done I plan on living life to the fullest and making a ton of memories. I hope and pray that this is the last time I have to deal with cancer but it isn't up to me, it is up to God. In the meantime I just need to make sure all my days count. I really do have a greater perspective about life and a stronger sense of compassion, empathy and love for others. I am blessed to have been given this trial.
Jeff and I went out to breakfast to celebrate the end of my cancer treatments. Then I went to work for four hours. Tonight and tomorrow I get to celebrate with Kaci. She is dancing at all 4 dance recitals this weekend. I am so proud of her and this will be the end of the dance season. We made it!
I was also told that my skin will get worse over the next week or so before it gets better. I am not looking forward to that but I will do my best to try and manage my pain.
I am going to miss all of my friends at Gamma West at Ogden Regional. I have spent the last 5 weeks with them and have gotten to know them all. When I left today they gave me a bag with a blanket for myself and one for Kaci. I love how people are so thoughtful and think about my daughter.
Now that my cancer treatments are done I plan on living life to the fullest and making a ton of memories. I hope and pray that this is the last time I have to deal with cancer but it isn't up to me, it is up to God. In the meantime I just need to make sure all my days count. I really do have a greater perspective about life and a stronger sense of compassion, empathy and love for others. I am blessed to have been given this trial.
Jeff and I went out to breakfast to celebrate the end of my cancer treatments. Then I went to work for four hours. Tonight and tomorrow I get to celebrate with Kaci. She is dancing at all 4 dance recitals this weekend. I am so proud of her and this will be the end of the dance season. We made it!
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| Me and my awesome nurse and friend Bonnie (Sorry it is a blurry picture) |
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| Me and Brooke. She is the one that makes sure I am lined up correctly and puts me into the Tomotherapy machine for treatment. |
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| I got to ring another bell today to signal the end of treatment. |
Monday, May 11, 2015
Last week of radiation and burn pictures
This is my last week of radiation. This Friday I will have completed all 5 weeks. Last Friday I was super itchy, dry and red. I told Brooke that I am ready to put lotion on instead of the Radiation Rescue product that I have been using as a trial for them. She gave me Aquaphor by Cetaphil and told me to use that and it would help hydrate my skin. She said it is up to me if I still wanted to use the Radiation Rescue cream as well. This weekend all I used was the Aquaphor and felt much better. I am still super red and rashy but at least I get some relief with Aquaphor product. Today she said my skin looked much better.
I cannot sleep on my right side because it hurts to bad. I just hope that this week doesn't get too much worse than it is right now. I am a little uncomfortable but I am not letting it get me down. In fact this weekend I got so much done. I cleaned the carpets, helped Kaci clean up the toy room for over 2 hours, cleaned the bathrooms, cleaned the trailer, did mounds of wash because I had all the linens in the trailer to get done too. I worked so hard but it is so nice to have energy again. It was a very successful weekend.
I am excited for Friday and being done with my treatments. It is going to be weird to not have anywhere to go after this. Looking back to November when I was diagnosed, May seemed so far away and I thought it would never get here. I am nervous to be done with the doctors appointments and treatments because it has been my life for the past 7 months. I am sure I will get used to it really quick. We are hoping to get our trailer up to Sourdough this weekend and start camping. I will be super busy as life resumes that I probably won't even think about all the appointments I used to go to. We plan on camping every weekend this summer so the weekdays after work I will have to take care of the house and laundry. I can't wait to make memories this summer. I sure hope everything goes well for me.
My hair is continuing to grow like crazy. In fact you can see the brown tint on my head now. It is so much fun watching it grow. My eyelashes and eyebrows are completely gone but there is new growth where they used to be. It won't be long before they are back. I am hoping in another month or so I will have enough of a covering of hair on my head that I won't want to wear my wig any longer. It just needs to fill in and get a little thicker and longer before I am comfortable stepping out with my wig.
I meet with my oncologist next Monday to discuss the hormone therapy treatments.
Life is good and I can't wait to share what Jeff did for me this weekend. He gave me the best surprise of my life. It was a gift to celebrate the end of my treatments. I will share it after I complete radiation on Friday.
