Random (with Hair)

I snapped this picture yesterday when I was amused by the fact that here I was, sitting in my office, looking all sweet and innocent and girly (well, as girly as possible with really short hair) in my blue floral dress, contently doing my work behind a closed office door that was blocking the Nine Inch Nails music that was screaming out of my computer speakers from the rest of the office.  I clearly looked like I should have been listening to Frank Sinatra or Nat King Cole instead.

Anyway, I thought I'd post it because Hey, look!  Hair!  You can actually see it from this angle.  Of course, at this angle I also look like I have an immense forehead.  Ever seen This Island Earth or Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie?  

That's what I'm reminded of.  Eh, maybe sometime soon I'll get a picture from a more normal view.

I'm so easily amused.

The After-Party

You know, they need to give a little post-chemo information session when you're all done with that shit.  Something like, "Yes, you're done getting treatments, but the fun doesn't stop there!"  They neglect to inform you that there are a few lingering side effects that you might have to deal with like swelling in your hands and/or legs and fingernail issues.  I had to consult the internet, which I totally hate doing.

There is some good news this week, the neuropathy seems to be just about gone.  Yay for being a quick healer!  Unfortunately the fingers that gave me the most trouble now have fingernails that seem to be on a quest to detach from the skin.  Ew!  Fortunately, I don't think that's gonna happen.  They have spots toward the tops that aren't attached, but toward the bottom, they're just fine.  As soon as those spots grow out all will be well.  I can certainly live with this after reading about people who lost all of their nails.  EWW!  I'll take losing my eyebrows over that any day.

I had some swelling issues for a few days.  I did end up calling the doc's office about that one.  They didn't tell me if it was normal or not after chemo, but offered to prescribe a diuretic.  Um...no thanks.  I pee enough as it is from the water that I drink, I don't need to be in there every hour.  I opted to wait and see if it got any better, which it did.  Whew!  And, yes, that can be an after-effect from the chemo.

Anyway, just as I'm getting over the chemo, I'll be wheeled in for surgery.  Goody!

The Reconstruction Era

I had my teaching appointment with the plastic surgeon's office yesterday.  We got to learn all about the gross things like drains that I'll have and just how long all of this reconstruction nonsense is going to take.  In the words of the plastic surgeon, "Well, you should sail through this, so probably about a year.  Year and a half tops."

Exsqueeze me?  A baking powder?

Okay, this is not the timetable I initially had in my head.  It seems as though this whole radiation thing is throwing off my groove.  I had figured I'd be done with everything by the end of the year and now I'm finding out that's not the case.  Kind of a bummer.

Oh well.  At least I'm having reconstruction.  That's an option that so many women were never given in the past.  So, it might take longer to complete than I had hoped. It's still happening and that's what matters.

Well, I guess the lack of cancer is really what matters, but having a breast is kinda important too.

Rule #1

Damn it!  I broke Rule #1.

Rule #1:
NEVER CONSULT THE INTERNET TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR DIAGNOSIS!!

According to the internet, I'm going to be a fat, libido-less, thinning-haired, miserable woman who'll probably die in a few years anyway because I'm fat or will have some sort of blood clot or will get leukemia or cancer again.

Screw You, Internet!

Ha!

Thanks for the laugh this morning, automated email haircut reminder.

Eh, maybe next time.

Holding Pattern

Well, it's been almost two weeks now since I've ended my chemo treatments, my surgery has been scheduled, my consent forms signed, so now there's not much to do but wait.  Well, I do have a couple of pre-surgery classes that I get to go to, but other than that I'm just floating along, killing time.

It's been nice not having to take anything for muscle aches because my aches no longer exist.  Yay!  The neuropathy - well, that's a different story, but it seems to be changing a bit, so maybe it's starting to slowly go away.

I've started Couch to 5K again just to get my heart rate up.  Yes, I realize I'll have to stop for a couple of months after surgery, but at least I'm getting out there and doing something now.  It makes me feel better because NONE OF MY WORK CLOTHES FIT!  I'll be making a trip to Goodwill at some point this week, methinks.

My hair has started growing back in fast and furious.  Well, not as fast and furious as I'd like.  Here, I took a pic yesterday while I was waiting for my surgeon.  (What?  She was late, I was bored and they had this bright blue wall in there...)  Thanks to the bright fluorescent lights, it looks like I have a freaking glowing halo thing going on.  I'm verging on Susan Powter, Stop the Insanity! hair.  At least I'm not peroxide-blonde, though you'd never know it from this picture.  It's actually the same old dark blonde I had before.

Holy, holy, holy!

Other than that, there's not much to report.  I only have a few weeks left to actually enjoy the summer, so I have to figure out how to make the most of it.  Perhaps a trip to the Renaissance Faire or the Museum of Science and Industry.  Maybe a hike or two.  We shall see.  I just know I'm bound and determined to enjoy the heck out of this July.

Support

Sometimes I feel like the three of us are alone in this and then I get a nice surprise. Many thanks to my niece.

Echo....echo....echo.........echo.........

In preparation for surgery, I had an echocardiogram (or echo) yesterday.

The doctors wanted to make sure that the chemo didn't do anything to my heart and that it would be able to handle surgery.  Pshaw!  Come on, this is me we're talking about.  You know - "Poster Child for Chemo".  

Ever have one?  It's basically an ultrasound of your heart.  The tech takes pictures of it from all angles, measures the size, the bloodflow and you get to listen to it from time to time.  I have to say, it was pretty cool to lie there watching the valves and ventricles in my own body do their valvey, ventricley thing.  To top it off, it was nice to have someone taking images of something much more interesting than my breast for a change.

Anyway, the test didn't take long and I already got my results.  My heart is just fine.  Now I can tell people I have a good heart and it's been medically proven. :)

It's A Date!

The surgeon's office called today with my surgery date:

July 30th!

They really meant it when they said end of July/beginning of August.