Just to Touch Base.

Wow, I just have three more treatments left. Now they are just focusing on the site of the lumpectomy. This treatment process last only a minute and I am done. The worse is over. Praising God and doing a happy dance. However I am suffering from a severe burn under my right arm due to the radiation treatments. The doctor told me it would take about a week to heal. As if I was not already having enough fun, I had cataract surgery on my right eye yesterday morning. The surgery went well and was not as bad as I thought it would be. Last evening my hubby was driving me to my treatments and he ask me how I was seeing. Well, what I was seeing in front of my eyes was this pretty rainbow colored bubble. I was scared that something had went wrong. This morning when I woke up my right eye was so cloudy I could not see anything. Of course I thought the worse. I need to trust God more. I went to see my doctor and he said the cloudiness was due to swelling while I was sleeping. This evening when hubby was driving me, I was able to see like I use to. It was so good to be able to see the road at night again. Hope everyone is having a good week. For my friends up North, I am praying the storm is not too hard on you. Please keep warm and I will keep you in my prayers.

The generosity and kindness and support I have been given since this diagnosis is surreal to me. It amazes me how thoughtful people in blog land and even in the real world can be. I want to say Thank you to Susan who sent me this beautiful gift. It is filled with spa products to pamper my body as well as my soul. I am really appreciative of this gift of love from Susan. But she gave me an invisible gift as well, she gave me faith and hope that I will get through this. Susan thank you sweet friend for your support and encouragement and kindness. I continue to go to treatments every night. My skin is getting more red each treatment. But praise God I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, I have only 8 treatments left to do. God is so good!

Quick Update!

I just wanted to post a quick up date of my journey. Its been a while since I posted anything on either blog. I am now in my 23 rd treatment so I will be finished with this the second week of February. Praising God! The treatments have made me really tired. I have no energy. It is so hard for me to go to work, but I have managed to go and do my job. I have not burned much so far. I had one small spot under my arm. I use Alray lotion every morning and night and this helps prevent the drying of the skin. The doctor gave me some Aquafor for the spot under my arm and that is a fast healing cream. My hubby has been a real trooper. He drives me every evening for my treatments. That means we are eating dinner around 8:00 pm every night. Needless to say we have had some fast food meals more than once. I can not see to drive at night because of the cataracts. My surgery was postponed so I will not have that until February 6. I am scared of this surgery. Your eyes are so important. That is about all the update now. God Bless all my supporters, you mean so much to me!

Continuing my Journey

Hello! I wanted to continue to share my journey with The Pink Ribbon. I have started my radiation treatments. They are going well, or so they say. Every evening when I get off work , my hubbie and I get into the SUV and drive to the Cancer Center. There I am told to undress from the top only. They walk me down this long hall to the treatment room. There my "cushion" which is personalized just for me is place on the table. I climb up and take my gown off at the top. I then pull my arms above my head and place them into cuffs that are specially molded just for me. Once they have the alignment right , the treatment can proceed. It takes about ten minutes. I get dressed and I drive home. It all sounds so simple, and it really is. The only thing that has complicated matters is that I have the flu. I was getting diarrhea and nausea. I thought it was caused by the radiation treatments. The doctor says no, that I have a flu that is going around. This has been going on for about two weeks now, feeling weak. I am so tired today that I slept most of this day. Yesterday, I went out to do some grocery shopping, and I went to Kirklands. When I got home and walked in the door, my husband stated I was white as a ghost. I was determined to get the things I needed to do done. I did some laundry and did some minor pick yp and cleaning. I finally had to fess up to the fact I could do no more. I don't think I have shared that I have some eye surgery coming soon as well. I have cataracts on both eyes. My right eye is really bad, and my left eye I can still see fairly well. I can not see to drive at night, so that is why hubbie drives me to treatments. In the midst of all this stuff, I am having a lot of dental work done. I have been so stressed that I started grinding my teeth. I ended up breaking a tooth in half. I wish I did not have to work but until I can retire there is not much else I can do. Just having to leave my home every day for an hour is stressful, go figure. I am so sorry I am whining, but I feel that I need to share my total experience so that others who are going through this journey can know what to expect somewhat. Everyone's journey is different, I know reading about other peoples experience with breast cancer and other cancers has helped me to keep things in perspective of how lucky I really am. I continue to praise God and glorify him for his watching over me on a daily basis. God Bless you for you support.

