My Journey with Triple Positive Breast Cancer

  This random blossom thinks it's summer.  Obviously, I need to turn the plant so it can see outside! 😁 I thought I'd provide a quick update regarding my recovery from radiation therapy and other pertinent news...like hair growth! After my last radiation appointment, I started using the Mepitel on the area my radiation oncologist considered of greatest concern. I'm so glad I did; I should have slapped it on everywhere! 😖 I ended up getting radiation dermatitis on other parts of the radiated area, specifically, where skin rubs against skin. I did use Mepitel on most of the radiated area once I realized how much it was helping.  Thankfully, the pain was easily controlled; I think I only took Tylenol twice, and that was just for the night.  What I did experience and am still experiencing is itchiness. This is a good thing, as it means that I'm healing, right?  Unfortunately, I do look a bit like a flea-ridden dog as I scratch away! 😊 Radiation dermatitis is grad...

  It's funny how celebrations so often mean a trip to the Duchess Bakery. 😋 Having completed the worst of my treatments, my mind is now a jumble of thoughts. Rather than trying to make sense of them all (Ha...good luck!) I thought I would just lay them out here, Q&A style. So you're done! That's so exciting. How do you feel and what are you going to do with your time now? Well, I'm not entirely done, but I'm certainly through the worst of things. I had an echocardiogram yesterday and have my usual Herceptin infusion on Monday. The echo is because the Herceptin (and chemo) can damage the heart. It's just a precaution; my last echo was normal. According to the people in the know, the next two weeks will be spent giving myself saline soaks and creaming my skin, since apparently, radiation continues to work, damaging cells for at least 10 days post-treatment. 😳  At my last visit with my radiation oncologist, she warned me, "Things will get worse over the ...

  "How goes the battle?" This was a message I received from a friend the other day. I confessed to feeling battle-weary, which is the unfortunate truth. It's been a long journey, or should I say a long slog; we began this journey over 8 months ago. But the end is now in sight! This evening marks the halfway mark for my radiation treatments. So far my skin has been holding up quite well. Yes, I look like a lobster, but the pain is manageable. Unfortunately, I was unable to use the Mepitel. It's a bit of a long story that I have difficulty retelling without making certain people look bad, so I'll simply say that as of now, the Mepitel remains unused. It's possible that I may still use it - we'll see!  I've become quite a pro at this whole radiation thing. When I arrive at the Cross, I park in the overflow parking lot,  which means that there's a bit of a walk to actually reach the hospital.  (I purchased a monthly pass, as paying for underground park...

  The gowns aren't exactly flattering or fashionable and I have yet to figure out how to keep them from gaping open in the back! Oh, and the static cling makes walking in them even more of an adventure. (Photo taken outside Radiation Unit 7 at CCI on January 4th.) TGIF is going to take on new meaning this month. 😬 (Thank goodness it's Friday!) I began radiation therapy this week. My pre-radiation appointment was on Tuesday, with actual zapping beginning on Wednesday. Prior to Christmas, I'd had a CT Sim done, where they took scans of my chest area. They had me hold my breath to create as much distance between my organs and my skin, as both my heart and my lungs are at risk of being damaged by the radiation, though this is very unlikely. These scans are then fed into software that creates a 3-D model of the area to be treated. This is then reviewed by a dosimetrist (a person who determines the recommended dose and angles at which the radiation is to be administered), and a ...

  Well then, what can I say after a year like 2022? I was browsing through the photos on my phone and noticed a distinct change in subject matter after my diagnosis. (We call the time before May 13, 2022, BC, or Before Cancer, and the time after as AC, After Cancer.) B.C. (Before Cancer) Beginning upper left and moving clockwise: 1) Sitting at my desk at work during happier times. 2) Ken and I in Victoria, BC, a month before my diagnosis. 3) The usual pair of Canadian Geese with their goslings on the patio at work. 4) My birthday in Canmore in February. 5) My seedlings from this past spring. Several things quickly become apparent: 1) I'm no longer at work and miss it a lot! 2) We haven't gone anywhere requiring a boarding pass since April. 3) I hope to be back at work before the geese return this year!  4) Look at that hair!! (I will never complain about my hair again. Ha! Who am I kidding, of course, I will...as soon as I have some to complain about! I now wear that hat when ...

  A nice outfit and hairdo are optional when it's just the 5 of us! I hope your Christmas celebrations were all you hoped they would be. 💗 Mine were distinctly more soggy than anticipated. Somehow, I think a near-death experience and a seven-month battle with cancer influenced our attitudes. Just the wonder of being around to celebrate Christmas is enough to soak a few tissues. Being alive is certainly my favorite gift! 😊 My eldest had his flight bumped from the 18th to the 19th and we were concerned it would be canceled, but with just a couple of hour's delay, he arrived as planned. After reading about all the delays and cancellations since then, I'm so grateful that he made it home at all! Being together as a complete family has certainly been another wonderful gift. I will never take preparing for Christmas for granted again. This year I started earlier than ever, knowing that there would be weeks (2 out of 3) where chemo would render me incapable of much. 😬 As a fami...