I am into the number 5 this week. Five fingers with a flat palm scream stop and believe me, this week I wanted to holler that a lot. Five fingers squeezed into a tight glove reminded me that I needed OJs white Bronco so I could run away as well. In keeping with my half full glass, tho, five represents how many chemos remain! We are down to the counting of one hand. Yes, five is my new go to number!!
My valley started on my birthday where I hummed the Beatles still loving me at 64! Emily tried to tell me spicy takeout from my favorite Chinese restaurant would not sit well. She was right!! The next day I had an appointment with a Plastic surgeon to discuss my options for reconstruction. I nearly fell off my chair when he told me that more than likely from what he had seen, I was probably going to have radiation after the mastectomy. Matt and I had convinced ourselves that this was probably not going to happen. As a result, my opinion on how to handle everything changed and my process just got lengthened a great deal. In fairness to Dr. Paige, the plastic surgeon, it did get me off the dime and talking to Dr. K about the future.
We hit a high at the same time as both Matt and I liked Dr. Paige and will use him to do a diep (which is my using my tissue) when I can start reconstruction which is nearly a year from now. This truly is becoming a journey of a lifetime! In talking with Dr. Paige, he started to stumble somewhat over how to describe me. Now, I am sure he is thinking along the lines of here is this older woman, with no hair, fighting Stage 3 breast cancer. How do I tell her without making her cry that she is a full figure girl? He called me a Rubenesque patient!! Matt and I started laughing so hard that we were nearly crying. Dr. Paige turned red and then he started laughing with us. Matt wanted to know if we needed to go to Amsterdam and I was thinking Dr. Paige had checked me out in my former life in a portrait at the Louve!! I offered to let him sell the excess tissue to other patients for a cut!!
The next day was chemo day. Dr. Kaplan has set me up with a radiology oncologist that he believes will schedule me for radiation after the mastectomy. Back into the dark valley again. During chemo, my staff assistant and great friend from St. Louis was in town and spent the chemo appointment making me laugh. Thank you Debbie. Sarah Cox my chauffeur this week was waiting for me with birthday flowers and a smooth ride home, so my mood was back up again.
Nighttime came and I was prepared. This time, I was taking medical marijuana to counter act the steroids and get some sleep. I had tried it a few weeks earlier on a non chemo day and didn't remember falling asleep, just waking up. I took two little droppers and waited for them to kick in. After two hours, I thought, well, lets try another for good measure. At one a.m., Matt got up and asked me if I had been to sleep. I told him no, but the good news was that I was so stoned, I didn't care. I got about 3 hours of sleep again, but I wasn't unnerved about it! I think I thought I was back in college!!
Friday morning, off to the surgeon's office for a second opinion. I have decided to use Claire Buchanan for my surgeon. I liked her and she has a great bedside manner. I feel comfortable with the team approach that this gives me and having two surgeons and two oncologists that are used to working with each other buys a lot of piece of mind. My surgery is now set for Aug 12 so we are moving right along. She did tell me that I was going to have to buy some new things until the reconstruction was completed....you think? I told her that the next set of girls were not going to resemble these that didn't act so nice!! We are going smaller so I can strut my stuff like Melissa!
I know this is a little long today. Sorry, but there was a lot going on! The pool is calling for me before it gets too sunny and I burn again! Enjoy the sun, the end of school and the start of a fabulous summer.
Ruben regards!
Jill
My valley started on my birthday where I hummed the Beatles still loving me at 64! Emily tried to tell me spicy takeout from my favorite Chinese restaurant would not sit well. She was right!! The next day I had an appointment with a Plastic surgeon to discuss my options for reconstruction. I nearly fell off my chair when he told me that more than likely from what he had seen, I was probably going to have radiation after the mastectomy. Matt and I had convinced ourselves that this was probably not going to happen. As a result, my opinion on how to handle everything changed and my process just got lengthened a great deal. In fairness to Dr. Paige, the plastic surgeon, it did get me off the dime and talking to Dr. K about the future.
We hit a high at the same time as both Matt and I liked Dr. Paige and will use him to do a diep (which is my using my tissue) when I can start reconstruction which is nearly a year from now. This truly is becoming a journey of a lifetime! In talking with Dr. Paige, he started to stumble somewhat over how to describe me. Now, I am sure he is thinking along the lines of here is this older woman, with no hair, fighting Stage 3 breast cancer. How do I tell her without making her cry that she is a full figure girl? He called me a Rubenesque patient!! Matt and I started laughing so hard that we were nearly crying. Dr. Paige turned red and then he started laughing with us. Matt wanted to know if we needed to go to Amsterdam and I was thinking Dr. Paige had checked me out in my former life in a portrait at the Louve!! I offered to let him sell the excess tissue to other patients for a cut!!
The next day was chemo day. Dr. Kaplan has set me up with a radiology oncologist that he believes will schedule me for radiation after the mastectomy. Back into the dark valley again. During chemo, my staff assistant and great friend from St. Louis was in town and spent the chemo appointment making me laugh. Thank you Debbie. Sarah Cox my chauffeur this week was waiting for me with birthday flowers and a smooth ride home, so my mood was back up again.
Nighttime came and I was prepared. This time, I was taking medical marijuana to counter act the steroids and get some sleep. I had tried it a few weeks earlier on a non chemo day and didn't remember falling asleep, just waking up. I took two little droppers and waited for them to kick in. After two hours, I thought, well, lets try another for good measure. At one a.m., Matt got up and asked me if I had been to sleep. I told him no, but the good news was that I was so stoned, I didn't care. I got about 3 hours of sleep again, but I wasn't unnerved about it! I think I thought I was back in college!!
Friday morning, off to the surgeon's office for a second opinion. I have decided to use Claire Buchanan for my surgeon. I liked her and she has a great bedside manner. I feel comfortable with the team approach that this gives me and having two surgeons and two oncologists that are used to working with each other buys a lot of piece of mind. My surgery is now set for Aug 12 so we are moving right along. She did tell me that I was going to have to buy some new things until the reconstruction was completed....you think? I told her that the next set of girls were not going to resemble these that didn't act so nice!! We are going smaller so I can strut my stuff like Melissa!
I know this is a little long today. Sorry, but there was a lot going on! The pool is calling for me before it gets too sunny and I burn again! Enjoy the sun, the end of school and the start of a fabulous summer.
Ruben regards!
Jill
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