10/8/14

Team KLB,

On the eve before my LAST CHEMO!!!!!, I thought I’d update everyone as to what’s going in the world of Breast Cancer. (I’m trying not to be too excited just in case my blood work doesn’t come back with good levels, but it’s hard to not be extremely excited.) We did a “it’s the night before my last chemo” dance and it felt great!! I have felt the best that I’ve felt throughout chemo during this last round (well the last 10 days of it). I attribute that to clean eating (good protein, lots of fruits and veggies, seeds, and limited dairy, carbs, and sugar) and LOTS of water. I recently read Your Body’s Many Cries for Water and decided I needed to up my game. As always, feel free to wear some pink tomorrow and shoot me a selfie (I will be compiling these eventually). I’ve got some *special pink* for tomorrow that I will post as usual.

Still planning on doing my rants and raves post because I have PLENTY to complain about, but I’ll save that for next week when I feel like a$$ and need to vent/complain/have a pity party. Stayed tuned! It should mostly make you laugh 🙂

So long as chemo goes as planned tomorrow, here’s what I’m looking at:

~ PICC line out TOMORROW! (another happy dance is needed for this)

~ A Cupcakes and Cocktails party on the last day of this cycle to celebrate the official end of chemo. I’m not going to be in full blown celebration tomorrow, because I still have to endure the round of chemo (actually getting the chemo infusion doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t set in until a few days in). But I will be in full blown celebration mode at the end of the round. Once chemo happens tomorrow, I’ll post an evite to this page. Again, STAY TUNED. And please RSVP, you know I’m anal about these things, plus I want to make sure there are enough cupcakes. 🙂 CUPCAKES!!!

~ Mastectomy and reconstruction! Still waiting on an exact date but we’re looking at the week before Thanksgiving. After both the appointment with the surgeon and the appointment with the plastic surgeon, I’m not sure why, but I felt very excited. Probably because I can see the end nearing. I’m sure I’ll be freaked out on the days leading up to surgery, but for now I’ll enjoy the feeling of excitement (hasn’t been a common feeling since May-ish, so it’s nice).

~ Recovery takes about 8 weeks and I can’t lift things over 5 pounds for the first few weeks, so if you’re willing and able, trips to the grocery store, pet food store, water store, and meals would be super helpful. I’ll post a google calendar to this page soon. Visitors and walking buddies will still be much appreciated during recovery too. They’ll be filling my expanders once each week during this time to slowly stretch the skin for the implants.

~ In January-ish – Five weeks of radiation (five days each week). Not really looking forward to this, since I didn’t think I needed it initially and therefore it’s not a part of “my plan”. But I know the side effects are less than those for chemo – mostly fatigue. After surgery & radiation I might have to fly with a compression sleeve on my right arm (because they are removing lymph nodes) to avoid permanent lymphedema (swelling of the arm). I’m not sure if I’ll be back to work during this time or not. Many people have said the fatigue is too much, so we’ll see.

~ Six months after the end of radiation I can have my expanders swapped out for implants. After that, I can have a out patient surgery to make nipples and then a final out-patient surgery to have areola tattooed on. All of this will be done by the plastic surgeon. He also said that everything related to my breasts will be covered by insurance for the rest of my life – federal law. That was awesome news. We have also met our yearly out of pocket for insurance. That was awesome news too.

Well, that’s about it. Thanks for being the most amazing people that you are. You effing rock, I love you.

XOXOXO,

Katie

Things Cancer has Taught Me

Hi friends!

Well it’s been a while since my last post. All is well. In going to my support groups, I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned since all of this began just three month ago. There are things that I’m grateful for and things that really piss me off. Today, I’ll post about the things cancer has taught me, and I’ll save my rants and raves for another post.

1. When someone you care about gets diagnosed with something (anything), it’s hard to know what to say. For me, I know I would probably cry if I talk with someone about their scary diagnosis, so I know I’ve avoided it in the past. BAD KATIE! I now know that whatever I do/say, I need to do/say something. Whether it is a call, a card, a text, an email, it doesn’t matter, just doing something to show that I care is what matters. Since my diagnosis, so many people have reached out to me (some that I’m close to, some that I’m not close to – even the checker at whole foods gave me a hug!!) and I have learned that people just want to know that others are rooting for them in their time of need. Obviously, I have the best team ever, because I am constantly reminded of this. This was lesson number one and a lesson I needed to learn.

2. Don’t take a single moment for granted. While I know that I am going to be cancer free very soon and I am going to live a long and healthy life, hearing “it’s cancer” makes you think about your mortality. After one of my first doctors appointments, I had dinner with friends and family because I wanted to spend as much time as I have with people that are important to me. I remembering telling Jim, “Life is for living” which to means that I’d like to spend as much time as I can doing the things I love and spending time with the people I love.

3. Everything is normal, until it’s not. That was on a billboard about strokes that I used to pass on my way to/from Bauman College. For the first few weeks after my diagnosis, that saying came back to me many times because it definitely suited the situation. I feel like, at times, I took my health for granted, and once I was no longer healthy I wished that I had been better to myself (eating, sleeping, exercise, etc.).

4. Get off my butt and exercise! I know that I am totally guilty of complaining about not wanting to workout or exercise after a long day of work or just because I’m feeling lazy. But now that my ability to exercise has been very limited, I wish so badly that I could go for a run, bike ride, hike, or swim. Looking into the future, when I feel like skipping out on my exercise, I’m going to remember this time and make myself do it. PLUS, exercise is super important in disease prevention/reduction of symptoms.

5. It’s okay to cry. Whenever. For whatever reason(s).

6. The people that are most important in my life are the people that have been supportive through my time of need. People that haven’t been supportive, aren’t people that I need in my life. True colors….

7. Dogs are awesome. Jax, Zoe, Izzi, and Pismo have been the BEST company to have with me each day. If you don’t have a dog, I highly recommend reconsidering that decision. 🙂

8. Being more grateful. I started my #100happydays project to help me with being more grateful for the good things in my life and the timing for the project couldn’t have been more appropriate. It has now become my #cancerbabeshappydays project and it has helped me to realize that being grateful and appreciating the good things is really valuable. (If you’re not on FB/IG, I try to post a picture of something that has made me happy each day and I include the hashtag #cancerbabeshappydays.)

9. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s also okay to be weak and vulnerable. It’s all a part of life. We’re in this together.

10. I have the best team. I know that I’ve said this before, but I really mean it, and it comes straight from the heart. You all are **AMAZING**. Thank you. I love you.

Well… that’s it. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say that I’m grateful for cancer, because well, then I’d be a masochist. And I’m not a fan of the “everything happens for a reason” or the “it’s part of god’s plan” BS either (I’m agnostic). But I am grateful for the person that I’m becoming because of it. I have learned a lot and I know I will continue to do so.

XOXO

Katie