Journey with Cancer

Yesterday I turned 45. No small feat since last year I didn’t know if I would ever see 45. It was a day with some ups and downs. I am so happy to see 45 yet still a little sad that I still have much to do to get this old body of mine back in shape. The physical therapy continues on my hands. There is some progress so I will just keep pugging away at that.

The nurse from my oncologists office called to report that the CT scans were ’stable’ That means nothing has changed since the last scan in April. Since the pathologist said there was no signs of cancer in the any of the tissue they removed in April and my latest scans are stable I thinking that I really did it. I really kicked it. I am officially declaring my birthday as VC Day. Victory over Cancer Day. Most cancer patients call this day “Dancing with NED’ NED means No Evidence of Disease. Thats me. Dancing Queen!

I went in today for another CT Scan. Now the anti-neausea drugs I am taking leave me very thirsty but not so thirsty that those infamous banana smoothies taste good. As you may remember I have to drink 2 huge containers of this stuff so the CT scan will glow right. Yuk! Thank goodness I could drink water after it was done. I think I went through a full bottle of Arrowhead water in about 2 minutes! I should know the results in 4 days or so.

Tuesday night my sister picked me up and we went to Mt. View to visit my niece Amber and her husband Sam. We went out to eat at a place callled the Boardwalk. Its just like Jakes on Lincoln Ave in Willow Glen - owned by the same folks. Well I was able to eat a full meal and keep it down. wooo hoo. We went back to Sam and Ambers and watched Big Brother. I have seen some seasons and missed other. This one looks interesting and it nice to get out and have adult conversation and activities.

Please keep me in mind if something comes up at your place. I’m even up to Tupperware or Candle parties. Just get me out of the house for a while.

Today we took Halla to the airport. I know Kate is sad to see her go. She is very nice and it was a pleasure to have her here. She will start at the U of Wis - Green Bay as a freshman this year. I am sure she will tell Kate all about dorm living. On Sunday Craig took Kate and Halla to the Beach Boardwalk. They were there all day and had a great time. They brought sunblock but forgot to put it on. They came back with pink faces and arms. It wasn’t too bad, the sunburn pain was gone by Monday, but the pink is still there.

I have been visiting this great accupuncurist that Amy recommended. My sister and niece are both seeing her for carpal tunnel issues. She has been working on my nausea problem. When that is finally gone she will start helping my feet and hands. I tell you, the 30 minute message I get after the accupuncture is golden. It helps so much with the stress and tired muscles.

My sister and niece have invited me to join them for their weekly Big Brother night. My sister will come pick me up and drive us to Mt. View to have dinner with Amber and her husband Sam and then watch Big Brother together. I am looking forward to getting out of the house but in a easy and comfortable way.

I saw my oncologist on Friday. She is happy with the way radiation went. No physical signs of problems. She is scheduling me for a CT scan to check on everything. It will be in a few weeks. For now I need to work on fixing the problems caused by the treatments. The Dr said that it often takes 3 months for patients to get back their previous stamina after radiation. I need to proceed slowly and not get to down if it takes some time.

When I get the results I will let everyone know. We can then declare victory. I will need to be tested on a regular basis and there is always the chance that this can come back. Its a fiesty cancer and we must be vigilant in everyway. I get to go to the doctor for every little thing without being considered a hypocondriac!

I have also been seeing a PT for my hands. Later, we will work on my feet. They are still pretty bad. In my hands, most of the numbness has gone away but I lost some motor function. I can not close a tight fist and it hurts to try. I have excersizes I have to do and some putty that I am supposed to squeeze a few times a day. I call it self torture. Others might say ‘no pain, no gain’. We would both be right.

Saturday was Steph’s birthday. We had a small party at her place. It was nice to see Mike and Randee again and to meet 2 of Steph’s co-workers. We had a small problem with the cake. But boy howdee Stephanie and I sure took care of it. We got a refund from the lousy bakery and got great service from the bakery at the Safeway nearby. You just have to have the right cake. Its not the same without the right cake!

Yesterday Stephanie M. from Sacramento came down. She was going to Morgan Hill to get a custom dog crate built and invited me along. She came with me while I had my medi-port had its monthly flushing. We got a bite to eat and then off to Morgan Hill. Tired by the end of the day but I certainly enjoyed the day.

Its nice to get out every once in a while. I have been cooped up in my house too long. The weather is nice. Its also nice to have visitors. If you’re in the area stop by. Adult conversation would be appreciated.

Kate’s freind Halla is here visiting from Wisconsin. We took her to San Francisco for a couple of days. Just Kate, me and Halla, I was a bit of stone around their neck but they needed adult supervision and transportation. We went to Chinatown, I sat on a nearby park bench while they went all up and down the shops. We then drove over to Japan Center and did the same thing. We went to Ghirradelli Square to buy tons of chocolate and share a big ice cream sundae. We drove down Lombard Street (Wheeeee!!) and drove over to the Golden Gate Bridge. That was the most I had energy to do. But it was a lot of fun. The girls want to go back and do the whole Pier 39 thing. I think they will take public transportation for that. The Caltrain and buses are pretty easy to follow. We stayed at the Worldmark San Francisco Resort for the 2 days and used up a few more timeshare points without having to use any cash. It was fun and the weather was great.

Yesterday I finished my last radiation treatment. The folks at O’Conner gave me a nice little ‘graduation’ cetificate. I also had my last appointment with my regular surgeon. She said the area around the mastectomies looked great, the scars looked fine and I can start to coordinate with the plastic surgeon about reconstruction. The plastic surgeon is likely to recommend waiting a little while longer so the area can complete heal from the radiation. Right now my left chest looks like someone left a clothes iron on me for too long. Its quite pink but it never got blisters or any other problems. I am still very tired alot. I was told that should get better in a about a month.

I have started Physical Therapy for my hands to try to counter the effects of the nueropathy. Its basically self torture. 3 times a day self torture. But if it helps I will be glad. If I have some success there then maybe we can start on my feet.

I have a follow up appointment next week with my oncologist. I will ask her to schedule me for whatever tests are need to confirm that the cancer is gone. MRI, PET, CT (even if it means drinking that nasty banana smootie) bone, MUGA whatever scan they need. I want a clean bill of health.