Okay, the team name for both walks is "Alicia's Breast Friends"
The Susan G Komen walk is October 10th 9am
online registration: www.Komenlouisville.org
The ACS Making Strides walk is October 25th 1pm
online registration: www.makingstrides.acsevents.org/louisville
When you register, choose join existing team and use the name "Alicia's Breast Friends". It will walk you through all the steps. Donations are welcome.
I am so blessed that so many people have offered to walk with me! I look forward to a great Breast Cancer Awareness month :-)
Thursday, September 24, 2009
September 24, 2009
This week has been much better than last week. I am starting to return to normal slowly but surely. For the most part I only have aches and fatigue. My taste is completely back and my bowels are getting back to normal. I haven't had any headaches in a while either. I've been really busy this week going out with friends for dinners and trying to have fun. I met with the Young Survivors last night...I always have a good time with them. It's nice to talk with other young women who are going through the same things you are.
I've had several people ask me if I will have a team for the two breast cancer walks next month. I will register tonight when I finish this blog and post how you can join me in the walk against breast cancer. The Susan G. Komen walk is October 10th and the American Cancer Society walk is October 25th. I am scheduled for surgery October 21st, but I hope to be well enough to walk.
I don't know if anyone has seen it yet or not, but WHAS 11 has been airing the promo that my mother and I filmed the day we did the interview with Rachel Platt. I still haven't received word on when that is going to air, but when I do I will pass it on. If I can figure it out I will try add an attachment of the clip.
For about the past two weeks or so I have noticed a decrease in the range of motion in my right arm (the arm my lymph node dissection was in) and my inner arm and arm pit have been increasingly more tender. I had made a full recovery after surgery so this was a bit concerning to me. I decided to go to my surgeon today to get a professional opinion and he scheduled me for some test to see what could be the cause. Now I just wait.
Tomorrow will one year til Chad and I leave for Italy!!!! I can't hardly wait!
I've had several people ask me if I will have a team for the two breast cancer walks next month. I will register tonight when I finish this blog and post how you can join me in the walk against breast cancer. The Susan G. Komen walk is October 10th and the American Cancer Society walk is October 25th. I am scheduled for surgery October 21st, but I hope to be well enough to walk.
I don't know if anyone has seen it yet or not, but WHAS 11 has been airing the promo that my mother and I filmed the day we did the interview with Rachel Platt. I still haven't received word on when that is going to air, but when I do I will pass it on. If I can figure it out I will try add an attachment of the clip.
For about the past two weeks or so I have noticed a decrease in the range of motion in my right arm (the arm my lymph node dissection was in) and my inner arm and arm pit have been increasingly more tender. I had made a full recovery after surgery so this was a bit concerning to me. I decided to go to my surgeon today to get a professional opinion and he scheduled me for some test to see what could be the cause. Now I just wait.
Tomorrow will one year til Chad and I leave for Italy!!!! I can't hardly wait!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
September 16, 2009
I failed to mention in my last post that I had talked to my oncologist office yesterday about the fatigue and extremely painful aches I have in my back, and although I have an answer now, it wasn't necessarily what I wanted to hear. The best I can describe them would be unlike the aches associated with the flu, but rather a deep ache, like it is in my bones. It's a painful ache. I am in pain, not just achy. Anyways, the oncologist said this is a side effect of the Taxotere chemo, and although it may get worse when I am more fatigued, I would have it anyways. Some patients take pain medications. There have been times I have considered taking them were it not for the fact that I hate medication (isn't that what made me have the pain in the first, not to mention that pain medication = constipation, no fun.) The good news is, as the chemo wears off over the next few weeks the pain will subside, Yay! I also wanted to note that my finger nails have started to fall off. The nail is separating from tissue. It is not painful though, like I expected. I am going to interested to see how many nails actually fully separate and fall off.
Tonight I am looking forward to having dinner with a group of girl friends. I have no plans of slowing down. I'm gonna live it up til surgery time.
