I Know Who Holds Tomorrow

A friend of mine shared this with me.  I just thought it was perfect for everyone and especially those who are going through cancer diagnosis.  ...

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Follow-up Appointments

The morning of July 23 was certainly busy.  My follow-up appointment with the plastic surgeon was 8:30 am.  He announced that the tissue sent to pathology came back clear. All Right!  The swelling has gone down some and he was pleased with the work he had done.  He left the room and the nurse proceeded to remove the surgery tape with tweezers and small shears, and snip the long pieces of stitches.  I left there feeling a little tender and raw. No more appointments for the plastic surgeon! Yay! I made...

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Finished With Treatment

We celebrated the last day of radiation treatment on Thursday, July 25th. I asked Carol if I could start tracking my anniversary. This would be easy to remember because it's Dad's birthday. I bought an angel food cake and made pink Cool Whip frosting. I couldn't help noticing how the cake resembled my broken boob: The hole in the center is where the tumor use to be. The surface showed the battle scars and unevenness. And it's pink from the radiation burns! This has been a long journey but I've learned a lot about myself. I am a better...

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Woe Is Me

I know it's been a while but I feel like my brain is fried. It's difficult to write more than a few words at a time. I think the fatigue is starting. I'm still getting radiation but only have 5 more to go!  I look like I have a sunburn and sun poisoning on the entire breast, chest/neck and shoulder/back area. It's very itchy and sore but should start clearing up soon. I'm looking forward to getting this part over. I've been so busy with a new endeavor and convinced Carol to be a part of it too. We are finishing the last details...

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Back to Work!

Tomorrow is my first day back to work since June 28.  Getting butterflies in my tummy, which seems to happen after being off for awhile.  Never know what I'm going to face when I get there (kinda hard to describe).  But, I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be! This month makes 1 year since my radiation treatments ended. I think that is long enough to make a decision. Most of the bleeding/seeping has stopped, and the bruising is slowly clearing up.  Still looks like Frankenstein! I don't regret the procedure, even...

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Follow-up from Reconstruction

My follow-up appointment was this morning.  It lasted all of 5 minutes.  He was amazed at the bruising.  Good news, no signs of infection.  Just remembered, I forgot to ask about the pathology report.  I'm sure it is fine or else he would have brought it up.I will have to go back about 3 more times.  At one of those appointments, the surgery tape will be removed and the stitches.  Doc said that it will look more like the other breast in about 3 months or so.  Would I do it again?  Probably....

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Reconstruction - Post Surgery

Hello all! Day 1 of post surgery.  Yes, there is pain - plus, taking antibiotics as instructed.Last night, I was curious (who wouldn't be) and decided to peel away the bandages to see my ta-ta.  Lots of blood on the gauze and I can see where the cuts were made. Still have the marker drawing on my chest (tic-tac-toe anybody?)I get to shower after 3:00 today!So, as I was exploring, I found an electrode on my hip from the EKG.....and I was worried they would leave something "inside" me during surgery! hahaha, I was lucky!Electrode...

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