Is it September Already??

Tomorrow, I have my 6-month blood work, scan, and doctor visit.  I'd really appreciate your prayers.  I have a small growth behind my right ear, so they will be scanning my neck and head area too.  Normally they scan from my chest downward.  I know this is probably just an enlarged lymph node...completely harmless, but with cancer you can never be too careful.  I'd just feel better if it weren't so close to the original cancer site.  :-)

Update to follow.  Love to all....

Another Clean Scan!

So sorry I haven't blogged in so long!  Thankfully, there hasn't been much to post regarding my testing and lab work.  I visited the clinic again in late March for another CT scan, lab work, and doctor visit.  Everything looked great!  I've decided to leave the necrosis area alone.  It is a little bothersome, but now worth another surgery.

Upcoming Check-ups:
Mammogram/Ultrasound on May 4th
Next Scan in September

Oh, and I've started another part-time job.  I love it and really enjoy the feeling of being back to "normal".  My hair has been a constant source of frustration for me.  It is getting so long and thick, I only wash it once a week.  I alternate between straightening it and wearing it curly (twisted out).  I'm still not ready to cut it.  :-)

Unexpected Meeting with Dr. T

The West Clinic called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that Dr. T wants to see me.  That appointment took place today.  He wants to do another round of blood work and another CT Scan in late March "just to be sure" about the mass that was not biopsied.  It is scheduled for Wednesday, March 28th.

Hair Growth - 17 Months Post-Chemo

Flat-ironed hair measures about 5.5 inches long now.  I still don't know what I want to do with it though.  :-)

 Curled - Sunday night

All Clear

So, like I thought, the mass is nothing to worry about!  I didn't even have the biopsy.  When they did the ultrasound to locate the mass to be biopsied, the mass appeared to be only fat and tissue.  The radiologist said there was nothing he could see to be biopsied (no dark areas).  Yay!  However, I told him to make sure he tells Dr. T.  If he is okay with not doing the biopsy, I am.  After all, he's the one who ordered it.  I was out of there in 1.5 hours instead of 6-7 hours.  

Biopsy Tomorrow

My biopsy is scheduled for tomorrow.  I'm not concerned about it though.  I'll meet with Dr. T on Thursday afternoon to discuss the results.  Thanks for the prayers!

"No Stone Unturned"

Thank you for continuing to follow my story and praying for me.  I still need it.  :-)

Today, I had my 6-month CT scan.  At first, Dr. T. said it looked “perfect”.  As we continued talking, I asked him if he received a call from Dr. V (plastic surgeon).  He said he had a message to call him back and wanted to know what that was about.  Okay, let me back up. 

Yesterday, I had a follow-up with Dr. V.  I asked him about a hard area above my reconstructed breast that I noticed in July but never went away.  In fact, it has gotten larger.  He seemed concerned about it and considered ordering an MRI.  After I told him that I had a CT scan scheduled for “tomorrow”, he said he’d call Dr. T to discuss his opinion on the mass.  He said he thinks it’s fat necrosis from the reconstruction surgery, but the oncologist will probably want to check it out.

Back to today.  Dr. T said he had heard from Dr. V, but he was not in the office at the time and hadn’t had a chance to call him back.  He examined me and seemed surprised at the size of the hard mass.  He walked to the radiology department to see the CT scan for himself.  When he returned, he said on the scan, it looked like a lump.  He thinks it’s fat necrosis, but can’t know for sure until it is biopsied.  So, I'm thinking, "what happened to it being 'perfect'?"  He wanted me to have the biopsy done today, but it was 2pm and they couldn’t do it.  I scheduled for tomorrow morning and left.

When I left and read the biopsy information, it revealed an all-day ordeal for a simple needle biopsy.  I’m not sure why.  When I had one in 2010 (at another doctor’s office), it was done in the office then I left afterward.  No big deal.  At the WC, they want me to not have anything to eat after midnight, have blood work, wait 1.5 hours, have an hour procedure, wait in recovery for 3 hours, then have someone there to drive me home.  WHAT??!!  I can’t do all that tomorrow.  Besides, I don’t want the kids to know about this concern, or anyone else for that matter.  It was just too much for me to try to plan for in such a short period of time, so I rescheduled for Feb 7 at 9:30 – with a follow-up visit on Feb 9.  Then, we can confirm fat necrosis and move on.  Goodnight folks!

New Year 2012

Today, we celebrated the first day of 2012.  The Christmas lights and decorations were taken down and boxed up.  We ate black-eyed peas, barbecue chicken, rice, and cornbread.  We did some after-Christmas bargain shopping.  We have only one more day of the winter break before Sarah and Camille return to school on Tuesday.  It’s been a nice break.

With 2010 and 2011 being so consumed with cancer treatments and surgeries, I’ve gotta tell you, I’m overwhelmed with the wonderful things I want to do this year.  I see this year as the year of my return to “normal”.  I don’t like making “New Year’s resolutions”, but this year I’m very tempted…if only I could keep it realistic.  This year, I want to do several things:

1. Daily bible readings with the girls.  Since we stopped home schooling, this has fallen by the wayside.  Our schedules are hectic.  We’re up and out at different times of the morning and evening.  There just doesn’t seem to be a regular time of day that we’re all up and home.  However, this must be done.  It’s important for me and for the kids.  I hope Terry will join in too.
2. Private bible study time.  I’ve tried this from time to time and have not been faithful for more than a few weeks.  This is something I need to do this year too.  I wonder though, if I do bible time with the kids, will that be enough?  I know… shame on me!
3. Regular exercise.  This one is a must, but I have to do it correctly and do it slowly.  I know myself, and I MUST have a schedule.  I live by lists, and I’m foolish to think I can stick to any plan without a schedule.  Period.  I bought a book while I was undergoing chemotherapy titled The Breast Cancer Survivor’s Guide to Fitness.  It seems to be the best resource for me now.  The doctors know the importance of strength training and exercise as it relates to mastectomy, radiation, and reconstruction.  There are many do’s and don’ts for us survivors, and this book carefully lays it out there for me.  Two mistakes I’d probably make without a guide are: (1) set rigid goals that get me going, but I cannot sustain and (2) skipping days due to busyness, weather, laziness, etc.  Also, I tend to push myself when I set a goal, and with my high risk for lymph edema, I can’t afford to do that. 
4. Get an additional job.  This one is more of a necessity than a desire, but it is a desire nonetheless.  I’d like to bring more income into the household.  I can’t decide though what I want to do or what I need to do.  I will continue teaching at PTC, but I want to also do something part-time here in Collierville.  Work days and schedules would be very limited since I have so many responsibilities with the kids and Terry works 75+ hours per week.  My family really is my top priority.  However, I have considered working full-time for the right agency…like Agape.  :-)  How I’d manage that though, I have NO idea.  So for now, I scan the online job sites and try see if anything jumps out at me.  I wish I could text God for an immediate answer.
5. Get to bed earlier each night (by 10:00pm).  LOL!  How embarrassing to be writing this at almost 2am.

So, see… I have several areas that I want to improve in 2012.  Realistically speaking, I can’t try to commit to them all.  For now, as I write this, I think #1 and #3 are the most pressing.  We’ll see how it pans out.