7/14/17
Dear Friends and Family,
I met with the oncologist on Tuesday, July 11th and she said that my blood work looks really good and that my body is handling Taxol really well. 🙂
I completed treatment number 9 today on National Shark Day! My chemo anchors were my mother-in-law and father-in-law. My dog, Maverick, is keeping me safe from the shark!
I could have not lived without my shower belt
Continue reading “Post-Surgery Recommended Item: My Little Secret!”
If you know of someone going through surgery, it is always thoughtful to not only think about the person having surgery, but to also think about their caregivers. Caregivers need support too.
Recently, my friend had surgery and I made a basket with goodies for her caregivers to enjoy while they waited for her surgery to be finished. My mom’s friends made a basket with goodies on the day of my surgery for my family and came to the hospital to give it to them, so I wanted to make sure that I did the same for someone else. The basket was a simple gesture that I know was greatly appreciated by the caregivers.
July 7, 2017
Dear Friends and Family,
I have been pretty busy the past few weeks traveling and going to chemotherapy treatments. Overall, I have been feeling fine, but my main symptom from chemotherapy is FATIGUE. This letter is told through pictures…
June 14th: My sister-in-law and me at my oncologist appointment. We celebrated Flag Day and Boy George’s Birthday!
June 16th – 18th: Tom and I went to Iowa to celebrate Grandma Mary’s life. She was an amazing lady and she will be missed dearly.
I met some of my mother-in-law’s friends that read my blog. It was really nice to meet them and I appreciate their support. They made me feel like a local celebrity.
You will need assistance from your caregiver when showering post-surgery. It will be difficult for you to wash your hair (if you have not had chemotherapy) and your body due to lack of movement of your arms. My doctor recommended body wash that was gentle on the skin and odorless. A small sponge
Continue reading “Post-Surgery Recommended Items: Shower Power!”
With any type of breast surgery, the drains will need tending to. The drains will need to be stripped and emptied about 3 times a day, especially right after surgery. Before you are released from the hospital, the nurse will show your caregiver the proper way to strip and empty the drains. It is recommended to use alcohol pads when stripping the drains. My caregiver used these alcohol pads
The quote above explained how I felt about my drains. Every time I went to the plastic surgeon for check-ups, I would show him my drain chart knowing that my fluid levels were too high. I had drains for 3-4 weeks and boy was I happy when they were removed! 🙂 The Anchor – Edition 8 was dedicated to the removal of my last drain and crush the cup!
Continue reading “Post-Surgery Recommended Items: Drains, Drains Go Away!”
I have known about the organization CanCare for many years. CanCare’s mission statement is to “offer HOPE that comes from survivors sharing from their own experiences…”
I attended a Meet the President Coffee a few weeks after my surgery, I was eager to meet the president and find out more about what the organization had to offer. Cristina Vetrano, the president and CEO, was very welcoming and eager to meet me. She is truly dedicated to CanCare and to offering HOPE to those with cancer. I also met other volunteers that were cancer survivors. Everyone listened intently about my journey. I offered suggestions about thoughtful things that my friends, family, and coworkers did to help me during this time in my life that may benefit other cancer patients. They suggested that I receive a CanCare volunteer and I gladly accepted!
My CanCare volunteer called me and we talked about breast cancer and how our situations were similar and different. It was nice to talk to someone that was diagnosed with breast cancer at my age and it made it easier to relate to her because she walked down a similar path that I was walking down. She texted me the day I received my port and that helped ease my worries about the surgery. My CanCare volunteer texts me frequently to see how I am doing and offers me support and guidance throughout my journey. She also offers me HOPE! Continue reading “Tip #5 – Contact Resources in your City”
Buttons, zippers, and clasps will become your best friends post-surgery. Around the house, I wore my scrubs with buttons. When I left the house, I wore button down shirts. Wearing shirts with buttons made it easy at the doctor’s office when I had to change into a gown.
After surgery, my surgeon gave me a compression bra to wear, but it was very uncomfortable. I purchased post mastectomy bras from Amazon
Continue reading “Post-Surgery Recommended Items: Button Up, Buttercup!”
June 9, 2017
Dear Friends and Family,
June 4th was National Cancer Survivors Day. At MD Anderson, you’re a survivor the moment you receive a cancer diagnosis. Caregivers are survivors too. I did not know that this day of celebration existed until I saw posts onto Facebook and Twitter. This day made me grateful for my future and thankful for my amazing support system-my anchors!
The rest of my week revolved around my hair! My hair was falling out by the handful, especially when I washed it. Starting each day with hair all over the tub was unsettling. My husband suggested washing my hair at night, but I like taking a shower in the morning. My coworkers could not tell that my hair was falling out and thinning, but I could. I was more than ready to get my hair cut! On Thursday, my mom and I went to Artemis Hair Studio to get my hair cut and wig fitted. Kitsa, the hair stylist, cut my hair first while it was in a ponytail so that I could donate it. I will mail my hair to Children with Hair Loss. The requirements are that the hair must be a minimum of 8 inches, clean, and dry. They also accept color treated hair. I am so excited that I will be helping children in need with my hair donation!
June 2, 2017
Dear Friends and Family,
Things are going well considering I haven’t had treatment since May 19th. My husband and I celebrated his birthday early by attending a U2 concert (his actual birthday is on May 26th). I went out of town to Austin this weekend for a wedding, so I did not have treatment. My husband has known the groom since he was 3 and their parents are really good friends. The wedding was beautiful and my sister-in-law and I danced a lot, I am curious as to how many calories we burned. 😉 It was nice to have a “normal” weekend without treatment.
I went back to work on May 29th. That particular morning, I noticed a significant amount of hair falling out in the shower, more than I have ever noticed. I have been “waiting” for my hair to start falling out, but when it started to fall out, I didn’t feel that I was “ready”. I cleaned it up and continued to get ready that morning. I arrived to work with a smile on my face and was ready to start the day. I enjoyed seeing the students and my SCE family. I was busy “catching up” most of the day. When I came home that day, I fell asleep on the recliner at an early hour and my husband woke me up to “go to bed”. Continue reading “The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 13”
Anchored in HOPE 