March Madness in Cancer

The sun is shining on the Gulf Coast and I am getting some energy back and taking longer walks through the week. I don’t need a few hour long naps to get through the day anymore, just short catnaps or moments of rest. We are enjoying boating time with our family and just feeling the sunshine every day.

My hair is coming in thick and soft. Gavin keeps me laughing through all of this. He said he married a blonde, but chemo is turning me into a darker brunette… with a little silver fox mixed in. 😂 Chemo can actually change the color of your hair, so we’ll see what it ends up being on the other side of this!

Overall, we are doing pretty well, but the past three weeks have had a few setbacks. My chest cavity started filling with fluid, and the left capsule they built to hold the tissue expander collapsed. That has meant going in four times now to have the fluid drained with a very large and scary looking needle and syringe, but is is placed in an area that has no feeling so it is just weird not painful.

I’m currently on two strong antibiotics to fight off infection since my white blood cell count still isn’t where it needs to be. I’ll see the surgeon again in April to make sure everything is cleared up, and then we’ll move forward with scheduling another surgery to rebuild and replace what was lost.

It does mean starting the expansion process all over again—and yes, that also means the “boobie grenades” (aka drains) are making a comeback. They were awful the first time, but at least now I know how to deal with them… and I won’t accidentally drop them like last time. Ouch!!

It’s not exactly what I hoped for, but I’m holding onto perspective. I’ve already walked this road once with my double mastectomy, so at least now I know what to expect.

Through it all, God has been so good. Even in the setbacks, I can see His hand guiding me forward. We have been blessed with so many prayer warriors and are grateful for every single one of them.

Comments

Buella (cancer) Has Spread

Buella was entirely removed along with five lymph nodes and all the breast tissue they could remove on both sides. The tissues and tumor were sent for pathological testing. The report came back and was not what we hoped for. Buella has spread to the lymphovascular system, lymph nodes, and tissue around the nodes. Buella was also less than 1 mm away from the chest wall, so cancer cells are likely in the chest wall too. The tumor grade was thought to be a Grade 1 before surgery (not aggressive), and has now been determined to be a Grade 3 (most aggressive and has the highest recurrence rate). The news was hard to receive as I was praying for it to be all contained in the single tumor, and that would mean just surgeries and careful watching for a bit. However, this is not the story of my journey. I will need radiation, and we are waiting for the Oncotype test to come back to determine the need and type of chemotherapy. This will take 4 weeks, and we cannot start any treatment u...

How Do We Say Goodbye?

How do you say goodbye to a spirit bigger than most, and loved by all? By remembering what he did and who he was. He wrestled. He was a man who pinned opponents to the mat with power, strength, and fire, yet always ended with a handshake, eyes steady, dignity intact. He rode. A man who rode bulls for a living, chasing dust and danger, his raw talent and fierce determination recognized long before the buckles came. He lived. He was a man who lived with integrity, stood up for others with the heart of a hero and felt the power of the Holy Spirit when he gave his life to Jesus. He loved. He was a man who loved his son and his family with a passion second only to the love of our Savior. He was a friend who simply showed up every time he said he would and even when you didn’t ask him to. A man who gave his whole heart, his time, and his hugs to those lucky enough to love him. So how do we say goodbye? We wrestle. W...

Well, Poo: Update on Cancer Treatment

The radiation oncologist entered our room in a medical halo, looking very uncomfortable and much like an image of Frankenstein. He was healing after suffering an injury to his neck in a swimming pool two weeks ago. "How are you doing?" he asked with genuine care and concern. "Well, obviously, better than you at this point," I replied as I internally scolded myself for complaining about the rough nights sleeping in a recliner the past 6 weeks. He smiled and said, "Yeah, maybe so." Then we got down to business. He reminded me that before surgery, we had discussed the possibility of doing radiation. He had laid out some clear signs that it would be necessary. Buella (the cancer) had spread to the nodes (CHECK) Tumor is greater than 2 cm (CHECK) There are cancer cells in the Lymphovascular system (CHECK) There are unclean or close margins from tumor edges to chest wall (<1 mm CHECK) You are premenopausal (CHECK) Each component increases the odds of lo...

Inside the Mind of an Educator

Search This Blog