Every three months...

I'm sitting in my oncologist's waiting room feeling lucky. I'm fine, it's just my every 3 month check-up but it's a busy place. All ages of adults in various stages of health are waiting, some to see their doc, some for their chemo appointment. The patients tend to be the ones in the ill fitting pants. This is not a disease where you gain weight! Until after it's over and then if you're a happy eater, it will show on you.

First thing you do for these appointments is the lab work. I have to remember to push the fluids the day before to make their job a little easier. Not sure what all they're checking for but not hearing any details is always the good news here. Then it's the wait for my doc, usually a long one since he has a lot of very sick and dying patients that come first.

I complained once about how the drugs make me feel and he pointed out the realities of life to me. I'm one of the lucky ones and I need to remember that when I have no energy or my face breaks out in blotches from the sun. Very small price to pay for continued good health.

So today my blood pressure is a little higher than normal. Gee, I wonder why? Could it be that here the word of the day is CANCER??? That's okay because once every three months I'm reminded but the rest of the time I'm just a regular person with regular concerns and frustrations. I'm not a cancer patient, just a person who hit a bump in the road and is moving on.

Cancer Free!

At this time last year I was dealing with breast cancer. I had what I'm lovingly calling "cancer light" but still not anything I really want to do again. Just had my first "after" mammogram and it came back clean and clear!

Thanks to early detection, great family and friends, a great surgeon, a great radiologist using new treatments and some really nasty drugs, I'm cancer free. And grateful...

Time to get back to the other parts of life, like making wonderful new jewelry. Lot's of ideas, lots of work to do...

GET ANNUAL MAMMOGRAMS!

The Sorority no one wants to join

Just found out that an old friend (of 30 years) had surgery for breast cancer last week. I wish I had known about it before her surgery since that's when you want as much information as you can get your head around. I found talking to people who had been through it was a great way to kind of get the "inside dirt". Everyone's experience is so different and everyone reacts differently but once you've joined the sorority, you really want to make it easier for the next person...

I have breast cancer

Wow, what a headline! I have my first and hopefully last surgery tomorrow. Then comes radiation and who knows what after that. But if I need chemo, they say my hair might grow back CURLY! I'm going to demand that part!

I'm calm and I'm ready. I'm planning on falling apart after this is all over, when I'm cancer free and can afford to take the time to do a real good job of falling apart!

This is not going to become a "breast cancer blog". If I feel the need to write about it (which I may), it will go on a different blog. But I needed to explain that I have a really good excuse if I don't blog as much as I have been.

So, Tuesday Dec 2 at 2:30est, I need positive thoughts sent my way please...