Tonight I am looking forward to having dinner with a group of girl friends. I have no plans of slowing down. I'm gonna live it up til surgery time.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
September 15, 2009
Well, This last treatment has proven to be a doozie. It just keeps hanging on. I have been so fatigued and achy since last Wednesday. I'm inclined to think I am still hanging on to a cold, but who knows. I have made it a point to not be held down the past few days. This weekend was the Old Kentucky Home Tour with the Louisville Bicycle Club. Over a thousand riders rode from Tom Sawyer Park to Bardstown, KY. I have done this ride several times in the past years, but this time I was a spectator. I went to Bardstown to hang out with some friends on Saturday then on Sunday I volunteered my time, and it was worth it. I guess it was second best to actually being in the ride. Sunday was also Chad and my 6th wedding anniversary. I have my taste back for the most part, so we decided to go to Mitchell's Fish Market for dinner. That's one of my favorite places, we enjoyed a very nice evening together. I feel so blessed that I have Chad in my life. I can't imagine going through the past year alone. It has been almost two weeks since my last treatment. I definitely don't feel great, but I'm getting there. I hope in two more weeks I will be starting to feel back to normal and able to get back to exercising. I am in desperate need of some cardio rehab. I think that is part of the reason I have had such a rapid heart rate and so many palpitations through chemo. I still haven't decided on a team name for the Komen Breast Cancer walk yet, however, I plan to register in the next day or two. I am impressed to see how many friends want to walk with me, thanks everyone!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
September 10, 2009
I had a rough weekend. Another holiday weekend down the drain due to chemo. I spent the whole weekend laying in bed or on the sofa. I didn't have as severe nausea this time, just the general malaise and aches. The energy is literally zapped from me. My taste feels like it was even worse this time around. Sometimes just thinking about a certain type of food made my stomach turn. I guess that must be what it's like to be pregnant.
Tuesday was a slow day at work. I was able to sit down most of the day and do my work from my desk. I worked almost 6 hours, and for the most part I was doing okay, but decided to go to the grocery store on the way home...I just can't leave well enough alone...I always gotta do just a little more. By the time I left the store I was hurting and in pain, and had a very upset stomach. However I got some great deals on meat, lol. Anything to save a dollar these days (since I feel like I'm never working).
Wednesday I had to be at work early, and I did not sleep a wink the night before! I didn't fall asleep til 2, and from 2-6 I saw my clock way too many times to constitute good sleep. I did okay most of the morning, other than lots of trips to the bathroom. I was on my feet all morning and about 12:30 I crashed. The back pain and fatigue hit so fast, I felt worse than I had since the past chemo weekend. I knew I had to go home, there was no way around it, if I stayed a minute more I would have had a break down right there in the nurses station. I could barely sit in my car on the way home and went straight to bed. I couldn't even fall asleep I hurt so bad. I ached in a way I can't describe, like it was in my bones (an ache so bad it causes severe pain), I was short of breath (they say that happens because my counts get low, which if that is the case, there dropping early), I had a severe headache, my right arm got tight (the muscles where they did the lymphnode discection still get tight and limit my range of motion if I get too fatigued and when my counts drop), drainage, congestion, my stomach hurt...you get the point. Finally after about 45 minutes of laying there on my heating pad I finally fell asleep. When I woke up three hours later, I felt worse than when I layed down, which is very unusual for me. Against my better judgement I decided to go to my bible study anyways. It was the first night of the study and I knew I would be missing the next two weeks. I could barely make it out the door, and the whole way there I was nearly in tears thinking "what am I doing?!" I just wanna go home and go to bed. After a couple of hours I was more than ready to head home and get back into my bed again. This time I thought I would take a sleeping pill so that I didn't repeat the night before. Yeah, not so much...I STILL laid there wide awake for hours trying to fall asleep, feeling miserable. Needless to say, I did not go to work today. I'm a little bit bummed that I fell into the trap that I warned myself about. I was so ready to be done with chemo and start my life back full swing that I forgot that I still had to recover from this last treatment. Things can still go wrong, I can still get sick. I am sick of feeling sick, tired of being slowed down. Like all of my coping energies have been used up, and now I just wanna sit here and pout til I feel good. So I allow myself to sit here and have a moment, and I get mad at myself for not having a good attitude, so I give myself little pep talk and get back on the ride, smile on my face. Did I mention that my hormones have been a little out of control lately? Definitely! I go tomorrow to get my labs checked, I am interested to see what they are. So, I guess I'll sit here on the couch and waste another day away (I hate couch potatoes!).
Tuesday was a slow day at work. I was able to sit down most of the day and do my work from my desk. I worked almost 6 hours, and for the most part I was doing okay, but decided to go to the grocery store on the way home...I just can't leave well enough alone...I always gotta do just a little more. By the time I left the store I was hurting and in pain, and had a very upset stomach. However I got some great deals on meat, lol. Anything to save a dollar these days (since I feel like I'm never working).
