Saturday, September 12, 2015
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Superman's tattoo and Tig
Forgot a couple things when I sat down to blog today:
Elephant!!
A picture of Superman's actual tattoo. The symbols around it, he already had (they stand for "father, teacher, friend")
Isn't it adorable!?!?!?! I'm not generally a fan of pink, but for some reason, I LOVE it here. LOVE IT! I want one.
Also, a friend introduced us to a documentary called "Tig", which is currently playing on Netflix. Its about the comedian Tig Notaro, and her own real-life story of breast cancer. It might be my favorite thing I've seen all year/decade. So basically she was diagnosed with breast cancer (immediately after going through a bunch of other hard lifey things), and she went ahead and did a scheduled comedy show shortly after. Cancer was on her mind, obviously, so her material revolved around that. And its the most amazing cry-laughy thing I've ever heard. In fact, it changed her career. That very show is released on an album called "Live" (not pronounced "Live" (as in Saturday night Live) but "Live" (I will Live for today). I bought the album immediately and have already listened to it twice.
Trailer for the documentary:
Radioactive
I started my radiation treatments yesterday. I glow in the dark now (...just kidding).
Here's some pictures:
Here's some pictures:
I'm being placed under the machine and lining up my tattoo dots with the lasers.
From the control panel, while I'm inside.
So, everyday, a total of about 2 mins my chest gets microwaved. It takes more time for me to get dressed into a gown and situated on the table than it does for the actual treatment. Once a week, they will add a couple minutes to take some x ray pictures. On Monday's, I see my Radiation Oncologist. On Wednesday's, I pee in a cup (pregnancy test, as a precaution). And that's about it. Super-easy.
So, 2 down. 31 more to go.
In honor of starting this joyous set of final steps, here is a song favorite (a former orchestra student showed this to me):
Friday, September 4, 2015
Glass, #iheartveggies, zen, my hair plan, and soulmates
This week, I bought a coffee sip-top that fits on mason jars. A company called "Cappow".
Omg. I will never drink coffee or tea from a plastic portable cup, by choice, ever again. The taste difference is AMAZING!! I already had a glass water bottle, which my mom bought me. It was recommended for chemo patients because they are sensitive to metal and plastic tastes of those type of containers. I love my glass water bottle. In fact, I accidentally lost it and almost immediately replaced it with another one. So I was curious about substituting glass for my other beverage containers. Its so awesome. And environmentally friendly. And I just feel like its better. No secret BPA chemicals or anything else hiding in my daily consumed beverages. I will be buying more. And getting a coozie for them. And maybe getting some of the lunch box type items too. I use them for my breakfast smoothies too. Cappow! They are awesome.
I've been doing a good job of eating healthy consistently too. In fact, when I eat something that is a less healthy choice, I feel gross afterwards. Like, that food doesn't belong in my body.
And this next statement is shocking.
I. Crave. Vegetables.
Its so weird. We had parent teacher conferences today, and I spent all morning dreaming about going to Planet Sub and getting their Meatless Masterpiece sandwich. Mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black olives, cream cheese, whole wheat bread. yummy yummy. I fulfilled that dream and it met every one of my expectations.
I'm also drinking my first ever Matcha tea. A Matcha Mocha actually. Which is supposed to be the king of all antioxidants. its SUPER GREEN. A popular drink in Japan for Zen Buddhists when they meditate. Yep, right up my alley. My new zen self.
I left work at 3:38 today. Yes! And have a full Labor Day weekend ahead of me, without any work to do. (except for two things I'm finishing up here at the coffee shop before I head home).
So I found a girl who documented her hair growth after her chemo treatment (which was the same as mine) and my hair seems to be doing about the same thing as hers.
I'm 8 weeks out right now. My eyebrows and my eyelashes are almost fully grown back in. They sprouted up out of nowhere!!! It seemed seriously like overnight. I just use a little bit of eyebrow filler now to darken up the outsides where its still a little thin. In her video, there's such a difference between week 9 and week 10!! So here's my plan: I'm going to get my first "haircut" at about 10 weeks. The sides of my hair are definitely sticking out around my ears. That could use a trim, at the very least. My hair lady could possibly do some magic and shape it into something pixie and cute. Maybe do some color so its not so drab and grey looking (my hair is just a boring ash brownish-grey with about 20 actual silver-grey hairs popping through). And then put the wig away for good!!
