Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Hello, Old Friends!



Hello!

It's been a while. It seems that now that I'm not going from appointment to appointment, I have very little to write about.
I'm really enjoying my (boring) life! :)


Here are some updates:

My scabs from radiation are gone. My boobs are as smooth as rock hard baby butts.
I'm surprisingly sleeping okay with the expanders. Only 5.5 more months until these suckers come out.

I'm starting to like the way they look. Yes, they're too high, too hard and completely unnatural...but I have to admit that I really dig not wearing a bra. I have not worn a bra since December 2011. I feel so freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
I really think that once my implants are put in, I'm going to have some pretty rockin' tatas.

I have my next Herceptin infusion on April 16th. My list is getting pretty long with concerns I want to talk to Dr. Hartung about.
Now that I have no evidence of disease, (I'm still dancing with NED!) I'm pretty nervous I'm going to get cancer somewhere else.
It's a normal fear, I suppose.

I really want a hysterectomy. Previously, Dr. Hartung thought that the side effects would outweigh the benefits; but I want to revisit the conversation again.
I already have PCOS and have always had issues with cysts on my ovaries. I think they're little time bombs. I want all that junk out.

I also want to start taking Zometa. There are new studies out that shows it makes bones stronger so cancer would have a harder time metastisizing to my bones, if it were to come back. It will probably make me feel like crud, but it's worth talking about.

I am also at the point where I will begin taking Tamoxifen. It's a drug that I will take daily for five years. It has some side effects, but I guess I'll take being fat over dying of cancer.


I have NO signs of Lymphedema yet. My chances of getting it after chemo/lymph node removal/radiation was greater than 50%. It can still onset at any time, it just hasn't yet. I'm hopeful that's one effect of cancer that I will avoid.

My family is doing AWESOME. I couldn't ask for more.
Eric's parents came here for Easter and we had a great holiday.
We found a great new church (Eagle Brook) that even Eric's dad approved of! :)
I have already signed up for new member classes, small group and even baptism.
I feel like this is the missing piece to our puzzle- and we're excited to grow more with God.

8 comments:

  1. What a great update! I'm glad everything is going well for you, such a great smile in those pics :)

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  2. Thank you for allowing us all on your journey! I'm so happy to hear everyone is doing well!
    -Danielle (ND)

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    1. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and comment, Danielle!

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  3. Angela
    I'm so glad to hear that you are doing well! I started radiation today-27 more to go. I totally understand your fear of it coming back someplace else. I'm also terrified that it will come back to some place they can't remove like my liver. One thing that I am having done is checking my tumor markers monthly. It's not an exact science and gives a lot for false positives, but I'll take any help I can get. If I had a pet scan machine at my house, I'd be in it every day!
    Keep strong
    Steph

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    1. Stay positive, Steph! Everyone has the spot they worry about it coming back. Mine is my brain. ;)
      I would go completely batshit crazy if I had my tumors checked every month. It makes me have a panic attack just thinking about it. I get it done every 12 weeks- and that's plenty for me. I'm getting it done today actually. Puke.
      I feel like the more I test, the more I can't move on with living a healthy life. I just want to live while I can....ya know?

      How is radiation treating you?

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  4. You look healthy and gorgeous! Thanks for updating us on all your good news!!

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