Wednesday I had to be at work early, and I did not sleep a wink the night before! I didn't fall asleep til 2, and from 2-6 I saw my clock way too many times to constitute good sleep. I did okay most of the morning, other than lots of trips to the bathroom. I was on my feet all morning and about 12:30 I crashed. The back pain and fatigue hit so fast, I felt worse than I had since the past chemo weekend. I knew I had to go home, there was no way around it, if I stayed a minute more I would have had a break down right there in the nurses station. I could barely sit in my car on the way home and went straight to bed. I couldn't even fall asleep I hurt so bad. I ached in a way I can't describe, like it was in my bones (an ache so bad it causes severe pain), I was short of breath (they say that happens because my counts get low, which if that is the case, there dropping early), I had a severe headache, my right arm got tight (the muscles where they did the lymphnode discection still get tight and limit my range of motion if I get too fatigued and when my counts drop), drainage, congestion, my stomach hurt...you get the point. Finally after about 45 minutes of laying there on my heating pad I finally fell asleep. When I woke up three hours later, I felt worse than when I layed down, which is very unusual for me. Against my better judgement I decided to go to my bible study anyways. It was the first night of the study and I knew I would be missing the next two weeks. I could barely make it out the door, and the whole way there I was nearly in tears thinking "what am I doing?!" I just wanna go home and go to bed. After a couple of hours I was more than ready to head home and get back into my bed again. This time I thought I would take a sleeping pill so that I didn't repeat the night before. Yeah, not so much...I STILL laid there wide awake for hours trying to fall asleep, feeling miserable. Needless to say, I did not go to work today. I'm a little bit bummed that I fell into the trap that I warned myself about. I was so ready to be done with chemo and start my life back full swing that I forgot that I still had to recover from this last treatment. Things can still go wrong, I can still get sick. I am sick of feeling sick, tired of being slowed down. Like all of my coping energies have been used up, and now I just wanna sit here and pout til I feel good. So I allow myself to sit here and have a moment, and I get mad at myself for not having a good attitude, so I give myself little pep talk and get back on the ride, smile on my face. Did I mention that my hormones have been a little out of control lately? Definitely! I go tomorrow to get my labs checked, I am interested to see what they are. So, I guess I'll sit here on the couch and waste another day away (I hate couch potatoes!).
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Sepember 5, 2009
YAY!!!!! Its official, I had my last chemo treatment Thursday! I wasn't looking forward to it, especially since my last treatment gave me such a wicked beat down, but on the other hand, I wanted nothing more than to be done with this stage. It's two days after my treatment and so far I'm doing okay. I will be soooooo glad when I get my taste back. I think it's been one of the most annoying things I've had to put up with. It makes my mouth feel funny, nothing taste like what you want or expect, and it can make you nauseous (I do feel lucky that I didn't get sores in my mouth, I guess it can always be worse). I don't feel completely nauseous, rather "icky", if that makes since. The pain in my throat and neck haven't hit yet, but I'm sure it's a matter of time, since I've had it every treatment. I plan on laying low this weekend and taking it easy.
After my treatment was over the whole oncology staff came in my room with party horns and confetti and presented me with a certificate of completion of my chemo. Plus they had a chocolate cake...YUM! I've been so happy with my doctors and nurses at Louisville Oncology, they really go above and beyond, and you can tell they really care. During my check up before chemo my oncologist was telling me that if my ovaries are going to wake up, we should know while I'm on the hormone therapy. Let's keep our fingers crossed, I would love for Chad and I to get pregnant on our own (rather that having to implant the embryos, which means more hormones).
I also scheduled my next reconstruction surgery for October 21st. I feel like it's the last piece if the journey. I'm actually looking forward to something, it's a good feeling. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I started this journey 7 months ago, and in that time I have experienced so many emotions, and have grown so much. There's still a long road ahead of me, but I've definitely built confidence faith in myself and I know I can overcome any obstacle.
After my treatment was over the whole oncology staff came in my room with party horns and confetti and presented me with a certificate of completion of my chemo. Plus they had a chocolate cake...YUM! I've been so happy with my doctors and nurses at Louisville Oncology, they really go above and beyond, and you can tell they really care. During my check up before chemo my oncologist was telling me that if my ovaries are going to wake up, we should know while I'm on the hormone therapy. Let's keep our fingers crossed, I would love for Chad and I to get pregnant on our own (rather that having to implant the embryos, which means more hormones).
I also scheduled my next reconstruction surgery for October 21st. I feel like it's the last piece if the journey. I'm actually looking forward to something, it's a good feeling. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I started this journey 7 months ago, and in that time I have experienced so many emotions, and have grown so much. There's still a long road ahead of me, but I've definitely built confidence faith in myself and I know I can overcome any obstacle.
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