I HAD MY FIRST TREATMENT

Good Evening my friends. I mistakenly posted this post on Susan's Hearts and Flowers. I went back to delete the post because I want that blog to be positive. I just want to thank every one for their support and prayers. You all mean so much to me that words can not express. I know that all your prayers and positive thoughts for me made the difference in my prognosis. You are greatly loved. I had my first radiation treatment today. I have such a vivid imagination, that I totally scare myself to death. I kept thinking a radiation beam would shoot me and it would be painful or burn me really bad. Of course these fears were irrational. The staff was very competent in letting me know that I would not feel anything. They were right. It was a piece of cake. The machine did all the work,I just had to lay there. I have had so many people look at my breast through this process. I told the technician today if one more person ask to see my breast " I was charging admission" Going through this journey has caused me to face my own mortality. The prognosis for me is very very good. The risk is low for the cancer to come back. The doctors have stated this to me. However, I have to admit, I still have my fears. Scriptures state that perfect love cast out fear. I pray for that perfect love and ask forgiveness because I am not there yet. I realized as I traveled this journey that I am not so much afraid of dying but of giving up this wonderful life I am living. The thought of not existing is very overwhelming to me. I know that God is in control. I know that he has walked every step of this journey with me, I have asked forgiveness for lack of faith and having this fear. You are all greatly loved Susan

Update on visit with Radiation clinic

Good Afternoon! This will be a brief update on my visit to the radiation clinic yesterday. It went well. For some reason in my mind I thought the process was going to be so much more complicated my first visit. I had a vision that I would be standing up, and they were going to mold my body into this thing and would be very uncomfortable. I do not know how I thought that is what she told me. The set up was very easy and I was very comfortable. I had to undress from the top down to my waist. I had to lie on a scanner my bottom was kind of lifted. My two arms were pulled back over my head and placed into these cuff like things. She scanned my body to set up the lasers so she could mark where the radiation would be directed. Then she marked my chest area with big black X's. Well the x's were on little round bandaid like things. She told me I could shower daily as usual but not to scrub the marks. The marks have to stay visible or she would have to "mold me again". I go for my first treatment December 26th. I will keep you updated on what happens there. God Bless the families of the Connecticut school. Just when we think we have it so bad, a tragedy happens to someone else and we see how truly blessed we are. May Gods light shine upon you and give you peace.

GOOD NEWS!!

HELLO MY FRIENDS. I KNOW WITH THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT ALL AROUND US, THE LAST THING WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT IS CANCER. THIS UPDATE IS GOOD NEWS. I MET WITH MY ONCOLOGIST TODAY TO FIND OUT THE RESULTS OF THE GENETIC TESTING. DR. GOLDBERG STATED THE TEST CAME BACK AS ME BEING A LOW RISK FOR THE CANCER TO COME BACK. THEREFORE, I DO NOT HAVE TO HAVE CHEMOTHERAPY. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS THE RADIATION TREATMENTS. I WILL TAKE THAT ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. DR. GOLDBERG STATED THE TYPE OF CANCER I HAVE IS CAUSED BY ESTROGEN. I ASK HOW I COULD HAVE ANY ESTROGEN LEFT SINCE I HAD A COMPLETE HYSTERECTOMY YEARS AGO. HE SAID THAT ESTROGEN CAN BE PRODUCED IN OTHER PARTS OF THE BODY,LIKE THE ADRENAL GLANDS. I TOTALLY DID NOT KNOW THIS. I HAVE TO MEET WITH HIM EVERY THREE MONTHS FOR CHECK UPS. HE IS GOING TO START ME ON SOME HORMONES. EARLY TOMORROW MORNING I GO TO DR. BENNET'S OFFICE TO BE MEASURED AND MOLDED TO START MY RADIATION TREATMENTS. I JUST WANT ALL OF THIS DONE SO I CAN THINK ABOUT LIVING AGAIN VS THE ALTERNATIVE. I WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP THIS BLOG UPDATED ABOUT MY JOURNEY. I WILL LET EVERYONE KNOW HOW I DO WITH THE RADIATION. THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT WAS WHEN DR. GOLDBERG TOLD ME MY DAUGHTER WOULD HAVE AN AVERAGE CHANCE OF GETTING BREAST CANCER. THAT'S A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN HER BEING A HIGH RISK FROM SOMETHING HER MOTHER PASSED ON TO HER. I GIVE GOD ALL THE PRAISE FOR HAVING SOME CONTROL OVER THIS CANCER. I KNOW IT WAS BECAUSE OF THE PRAYERS OF ALL MY BLOGGING FRIENDS, AND MY COWORKERS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND CONTINUE TO PRAY IF I MAY ASK THAT OF YOU. YOU ALL ARE A TRUE BLESSING TO ME.