I have loved my wig, and it served me well. But I'm so over it. Itchy, hot, and fly-aways in my face all the time. But I love its color. I think I'll strive to match that color while I wait for my hair to return to its original pigment. Which, according to google, it will after a certain amount of time.
Well, I start my radiation on Tuesday. I won't be allowed to wear deodorant or lotion during the week. That could be interesting!! And I have to use a certain kind of soap and massive amounts of aloe on my skin. I also can't wear normal underwire bras. Oversized sports bras, is what they said. The ones I have already are not too tight, so I think they will work. But I found a couple more this afternoon at a sale at the Gap. (40% off everything this weekend! Holy cow! I bought 3 pairs of jeans, some shorts, and a couple tops along with the sports bras.. I saved mucho bucks!) I'm just worried about how it will feel on my skin, when it starts becoming raw. Google recommends 100% cotton and super soft. Well, sports bras are usually spandex and other stretchy stuff. Not cotton. So at some point I might break down and buy some really nice 100% cotton specialty ones made special for radiation patients. We will see.
So, aside from the daily reminder with my wig, scars, and avoiding lifting things with my right arm, its almost as if I never had cancer at all. I do however get noticeably run down after lunchtime. I have decided that from now on, after full recovery or not, that I will take a power nap after lunch. I bought one of those zero-gravity chairs set up behind my desk at work. So about 20 minutes before my afternoon classes, I drop everything, sit in my reclining chair with a pillow and a blanket and close my eyes. There's tons of evidence on the all-mighty Google that all people on the planet should be doing this anyway. The power of the power nap.
Oh, one more thing. Superman presented me with a surprise tattoo a few weeks ago, to celebrate the good news from my surgery. This isn't a picture of his actual one, but it is the same design and he had it outlined in two shades of pink in addition to the black:
I love it so much, I might have to get it too. (you would think I would be over the whole needle thing by now....)
Also, I came home last night and found him watching "When Harry Met Sally". After I laughed at him, he informed me that it was in his top 5 favorite movies. I knew marrying him was the right decision. If my fourteen year old self had known that this was how my life would turn out, my adolescence would've been much less unsettling! :D
#soulmate
Omg. I will never drink coffee or tea from a plastic portable cup, by choice, ever again. The taste difference is AMAZING!! I already had a glass water bottle, which my mom bought me. It was recommended for chemo patients because they are sensitive to metal and plastic tastes of those type of containers. I love my glass water bottle. In fact, I accidentally lost it and almost immediately replaced it with another one. So I was curious about substituting glass for my other beverage containers. Its so awesome. And environmentally friendly. And I just feel like its better. No secret BPA chemicals or anything else hiding in my daily consumed beverages. I will be buying more. And getting a coozie for them. And maybe getting some of the lunch box type items too. I use them for my breakfast smoothies too. Cappow! They are awesome.
I've been doing a good job of eating healthy consistently too. In fact, when I eat something that is a less healthy choice, I feel gross afterwards. Like, that food doesn't belong in my body.
And this next statement is shocking.
I. Crave. Vegetables.
Its so weird. We had parent teacher conferences today, and I spent all morning dreaming about going to Planet Sub and getting their Meatless Masterpiece sandwich. Mushrooms, green peppers, onions, black olives, cream cheese, whole wheat bread. yummy yummy. I fulfilled that dream and it met every one of my expectations.
I'm also drinking my first ever Matcha tea. A Matcha Mocha actually. Which is supposed to be the king of all antioxidants. its SUPER GREEN. A popular drink in Japan for Zen Buddhists when they meditate. Yep, right up my alley. My new zen self.
I left work at 3:38 today. Yes! And have a full Labor Day weekend ahead of me, without any work to do. (except for two things I'm finishing up here at the coffee shop before I head home).
So I found a girl who documented her hair growth after her chemo treatment (which was the same as mine) and my hair seems to be doing about the same thing as hers.
I'm 8 weeks out right now. My eyebrows and my eyelashes are almost fully grown back in. They sprouted up out of nowhere!!! It seemed seriously like overnight. I just use a little bit of eyebrow filler now to darken up the outsides where its still a little thin. In her video, there's such a difference between week 9 and week 10!! So here's my plan: I'm going to get my first "haircut" at about 10 weeks. The sides of my hair are definitely sticking out around my ears. That could use a trim, at the very least. My hair lady could possibly do some magic and shape it into something pixie and cute. Maybe do some color so its not so drab and grey looking (my hair is just a boring ash brownish-grey with about 20 actual silver-grey hairs popping through). And then put the wig away for good!!
