In the clear...

Having heard so many horror stories about the effects of chemotherapy, I am greatful to report that the only effects that I have experienced thus far is a nasty metallic taste in my mouth and skin sensitivity (even the cats licking feels like my skin is burning off). For the most part I spent the weekend napping with no signs of nausea or bone pain!!

I also continue to make baby steps in my rehabilitation from the surgeries. I am able to finally pull a shirt over my head by myself and can now make it an entire day without a nap. Yesterday was especially exciting when I got to drive my car for the first time in almost two months-albeit it took both hands to put my car in reverse and release my emergency brake. However, the most frustrating part of the rehabilitation is how my body no longer feels like my body. I am in a constant state of uncomforableness due to the skin sensitivity, pulled back muscles, strained ribs, and random streaks of pain. I also still don't have feeling in most of my chest from the mastectomy, which makes the expanders feel like metal balls in my chest. Even the fact that I no longer enjoy my favorite foods because of the metallic taste in my mouth makes it feel like this is no longer my body but somebody elses.

The good news is that I am finally strong enough and mobile enough to take care of myself so that Brooke will finally be able to go home...I think the cats are the most excited about this news since they will no longer be subjected to Brooke's "affection" and Brooke is uber excited since she will be able to get a full nights sleep without Sven wacking her head and sleeping on her face :)

Chemo in Stilettos

Determined to be the sexiest cancer patient ever, I of course had to wear the stiletto heals that I bought in Paris...the whole time I kept singing in my head "I am too sexy for my cancer." And I have to admit that it did put me in a better mood while I was hooked up for five hours as they pumped my body with poison. As everyone has said, I will not feel the effects today but that they will start to develop over the next two to three days. Also, they say that I can expect to begin to lose my hair in approximately three weeks so Brooke is currently researching how to appropriately fold the scarves that we have already begun to collect-good thing I look good in hats :)

Do Not Mean to Offend But...

Thanks Joni and Josh...we surely enjoyed the heads up!!

Baby Steps

Ok-so I have to admit that I thought I was a bad ass because a couple of days after a double mastectomy I was galavanting around with little to no pain. Well it turns out that even I can be stopped when they crack your ribs and cut a foot long slice down your back and insert a 1" tube out of your lower back...can we say vicodine!!

Oh my G, I have never experienced such searing pain as when you twist wrong with a broken rib. Every motion from getting up, sitting down, sleeping, sitting, etc. is uncomfortable. Not to mention that I have not been able to use my arms for going on three weeks now so that even holding a glass of water becomes a task now and the simplest movement becomes exhausting. I am already reminiscing about when I thought it was such a great accomplishment to get a work out in after work-do you know what my major accomplishment yesterday was? I actually made it down and up my flight of stairs for the first time since I got back from the hospital. But of course I was completely out of breath and in excruciating pain-who knew that walking upstairs took back muscles?

I have to admit that as debilitating as the last few weeks have been, that my enthusiasm for kicking cancers ass is waning given what I have gone through and technically haven't even started treatment yet. In the past I have always used my strength to get me through horribly difficult times, but how do I beat something when I hardly have the strength to exist? Let alone prepare for my first chemotherapy, which will be this Friday. My oncologists admits that she does not expect me to be out of pain but evidently I should still be ok to handle the nausea, constipation, and heart palpitations even though I currently can't take a deep breath without excruciating pain.

So now I am just focusing on the baby steps...yesterday I made it downstairs, today I got a full shower in for the first time in weeks, and tomorrow...I'll conquer the world after I muster the strength to get out of bed without help!!

Shout out to the VA runners!!!

Hey everyone,
I know this is suppose to be for Lindsay and Patti, but I just had to give a shout out to the FAB-U-LOUS JILL, JODY, and husband MIKE who ran the shamrock 1/2 marathon this morning!!
This was Mikes first and he ran an awesome 2 hours 16 minutes, and Jill ran here best time every and even Jody who ran with Bronchitis still did better then our first 1/2 marathon 3 years ago!!
CONGRATS TO ALL OF YOU, YOU ROCK!!!!!

Lindsay is home resting!!

Well as usual Lindsay has recovered in record time and is already home resting with her cats :)
The details...The surgeon decided to do the more invasive thoracotomy to make sure nothing gets missed and it went very well and she was done in 2 hours, and by the evening she was playing go-fish with her possie of friends! By yesterday morning they had clamped off the lung tube and had pulled out the epideral. And by this morning she was up walking around and drinking her large coke all by herself!
She got the news yesterday that there was no cancer found in her lungs, which is great to know she is CANCER FREE!!! But this also means she has stage 3 cancer and that she will not be able to get that really cool new chemo she was hoping to get. I am sure she will post her own comments as soon as the percisat (sp?) wears off a little.

Till then I would love to give mucho props and thanks to the most creatively designed cupcakes I have EVER seen!!! Compliments of the fabulous Joni and Josh from VA!!! You two are awesome!!

Out of surgery!!

Lindsay has finished her surgery and everything went well. Unfortuntely it's been over 4 hours since she finished and they have yet to get her in a room, and so she is still in the recovery room, where we can't visit. Soooo we are waiting ohhh so very impatienly to see her. Also it will be 48 hours before Lindsay gets the results of the biopsy of the lymph nodes.

Geeky Planning Joke

Cancer is a short-term impact and therefore, is less than significant.

For all my geeky planning friends!

Oy Vay!!

So I have spent the last two weeks sitting on my ass with ice packs on my chest...needless to say its been frustrating being so incapacitated for little miss "errand" girl. The good news is that they finally pulled out my tubes from the surgery on Friday and they also pumped up my expanders-I am officially an A cup now and by next week I will be a B cup-I will have gone through puberty in two weeks!

I have to admit though that I am not looking forward to next week given how immobile and sensitive I still am. Tomorrow I go in for the chest biopsy, which may involve cracking my ribs to get to my lungs. This week will also include another expansion, which as this weekend has proven is rather uncomfortable, and my first chemotherapy session. Even if I was in perfect condition, I question how someone could go through so much in 6 days...

So I have a request of everyone-I am making a "feel good" CD and I would love to get suggestions of people's favoritie "kick ass" songs that I can include on the CD to keep me inspired to get me through this :) Also, I will be getting out of the hospital on Thurday or Friday and of course will be pretty immobile again. So feel free to stop by as I am getting pretty sick of Sven and Oli (despite how cute they are).