1 down 3 to go....

January 29, 2009

Or I really should say 5 down, 3 to go. Today's treatment was uneventful, Thank God! Got at doc's at 930, and we were home by 1:30.

I was so loaded up with sedatives and steroids and benedryl. Very sleepy when I got home, but I had to run around and watch Isabelle until 6:00 until Brian stopped working and he took her for out for a bit. She's got a cold so she's been big cranky, so that's always fun.

Friday Day #2

Slept for about 3 hours last nite, I guess I shouldn't complain it was something. Not cause of discomfort, yet, but the steroids just really pump you up. I tried to counteract it with a sedative but it didn't work that well. I'll be on the steroids until Sunday! Ugg. Guess this house will be spic n span clean by end the weekend! Anyone wanna come over for some midnight poker?!?!:-)

This morning not feeling too bad, but I have to remember to drink a ton of water and lay off the coffee... I had 2 cups this morning like an idiot and I'm starting to feel dehydrated. I just never learn! Going for my lovely Neulasta shot in an hour, have to take pain killers for this. How many drugs are in my body?!!??!? Cripes.

Will my hair go bye-bye, again?!??!!?

I hope not, but it's a good chance that it does.

Just wanted to show how fast it does grow back, this is 3 months exactly out of my last chemo treatment.

Getting ready for CHEMOFRIGGINTHERAPY, again

January 27, 2009

Nothing can really get you "ready" for poison to be infused in your veins. Nothing. But I need to go into it thinking that this is my chance to kill anything that has been left behind or lurking around. So with that said... BRING IT ON!

This weekend we went to New Hope for a winter festival parade, then off for some hiking at Peaceful Valley Park in PA. Brian, me, Isabelle, Sharon, Andy, Mason, Joey and Dad (Grandpa) came along. Mason and Isabelle were looking for Winnie the Pooh in the Pooh tree... look at their faces.. how darn cute are these kids!?!? Isabelle was a little Mom to Joey during dinner, she loves babies! So we had a good weekend before my next chemofriggintherapy starts in 2 days.

I'll update to let everyone know how this round is going. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

BRING IT ON!

Ok I take it back

Ok this doesn't "suck". It's just not fun. I have to keep realizing that I am very fortunate to have the chance of having reconstruction in the first place. Many women do not. Some do not know it's available to them. Some can't afford it. Some are just not candidates for it.

So I take it back. I love my foobs!
:-)

A word to the wise

Don't ignore your boobs!! Cause this sucks!

As much as I had been feeling good and look good... today I am in so much pain I can scream! Saturday I started to feel some burning pulling tight thing going on somewhere on my right side under my arm pit area. Yesterday morning it got a little better but then I had a fill yesterday and today just sucks! My plastic surgeon said I might have a pinched nerve from the expander hitting something or from the lymph nodes being taken out. Whatever the heck it is JUST SUCKS.
So... a word to you all... don't ignore your boobs if you see or feel something funny going on with your boobs, get it check out! CAUSE THIS SUCKS.

Ok ... I ranted enough:-)

I'm NOT supposed to look this good??

January 14, 2009

That's what my plastic surgeon said to me the minute he saw me today. "You're not supposed to look that good with expanders." I'll take the compliment!

If anyone wants a rewarding job... a job where your clients, or whatever you want to call them want to give you the biggest hug you've ever had... become a reconstructive plastic surgeon. The things these people do are completely amazing and the way they can make someone feel about themselves is a friggin blessing! I LOVE MY PLASTIC SURGEON! (He had some Botox in his cabinet too:o)

So today I got another 30 cc so this makes me at 200cc's. They showed me the different permanent implants ie: silicone, saline, high profile, low profile... agh...those things are heavy. But much softer then these hard expanders. Next Tuesday I'll get another 30cc and by the way for the measurement impaired out there like me it's 5 cc's to 1 tablespoon of fluid. So my 30 fill is 6 tablespoons of fluid. Not really too much but enough. I am definitely growing!