I have loved my wig, and it served me well. But I'm so over it. Itchy, hot, and fly-aways in my face all the time. But I love its color. I think I'll strive to match that color while I wait for my hair to return to its original pigment. Which, according to google, it will after a certain amount of time.
Well, I start my radiation on Tuesday. I won't be allowed to wear deodorant or lotion during the week. That could be interesting!! And I have to use a certain kind of soap and massive amounts of aloe on my skin. I also can't wear normal underwire bras. Oversized sports bras, is what they said. The ones I have already are not too tight, so I think they will work. But I found a couple more this afternoon at a sale at the Gap. (40% off everything this weekend! Holy cow! I bought 3 pairs of jeans, some shorts, and a couple tops along with the sports bras.. I saved mucho bucks!) I'm just worried about how it will feel on my skin, when it starts becoming raw. Google recommends 100% cotton and super soft. Well, sports bras are usually spandex and other stretchy stuff. Not cotton. So at some point I might break down and buy some really nice 100% cotton specialty ones made special for radiation patients. We will see.
So, aside from the daily reminder with my wig, scars, and avoiding lifting things with my right arm, its almost as if I never had cancer at all. I do however get noticeably run down after lunchtime. I have decided that from now on, after full recovery or not, that I will take a power nap after lunch. I bought one of those zero-gravity chairs set up behind my desk at work. So about 20 minutes before my afternoon classes, I drop everything, sit in my reclining chair with a pillow and a blanket and close my eyes. There's tons of evidence on the all-mighty Google that all people on the planet should be doing this anyway. The power of the power nap.
Oh, one more thing. Superman presented me with a surprise tattoo a few weeks ago, to celebrate the good news from my surgery. This isn't a picture of his actual one, but it is the same design and he had it outlined in two shades of pink in addition to the black:
Also, I came home last night and found him watching "When Harry Met Sally". After I laughed at him, he informed me that it was in his top 5 favorite movies. I knew marrying him was the right decision. If my fourteen year old self had known that this was how my life would turn out, my adolescence would've been much less unsettling! :D
#soulmate
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Forced to leave work early
So things have been super busy with school moving full speed ahead. I have NOT been working my proper duty day. I haven't been a very good leader of my new movement #workyourproperdutyday. However, this week, I've done a pretty good job of evacuating the building close to contract time, even if I'm going to a different establishment to complete my to-do list. (Preferably housing friendly chatter, music, and hot caffeinated beverages.)
I saw my surgeon on the 19th and she gave me the low down on my official pathology report from surgery:
3 lymph nodes (two were side-by-side) removed and they were negative for disease. The tumor was removed with clean margins. They did find DCIS pre-cancerous changes around the actual cancer itself. But it was all removed, with negative margins. (Negative = awesome in cancerland). I am evidently now allergic to the surgery glue they use on incisions. "Contact Dermatitis" It can be developed over time, because my biopsy and my port surgery produced no skin reactions at all. But now I am allergic. So no more glue for me (and hopefully no more surgery, so it won't even matter!!) My incisions were super red and itchy. I didn't know one way or the other. I assumed it was the natural healing process. But no. I was breaking out, and I just needed to gently scrub the glue away to solve the problem. Two weeks later, I'm doing fine and its all cleared up. They want to give me a chance to heal fully from the surgery and the allergic reaction before starting radiation. 4 weeks of buffer time.
That same day, we went down to radiation oncology and met my radiation doctor, nurse, and radiation therapists. They talked us through the process: what radiation does, the risks, possible side effects, made a schedule, did a CT scan, did a simulation, and tattooed my skin with teeny-itsy-bitsy marks so they know where to line me up each time. I start on Sept. 8th, attend everyday, five days a week, until Oct. 22nd. Its a 15 minute appointment. They were able to schedule me for the latest possible time for most of the 6 weeks so that I will miss minimal work. Basically, I will leave school at the same time as my students leave at the final bell, to book it to the hospital. (Making up for working past my proper duty day this month) However, for 4 days, I will have to leave 20 minutes before my final class ends. That will be a pain, but because I have the #bestprincipalever , it will be covered by someone else in house.
The side effects I can expect are skin changes (color, peeling, texture, etc) and fatigue towards the end, which will clear up after treatment ends. Otherwise, its painless and you don't feel a thing. I plan to take care of myself (sleep, eat, be happy) and follow their directions completely, and hope that my side effects are minimal.
