Author: anchoredinhope80

The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 31

12/21/17

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope that everyone is doing well and having a nice holiday season.  I have not written in awhile and feel out of practice.  I have two weeks off of work which is great.  Last week, we held a Holiday Pop-Up Shop at my campus for our students since they lost many of their toys due to Hurricane Harvey.  The Holiday Pop-Up Shop was a success and will bring smiles to many students’ faces.  

As for me, I have had a lot more “free” time and I am not going to MD Anderson as frequently as before.  I met with my oncologist a few weeks ago and she said that I am doing well.  She also prescribed Tamoxifen for me to take every day for the next 10 years.  The drug is an estrogen blocker.  I was estrogen positive, which means that excess estrogen played a factor in my breast cancer diagnosis.  The medication will block estrogen that I produce.  Just like any medication, it comes with a list of side-effects.  To be honest, the side-effects haven’t been bad or I guess I haven’t really noticed them.  I did have a dull headache the first few weeks, but I don’t seem to have one anymore.  

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Post-Surgery Recommended Items: Pillows, Pillows, and More Pillows!

 

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Pillows became my best friends post surgery.  The Wedge helped me lay on my back since it hurt for me to lay on my sides due to my drains.  It also made laying in an upright position more comfortable and easy.  My counselor friend, BP, bought me a body pillow.  The body pillow was very comfortable to lay my head on or put on the side of my body.  I would definitely recommend both types of pillows, the more comfortable you are, the better you sleep!

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 30

11/20/17

Dear Friends and Family,

I received my 20th radiation treatment today. I invited friends and family to MD Anderson to celebrate the end of my treatments.  I was so nice to see my support system together in one room.  I rang the bell three times like you are supposed to and continued to ring it some more!  We drank sparkling grape juice and ate doughnuts and kolaches.  Today is National Beautiful Day and it certainly was a Beautiful Day with so much to be grateful for!

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 29

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11/18/17

Dear Friends and Family,

I have completed 19 rounds of radiation and have one more treatment to go!  I am so excited that my treatment will soon be ending!  In my opinion, radiation feels like the forgotten part of treatment since you usually hear so much more about the side effects from chemo.  Do not get me wrong, chemo was difficult, but radiation is difficult also.  It is a big commitment going to treatments everyday.  I am fortunate that I get my treatments out of the way and complete them first thing in the morning.  My skin in the radiated area is red and sore.  I also have itchy red bumps on my chest.  I moisturize with Aquaphor after treatment and when I go to bed. 

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 28

RAD waiting room
I placed this in the radiation waiting room. Many inspirational quotes are placed throughout the waiting room.

11/12/17

Dear Friends and Family,

I have completed 14 radiation sessions.  I have been getting up at 4:30 every morning to receive radiation treatments at 7:00.  After my radiation session is complete, I go to work.  I have been tired, but it hasn’t bee too bad.  I am a little pink and sore in the radiated area, but that is to be expected.  My last radiation treatment will be on Monday, November 20th!

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 27

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11/3/17

Dear Friends and Family,

The Houston Mayor declared today Houston Astros Day because of their World Series win!  The World Series win was just what the city of Houston needed!  There was a large parade downtown to celebrate the Astros.  I was unable to attend the parade due to my weekly doctor’s appointment with my radiation oncologist called my “weekly see” appointment and my radiation treatment.  The “weekly see” appointment consists of the radiation oncologist checking my skin to see how it is handling radiation.   I also received my 9th radiation treatment.  I have not noticed much skin irritation, but I have continued to remain fatigued.  Although I missed the parade, I was able to watch the Astros Celebration in front of City Hall on tv.  🙂

Anchored in HOPE,

JW

The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 26

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10/28/17

Dear Friends and Family,

I have been busy with more doctor’s appointments the past few weeks.  I received a radiation simulation a few weeks ago.  The radiation technicians marked the affected area with three different color markers and put tape over the marks so that they would not wash off in the shower.  My body looks like a human map.  I also had my port removed on Friday, October 20th.  It was a great feeling to get my port removed!  I had my first “dry run” for radiation on Monday, October 23rd, they performed x-rays and put more marks on my body.  I received actual radiation treatments the rest of the week and met with the radiation oncologist on Friday.  The hardest thing about radiation is controlling your breathing, but once you figure that out, it isn’t too bad.  I have a mold made specifically for me that isn’t very comfortable that I lay down in while receiving treatments.   Six weeks of radiation treatment was recommended for me, but I am participating in a clinical trial called the Sapphire Trial and I was chosen to receive a higher dosage of radiation for four weeks instead of a lower dosage for six weeks.  They are studying the effects of radiation and lymphedema.  I will be followed for 10 years.

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 25

10/22/17

Dear Friends and Family,

As you know I completed chemotherapy about a month ago!  I am so glad to be finished with that phase of my treatment.  I celebrated completing my treatment by attending a luncheon called In the Pink.  The guest speaker was Amy Robach from Good Morning America. I enjoy watching her on Good Morning America on my days off of work.  I was so excited about attending the event and having the opportunity to meet her. Her speech was very moving and I related to many things that she said.  One of her main points was that everyone has a right to have a mammogram anytime they want and as often as they want.  She reiterated throughout her speech that her mammogram saved her life.  She also emphasized the importance of informing and empowering every generation about early detection, although it was not something she thought much about until she was diagnosed with breast cancer herself.  She signed my book and I gave her and Robin Roberts a Team Jen shirt.  🙂

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 24

9/30/17

Dear Friends and Family,

Today, on Wednesday, September 27th,  my day started off with a beautiful rainbow in the sky.  The rainbow symbolized God’s way of celebrating that my chemotherapy treatments would soon be coming to an end.  As my morning continued, my SCE family gave me a cupcake to celebrate my last chemo session.

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The Anchor 💗⚓️💗 – Edition 23

9/25/17

Dear Friends and Family,

On Thursday, September 21st I participated in a fashion show for The Wine, Women, and Shoes event.  The organization Breast Cancer Charities of America-i Go Pink hosted the event.  This amazing organization offers financial assistance to women with  breast cancer amongst other things.  They also offer Feeling Beautiful Again beauty packages for women going through treatment.  I signed up to receive a beauty package, it  contained eyeshadow, eyeliner, and Burt’s Bees products, etc.  Little did I know that the organization is located in The Woodlands, which is where I grew up.  I received an email from someone that works for the organization asking me if I wanted to be in a fashion show.  I thought to myself, “a fashion show is so not me”.  I thought about it for a few days and with a little convincing from my mom and friend, I decided, “why not”.  I emailed the lady from the organization and told her that I would participate.  My mom and I went to Dillard’s to pick out a dress for the fashion show.  I like things that sparkle, so I was immediately drawn towards a particular dress with sequin.

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