Feeling better today than yesterday

January 11, 2009

We went hiking today and finally I think I was able to out-walk my daughter!

The picture of the 3 of us was taken inside a tree... yes a tree! and it was called the "Pooh tree". I think my kitchen table would have fit inside.

I feel normal

January 10, 2009

The posted date is only cause I'm up past midnight Friday Jan. 9:-)

Today I had the first normal-feeling-day in 4 weeks and 4 days.

p.s. Check me out...it's G.I. Jane with foobs:-)

Just got my new "Orders"

January 9, 2009

Saw my chemo God this morning. I LOVE HIM! He always makes me feel good when I am down in the dumps. I told him how much I read online about this and that and the statistical rates of surviving this crap. He told me to "stop reading". So that I am going to do. He is very pleased with everything and says he is "very confident" that I am going to beat this thing. So I am taking that with everything I got and going into my next round of treatments... aka chemofriggintherapy... with gusto! I start on Jan. 29th and these drugs might be "easier" on me then the last ones, but they do still have their side effects. Bone/muscle/joint pain, and a good chance of loosing my fingernails. I need to either keep dark polish on them or keep gloves on when around ultra-violet light... aka outside. I think I'll do the gloves. I have no friggin nails to put polish on anyway. Oh and I'll loose... again...whatever hair I have on my head that started growing back.

So all in all I am feeling pretty good. He says with additional treatments my chances of getting another cancer would be about 10-15% over 5 years. With this said ... LIFE IS A CRAP SHOOT anyway, isn't it?!?

Still very pleased with my foobs! The last fill of 30cc's seems to be the best amount for me so I'll do my next fill early next week. Then I'll be at 200cc's. Gotta say I'm kinda likin the foobs! They're very perky and don't fall underneath your underarms when you lay down:-)

Check me out!

January 7, 2009

As of today I have 170cc in each foob. The pain after Monday's 30cc was NOT that bad so I am thinking of going Friday or Monday for another 30cc. I see my chemo God Friday and he'll let me know my treatment plan and I have a pretty good gut feeling that my start date will be around Jan. 15th, so I want to get some more fill before then. Dealing with the pain of the new chemo plus the fills is something that I don't think will be very pleasant.

Anyway...the pic with the sports bra is was taken today. NO padding.. ALL ME! wohoooooo! And the one with the shirt is kinda hard to see but that's how I look with a... shirt on:-)

AND check out my hair! wohooooooo! Ok so it's coming in a little on the grey side, but at least it's coming in! Not sure if it will continue to come in with more chemo or not.

No Pain No Gain

January 4, 2008

Honest truth is that I was really sorry I had decided to do the reconstruction. Not being able to sleep, being in pain the minute I wake up in the morning and dreading getting out of bed just really sucked... every day for 3+ weeks. Not to mention driving Brian crazy by being a b*tch on legs. BUT... there is a light at the end of the tunnel... as the saying goes. My pain is better, it's actually not "pain" anymore, but I'll call it discomfort. New Years day I woke up and felt no PAIN! Then I looked in the mirror and WOW... I can see the truth to the "no pain no gain" saying. My foobs look great! I actually fit into a NORMAL bra! I bought 2 cute ones yesterday, a B cup! How's that everyone!??!? No need for a prosthesis', which I actually got fitted for early last week. I'll post a pic another day, my camera is not in the house right now. I didn't get any expansion for 2 weeks now, so I'm biting the bullet and going for a fill tomorrow. It does get more uncomfortable as the week goes on. But now that I see how good it's all going I'm looking forward to the fills.

I see my chemo God on Jan. 9th. I have a pretty good feeling he's going to dose me up pretty good again, and even be more aggressive this time. After all , agressive is his middle name. And that's a good thing, I guess.

Going back to work tomorrow too, Jan. 5th, and I'm ok with it. Getting back to normal things for me is needed, emotionally and physically. But we'll see how I do on this next round of chemo. I'm not going to push myself this time to work thru it. I don't think so anyway:-)

We took a little hike today, felt good to get out.