I went to yoga last night for the first time since surgery. Oh man, 3 weeks is too long. I've decided that I need to prioritize the yoga. Two times over the weekend. And MAKE TIME for a minimum of one class during the week.
There's a an anonymous teacher blog that I subscribe to, who is super awesome, smart, and funny. "Love, Teach". I wish I was her. She posted something the other day about healthy choices during the school year, and it was ME, exactly. However, I'm determined to break the pattern:
I saw my surgeon on the 19th and she gave me the low down on my official pathology report from surgery:
3 lymph nodes (two were side-by-side) removed and they were negative for disease. The tumor was removed with clean margins. They did find DCIS pre-cancerous changes around the actual cancer itself. But it was all removed, with negative margins. (Negative = awesome in cancerland). I am evidently now allergic to the surgery glue they use on incisions. "Contact Dermatitis" It can be developed over time, because my biopsy and my port surgery produced no skin reactions at all. But now I am allergic. So no more glue for me (and hopefully no more surgery, so it won't even matter!!) My incisions were super red and itchy. I didn't know one way or the other. I assumed it was the natural healing process. But no. I was breaking out, and I just needed to gently scrub the glue away to solve the problem. Two weeks later, I'm doing fine and its all cleared up. They want to give me a chance to heal fully from the surgery and the allergic reaction before starting radiation. 4 weeks of buffer time.
That same day, we went down to radiation oncology and met my radiation doctor, nurse, and radiation therapists. They talked us through the process: what radiation does, the risks, possible side effects, made a schedule, did a CT scan, did a simulation, and tattooed my skin with teeny-itsy-bitsy marks so they know where to line me up each time. I start on Sept. 8th, attend everyday, five days a week, until Oct. 22nd. Its a 15 minute appointment. They were able to schedule me for the latest possible time for most of the 6 weeks so that I will miss minimal work. Basically, I will leave school at the same time as my students leave at the final bell, to book it to the hospital. (Making up for working past my proper duty day this month) However, for 4 days, I will have to leave 20 minutes before my final class ends. That will be a pain, but because I have the #bestprincipalever , it will be covered by someone else in house.
The side effects I can expect are skin changes (color, peeling, texture, etc) and fatigue towards the end, which will clear up after treatment ends. Otherwise, its painless and you don't feel a thing. I plan to take care of myself (sleep, eat, be happy) and follow their directions completely, and hope that my side effects are minimal.
I went to yoga last night for the first time since surgery. Oh man, 3 weeks is too long. I've decided that I need to prioritize the yoga. Two times over the weekend. And MAKE TIME for a minimum of one class during the week.
There's a an anonymous teacher blog that I subscribe to, who is super awesome, smart, and funny. "Love, Teach". I wish I was her. She posted something the other day about healthy choices during the school year, and it was ME, exactly. However, I'm determined to break the pattern:
My progression of health-related thoughts at the beginning of every school year:
1. This year I'm going to stay on my healthy summer kick all the way through back-to-school! THIS IS THE YEAR!
2. Okay, I'll just eat terribly today since it's the first day of professional development. When else will I get the chance to take an hour lunch with my work buddies?
3. Oh no, I stayed at work until seven! Guess I'd better eat ALL OF THE THINGS
4. After this first crazy week I'll be back on track. Starting Monday.
5. Starting next Monday.
6. Okay, baby steps. I'll start working out this week.
7. Why the heck would I work out when I'm on my feet ALL DAY?!
8. Literally the only way I can relax right now is if I eat a brownie the size of my face.
9. IT'S TOO HARD TO PACK VEGETABLES IN MY LUNCH
10. I'm going to buy this compartmentalized lunch container so that it's easier to pack vegetables.
11. I would like to fill all of these compartments with cheese.
2. Okay, I'll just eat terribly today since it's the first day of professional development. When else will I get the chance to take an hour lunch with my work buddies?
3. Oh no, I stayed at work until seven! Guess I'd better eat ALL OF THE THINGS
4. After this first crazy week I'll be back on track. Starting Monday.
5. Starting next Monday.
6. Okay, baby steps. I'll start working out this week.
7. Why the heck would I work out when I'm on my feet ALL DAY?!
8. Literally the only way I can relax right now is if I eat a brownie the size of my face.
9. IT'S TOO HARD TO PACK VEGETABLES IN MY LUNCH
10. I'm going to buy this compartmentalized lunch container so that it's easier to pack vegetables.
11. I would like to fill all of these compartments with cheese.
I had a good chuckle over that. And I'm super proud of myself that I got my lesson plans done friday night, and now I'm enjoying a whole 48 hours of free time from work. Filling it with blogging, reading, hanging with Superman and the dogs, trip to the library, watching movies, cleaning the house, etc. Ahhhhhh, the weekend. :)
Friday, August 14, 2015
Processing
I had an appointment with my oncologist yesterday. She discussed the pathology results with us. Everything was the same as they reported on the day of surgery: The cancer was taken out with super clean margins and the lymph nodes were clear.
