I AM DONE WITH RADIATION

Whoo-hoo! Yippy! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
Thirty four of thirty four treatments completed with very little skin irritation, just slightly red and chapped.

I have an appointment with the medical oncologist 12/10, a follow up with the radiation oncologist in 30 days and several appointments with the occupational therapist over the next month for the lymphedema. It doesn't sound like I am done with treatment but believe me the hard stuff is out of the way.

Follow up sounds like a mammogram every six months, an MRI every other year and possibly blood work (not sure about that part yet). After my 12/10 appointment with Dr Edwards I should have a better idea of the game plan for the next five years.

If I haven't mentioned it before, you are not considered cured until you hit the five year mark. The statistics for my type cancer (stage 2b, grade 2) show about a 76% survival rate and I plan on being in the 76%! I have way too many things I want to accomplish and cancer is not getting in my way.

I better get back to work!
Have a great Thanksgiving.
Cheryl

Tuesday

ONE MORE RADIATION TREATMENT AND I AM DONE!!!! Yippy. Everyone needs to celebrate tomorrow. I am so excited to be finished with the assault on my body and to start the new year on a positive note. What a long, difficult road 2008 has been for us.

I start on Tamoxifen in a few days (blocks the estrogen receptors in the breast tissue). For the next five years I will be taking some kind of estrogen blocker to reduce my risk of the cancer coming back.

The surgeon says I will be considered "cured" in five years if no cancer returns. There is fear lurking in the back of my mind, which I am sure will rear its ugly head each time I go in for a mammogram and/or MRI, blood work, etc. My plan is to see a therapist over the next few months to help me deal with my frustrations, anger and sadness along with the new things that make me happy.

Signing off for today....tons of stuff to do.
Cheryl

Three More to Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am soooooo excited to finish radiation on Tuesday!!!! Everything is a little red and irritated so it will be nice to get the treatments done. The radiation oncologist gave me a little tube of Aquafor (not sure if that is spelled correctly) to help with irritation over the next week or so.

My energy level is pretty low. I get extremely tired around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, hit my second wind and peter out around 8:30.

Tuesday I plan on posting all of my eyebrow "art"....stay tuned! I've had so much fun thinking of what to write in my eyebrow space. It is actually getting difficult to do the writing since my brows are growing back in. I also have very tiny eyelashes sprouting....they are microscopic. The good news is I should have brows and lashes by the end of the year.

Eddy and I spent the weekend with our friends, Mark and Debbie, at their cabin in Arnold. Until we got there, I didn't realize how much I needed a break from what was going on in our lives. I am sure Eddy needed the change as well since he has been dealing with all the permit issues on the new spray booth himself and trying to make sure we keep the entire company working through the winter. Until you are an owner of a company, you really don't understand the enormous financial responsibility that comes with the job.

Time for bed!
Cheryl

Ten More to GO!!!

I had my 24th radiation treatment this morning along with another x-ray to map the main tumor areas. Next week will start what the radiation oncologist refers to as a "boost". I will receive radiation just to the area that contained the tumors, not the entire breast. The treatment finish line is near....I can see it!

Getting pretty good at drawing on my eyebrows.....I just have to remember not to rub them off during the day! This week I might write Cancer Sucks where my eyebrows should be and see if the radiation techs notice. Won't that be too much fun?

My hair seems to be getting a bit thicker, but I can still see scalp. It seems I am a salt and pepper color. You really can't see it well in the photo because it is so fine and very light.

Look at all of those freckles. Either my hair was hiding freckles or I got more during chemo, not sure which is the case. Recently had a check with the dermatologist and he says nothing to worry about right now in regard to my skin. Thank goodness, I didn't need another issue on my plate.

Time for filing and paying bills.

Cheryl

Eyebrows Gone!

Well, I officially look like a cancer patient today. DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! Eyebrows really make a difference on your face. I have a feeling my upper eyelashes are not going to make it through the weekend (bottoms are all gone).

Maybe not having brows and lashes will motivate me to wear the wig. Oh, this sucks!

I can't think of anything positive to say.....so I am signing off for the evening.
Cheryl

Update

Started to lose my eyelashes and eyebrows a couple of weeks ago. Not sure why my body waited until this point to ditch my eye hair but it is happening! At this point, I only have top lashes and they are very sparse. The eyebrows aren't looking much better. I am drawing in the eyebrows but eyelashes are a little hard to fake.

Good news is my head hair is starting to grow back in. I have about a quarter of an inch of hair, which is a combination of gray and dark brown. No idea what color I will end up with when this is all over. I haven't posted a picture because the hair is fine, light in color and we don't think it will show up in a photo yet.

My wish for Christmas is to have 3/4 to an inch of head hair, a full set of eyelashes, eyebrows and some nose hair (yes, nose hair is important....I am tired of always having a tissue in my pocket). Actually, I would like all of my body hair back....we have it for a reason.

Radiation is going okay. Things are turning pink with what looks like a heat rash. Three times a day I lube up with special lotion, which I hope helps with the burns. Fifteen more sessions of radiation to go and I am done with cancer treatments!!! I am not sure what tests are done after to see if the cancer is all gone but will update you when I see the oncologist on 12/10.

The lymphedema is still a bit of an issue. Wearing my night time sleeve (remember that is the one that looks like the large oven mitt) but not being good about the compression sleeve and glove during the day. My hand is better since I switched my mouse to the left so I've been bad about the compression sleeve.

Well, off to watch the election returns with Eddy!
Cheryl

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month

The month of November is Lung Cancer Awarenss Month.

For more information visit: http://www.lungcancer.org/reading/about.php