We had a wonderful time in Florida. It was nice to have a break from my cancer, too. That's probably why I chose not to finish any of the posts I started on my trip. When I rolled off my compression sleeve when we landed in Jacksonville, it was almost like putting away thoughts of my cancer, too. I spoke of my treatments a bit, but I didn't really feel like a cancer patient during this trip. It was so nice to take a break from the medical things and just enjoy life. Florida is such a beautiful state. Even Becca, who usually doesn't enjoy being away from home, liked it. Walt's sister lives just 10 minutes from the beach. Our warmest days on the trip were when we were at Disney World so we didn't spend as much time in the Atlantic as we would have liked, but Becca and I found some fun treasures in the little beachfront shops. Jacksonville is one of the nicest cities I've been to. Walt got to golf a few days and I took lots of long walks.
When I went through security at the airport, the TSA agent asked me to remove my hat. I was slightly embarrassed as not many people have seen me without it (sort of like going out in public without any makeup). When I got to Disney World, though, some of the rides were pretty wild and I was afraid of losing my hat, so I often took it off. It felt wonderful on those warm sunny days to feel the wind blow through my hair. I had gotten so used to taking off my hat that I slipped it off without even being asked going through security on the way home. My hair feels thicker and I'm starting to get tiny bangs. I look forward to going to get it styled, but I have to wait a bit longer to make the appointment worth it.
I accomplished a lot today. I did a couple loads of laundry, paid bills, reorganized the office a little, encouraged Becca to work on her essay and other homework, tried to help Ben feel better (he's suffering from chest congestion), called and got a better rate on our cable bill, talked with my sister Patty to update her on the trip, called Evergreen billing department to inform them of a billing error, filed claims for reimbursement, took a walk, cooked dinner... and the list continues as my life quickly settles back into reality. Vacations are nice, but the return to normal can be kind of brutal.
I will try to upload some pictures of our trip tomorrow. I'm too tired to do anything more than this brief update tonight.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Crazy Week
I started a post earlier today, but I haven't had time to finish it. Here is just a quick update on details of my life.
We leave for Florida on Friday. I met with my oncologist last Friday. With a long flight, she worries about the potential for lymphedema, a swelling from excess fluid buildup, developing in my left arm. When I had my surgery, the doctor removed four lymph nodes to biopsy. We rejoiced when they came back clear of cancer. This was a good thing. However, the lymph nodes are important to filter out fluids in our body. When they are removed, fluids could back up, causing swelling in the tissue. Even though I had only four lymph nodes removed and am not considered high risk for lymphedema, the added pressure in an airplane could affect my arm. My doctor is recommending I use a compression sleeve for the flight. This wasn't even on my radar, and I might not have time to get one. I called the medical place recommended by my doctor, and the receptionist thought there was a good chance they might have my size in stock. Nonetheless, if I don't get one for this trip, I'll have one for future trips. My good friend Diane, also a breast cancer survivor, is letting me borrow one of hers in case my trip tomorrow isn't successful.
I went for a followup visit with my naturopath today. We added more supplements to the mix to continue to build up my immunity and strengthen my heart. Because of everything that was thrown at me this year, we are working hard at fighting back with as many weapons as possible. On Thursday I have to go into the hospital for another Echo on my heart. Dr. Kohn wanted that done before my next Herceptin. The heart center called today and could fit me in on Thursday morning. It'll be nice to have one less thing to do when I get back, but it is making my current week jammed full of craziness. With my trip to Bellevue tomorrow for the compression fitting, I will have three medical appointments this week. I thought these appointments would slow down by now!
In between, we are trying to figure out what to pack, what to pack everything in and all the other details of our trip. Plus, the kids are working hard at finishing up school assignments. Every time I turn around, I have at least one kid wondering if I can help them with something. I know this trip is exactly what we all need, but it's super busy from this moment until we are sitting on that plane. Then I'll open up my book and relax. That's when the fun will begin. Until then, full steam ahead!
We leave for Florida on Friday. I met with my oncologist last Friday. With a long flight, she worries about the potential for lymphedema, a swelling from excess fluid buildup, developing in my left arm. When I had my surgery, the doctor removed four lymph nodes to biopsy. We rejoiced when they came back clear of cancer. This was a good thing. However, the lymph nodes are important to filter out fluids in our body. When they are removed, fluids could back up, causing swelling in the tissue. Even though I had only four lymph nodes removed and am not considered high risk for lymphedema, the added pressure in an airplane could affect my arm. My doctor is recommending I use a compression sleeve for the flight. This wasn't even on my radar, and I might not have time to get one. I called the medical place recommended by my doctor, and the receptionist thought there was a good chance they might have my size in stock. Nonetheless, if I don't get one for this trip, I'll have one for future trips. My good friend Diane, also a breast cancer survivor, is letting me borrow one of hers in case my trip tomorrow isn't successful.
I went for a followup visit with my naturopath today. We added more supplements to the mix to continue to build up my immunity and strengthen my heart. Because of everything that was thrown at me this year, we are working hard at fighting back with as many weapons as possible. On Thursday I have to go into the hospital for another Echo on my heart. Dr. Kohn wanted that done before my next Herceptin. The heart center called today and could fit me in on Thursday morning. It'll be nice to have one less thing to do when I get back, but it is making my current week jammed full of craziness. With my trip to Bellevue tomorrow for the compression fitting, I will have three medical appointments this week. I thought these appointments would slow down by now!
In between, we are trying to figure out what to pack, what to pack everything in and all the other details of our trip. Plus, the kids are working hard at finishing up school assignments. Every time I turn around, I have at least one kid wondering if I can help them with something. I know this trip is exactly what we all need, but it's super busy from this moment until we are sitting on that plane. Then I'll open up my book and relax. That's when the fun will begin. Until then, full steam ahead!
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