We talked about radiation and got the ball rolling setting up appointments for that. This will start in about 4 weeks. And they gave me information about Tamoxifan, which I'll begin taking after radiation.
It was fun walking into oncology and seeing all the nurses and staff light up and congratulate me on the successful surgery.
Its very surreal and I'm still processing the whole bit in my head and how I think/feel about it all. Here's this thing that totally up-ended my life, and now things are returning to somewhat normalcy. My energy is coming back. I discovered this morning that my eyelashes are growing back and I got SUPER EXCITED. The incisions are healing nicely and I can almost move around as normal. Though still following the "don't lift over 25 lbs" rule for another week.
But, the surreal thing is: the cancer is gone. They took it out. They solved the problem. Everything from here on out is preventative measures to ensure it doesn't come back. craziness. I made it, everyone! All those sad moments I experienced and reminded myself of the goal. This was the goal. Cancer = gone.
Let's keep it that way!
We talked about radiation and got the ball rolling setting up appointments for that. This will start in about 4 weeks. And they gave me information about Tamoxifan, which I'll begin taking after radiation.
It was fun walking into oncology and seeing all the nurses and staff light up and congratulate me on the successful surgery.
Its very surreal and I'm still processing the whole bit in my head and how I think/feel about it all. Here's this thing that totally up-ended my life, and now things are returning to somewhat normalcy. My energy is coming back. I discovered this morning that my eyelashes are growing back and I got SUPER EXCITED. The incisions are healing nicely and I can almost move around as normal. Though still following the "don't lift over 25 lbs" rule for another week.
But, the surreal thing is: the cancer is gone. They took it out. They solved the problem. Everything from here on out is preventative measures to ensure it doesn't come back. craziness. I made it, everyone! All those sad moments I experienced and reminded myself of the goal. This was the goal. Cancer = gone.
Let's keep it that way!
Saturday, August 8, 2015
Cancer Eviction (Surgery was a success!)
I haven't written for awhile because:
1. School started. Super busy.
2. Terrified silence regarding upcoming surgery.
Good news. Surgery is over. And I made it through the trauma of those stupid nipple injections for the sentinel lymph node biopsy. Let's be honest. They were horrible. But enough about that. Let's get to the good part.
The tumor was removed with nice big clean margins!!! And the 3 lymph nodes removed were clean from cancer!!! Which means the possibility that the cancer spread beyond its original site is very very slim. I am still waiting for the official pathology report. The pathologist analyzes the lymph nodes right there during surgery so they can decide if they need to take more. Its just a quick analysis, so there is still a chance that there are micro-bits of cancer when they go and do the real thorough analysis. But even then, it will be fine because I'll be doing radiation (for 6 wks) and hormone therapy (for 5 years. a pill) after this.
I considered myself the lucky one out of my crew gathered at the hospital. All I had to do was go to sleep and let them operate on me, with immediate answers as soon as I woke up. My superman, mom, dad, and sister, had to sit and wait for two hours for answers. haha.
I went home almost immediately after waking up. Had some apple sauce, water, narcotics, then got dressed and went home. Pretty awesome. At least, I think that's what happened. I was really out of it. I do know that my largest side-effect from anesthesia is crying my eyes out upon waking. I'm such a weirdo. I had a little bit of an upset stomach later in the day. I think it was due to the narcotic instead of the anesthesia. I took some of my chemo nausea medicine and that helped settle things. I didn't really eat until late in the evening though.
After coming home from the hospital, my super-parents and super-sister sat with me for hours on the couch while I laid down and couldn't keep my eyes open. They must have been bored, but not sure because I was not awake. They were sitting with me while superman helped super-daughter who was moving into her FIRST APARTMENT yesterday. Meanwhile, super-son was at band camp. A busy time in the Reynolds household. And to think we almost bought a house, and could've been moving at this exact time too. whew! Things work out the way they are supposed to...