I cannot sleep on my right side because it hurts to bad. I just hope that this week doesn't get too much worse than it is right now. I am a little uncomfortable but I am not letting it get me down. In fact this weekend I got so much done. I cleaned the carpets, helped Kaci clean up the toy room for over 2 hours, cleaned the bathrooms, cleaned the trailer, did mounds of wash because I had all the linens in the trailer to get done too. I worked so hard but it is so nice to have energy again. It was a very successful weekend.
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| Below my neck |
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| My back |
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| My armpit |
I am excited for Friday and being done with my treatments. It is going to be weird to not have anywhere to go after this. Looking back to November when I was diagnosed, May seemed so far away and I thought it would never get here. I am nervous to be done with the doctors appointments and treatments because it has been my life for the past 7 months. I am sure I will get used to it really quick. We are hoping to get our trailer up to Sourdough this weekend and start camping. I will be super busy as life resumes that I probably won't even think about all the appointments I used to go to. We plan on camping every weekend this summer so the weekdays after work I will have to take care of the house and laundry. I can't wait to make memories this summer. I sure hope everything goes well for me.
My hair is continuing to grow like crazy. In fact you can see the brown tint on my head now. It is so much fun watching it grow. My eyelashes and eyebrows are completely gone but there is new growth where they used to be. It won't be long before they are back. I am hoping in another month or so I will have enough of a covering of hair on my head that I won't want to wear my wig any longer. It just needs to fill in and get a little thicker and longer before I am comfortable stepping out with my wig.
I meet with my oncologist next Monday to discuss the hormone therapy treatments.
Life is good and I can't wait to share what Jeff did for me this weekend. He gave me the best surprise of my life. It was a gift to celebrate the end of my treatments. I will share it after I complete radiation on Friday.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
4th week radiation update
I only have 1 week and 2 days left of radiation. I can't believe how
fast it is going. This past weekend I broke out in a rash just below my
neck and also on my back. Today they told me it is from radiation and
that it can go through you and affect your back as well. It is super
itchy and very sore and red. It is going to be something I will have to
deal with until I am done. I was doing so good too but of course I get
all the side effects so I am not really surprised. I will keep putting
the Radiation Rescue cream on and also Hydrocortizone cream for the
itching. I saw doctor Fisher today and he is a little concerned with the burning under my armpit. He said to put the cream on 4-5 times a day. He said the skin is still intact so that is good but it is an area of concern because of how red it is. He said it will probably peel. For me it is only a little bit sore but the skin is super tight and it hurts when I lay down at night if I lay on it wrong.
Life is good and I am looking forward to summer. Kaci just finished the last of her dance competitions this past weekend and in two weeks we have her recital. It is such a relief to me that we were able to get through it all. I was so stressed out about all the extra practices and competitions when I was feeling so bad but we made it. I am super proud of her, she has done so well this year. School will be out in 3 weeks and we plan on doing a lot of camping this summer. I am glad that I have more energy now and want to do everything I can this summer to have fun because you never know what the future holds.
Life is good and I am looking forward to summer. Kaci just finished the last of her dance competitions this past weekend and in two weeks we have her recital. It is such a relief to me that we were able to get through it all. I was so stressed out about all the extra practices and competitions when I was feeling so bad but we made it. I am super proud of her, she has done so well this year. School will be out in 3 weeks and we plan on doing a lot of camping this summer. I am glad that I have more energy now and want to do everything I can this summer to have fun because you never know what the future holds.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Eyebrows and eyelashes disappearing 6 weeks post chemo
Today marks 6 weeks post chemo. I am feeling great. My fingernails still look terrible but none of them have torn off. I have been very diligent to keep them cut as short as I can stand it. My eyelashes however are almost gone. Last week they started to thin quite a bit. My one eye only has a few lashes left but the good news is, is new ones are starting to grow in their place. Even if the rest of them fall out it won't be long until I have a full set of lashes again. I have also noticed my eyebrows are doing the same thing but I don't see any new growth as of now. I am not worried about it, I am so over the way I look.
My hair however is really starting to turn brown and get longer. It is still not very thick quite yet but each day I wake up there is new growth. Sometimes I think I can even feel it growing, it is a really weird feeling.
My hair however is really starting to turn brown and get longer. It is still not very thick quite yet but each day I wake up there is new growth. Sometimes I think I can even feel it growing, it is a really weird feeling.
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