I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't taken any more of the narcotics and have stuck to IBprofen. My throat is sore from the breathing tube during surgery, and that's bothering me more than anything right now. I'm sure things will get more painful when I actually start healing. I remember from my port scar, when it was put in, that there were bouts of occasional shooting pain when it was starting to heal. I touched my armpit near the lymph node scar, and it was NUMB! That was creepy. I had read that some people experience that because there's no way to avoid severing some of the nerves during the biopsy. But many people regain most of their feeling back as it heals.
So far today, I've been laying on the couch, drinking water, made an avocado-banana smoothie. Superman went to the farmers market and came back with blackberries. So he made blackberry-stuffed french toast. #theyummiest!!!!!
I colored in my Disney Princess coloring book for awhile, and I'm currently watching Bachelor-In-Paradise. Not my proudest choice in viewing entertainment, but its like a car wreck. These bachelor shows, I can't stop watching them.
So, the next step, like I mentioned before:
1. Radiation therapy for 6 weeks. This consists of a 15 minute appt everyday.
2. Hormone therapy. Tamoxifan pill for the next 5 years.
And most importantly, working on increasing my healthy choices, adopting food as thy medicine, living a more active lifestyle, and maintaining physical, mental, and emotional balance. I saw this the other day, and thought it was very fitting.
1. School started. Super busy.
2. Terrified silence regarding upcoming surgery.
Good news. Surgery is over. And I made it through the trauma of those stupid nipple injections for the sentinel lymph node biopsy. Let's be honest. They were horrible. But enough about that. Let's get to the good part.
The tumor was removed with nice big clean margins!!! And the 3 lymph nodes removed were clean from cancer!!! Which means the possibility that the cancer spread beyond its original site is very very slim. I am still waiting for the official pathology report. The pathologist analyzes the lymph nodes right there during surgery so they can decide if they need to take more. Its just a quick analysis, so there is still a chance that there are micro-bits of cancer when they go and do the real thorough analysis. But even then, it will be fine because I'll be doing radiation (for 6 wks) and hormone therapy (for 5 years. a pill) after this.
I considered myself the lucky one out of my crew gathered at the hospital. All I had to do was go to sleep and let them operate on me, with immediate answers as soon as I woke up. My superman, mom, dad, and sister, had to sit and wait for two hours for answers. haha.
I went home almost immediately after waking up. Had some apple sauce, water, narcotics, then got dressed and went home. Pretty awesome. At least, I think that's what happened. I was really out of it. I do know that my largest side-effect from anesthesia is crying my eyes out upon waking. I'm such a weirdo. I had a little bit of an upset stomach later in the day. I think it was due to the narcotic instead of the anesthesia. I took some of my chemo nausea medicine and that helped settle things. I didn't really eat until late in the evening though.
After coming home from the hospital, my super-parents and super-sister sat with me for hours on the couch while I laid down and couldn't keep my eyes open. They must have been bored, but not sure because I was not awake. They were sitting with me while superman helped super-daughter who was moving into her FIRST APARTMENT yesterday. Meanwhile, super-son was at band camp. A busy time in the Reynolds household. And to think we almost bought a house, and could've been moving at this exact time too. whew! Things work out the way they are supposed to...
I'm feeling pretty good. I haven't taken any more of the narcotics and have stuck to IBprofen. My throat is sore from the breathing tube during surgery, and that's bothering me more than anything right now. I'm sure things will get more painful when I actually start healing. I remember from my port scar, when it was put in, that there were bouts of occasional shooting pain when it was starting to heal. I touched my armpit near the lymph node scar, and it was NUMB! That was creepy. I had read that some people experience that because there's no way to avoid severing some of the nerves during the biopsy. But many people regain most of their feeling back as it heals.
So far today, I've been laying on the couch, drinking water, made an avocado-banana smoothie. Superman went to the farmers market and came back with blackberries. So he made blackberry-stuffed french toast. #theyummiest!!!!!
I colored in my Disney Princess coloring book for awhile, and I'm currently watching Bachelor-In-Paradise. Not my proudest choice in viewing entertainment, but its like a car wreck. These bachelor shows, I can't stop watching them.
So, the next step, like I mentioned before:
1. Radiation therapy for 6 weeks. This consists of a 15 minute appt everyday.
2. Hormone therapy. Tamoxifan pill for the next 5 years.
And most importantly, working on increasing my healthy choices, adopting food as thy medicine, living a more active lifestyle, and maintaining physical, mental, and emotional balance. I saw this the other day, and thought it was very fitting.
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