Time Flies

I finished radiation the day before Thanksgiving and got a nasty coughing mess that week.  I am finally feeling pretty good this week. Four weeks of coughing most of the day and night.  That is a long cold. I was even tested for pertussis.  I was negative; that was great.  Just in time for Christmas, I am SOO thankful!

I saw my plastic surgeon two weeks ago and scheduled my next surgery for March 26.  I am ready for this whole ordeal to be done.  My original diagnosis was March 29, 2012 so it will be almost one year to the day this whole nightmare started.  He was happy with my skin after radiation.  I did do pretty well.  I just hope that the long term effects won't outweigh the benefits of radiation.  I started taking Tamoxifen. It is a hormone therapy.  It blocks the actions of estrogen.  It changes it so that it doesn't connect with cancer cells and multiply.  So far I haven't noticed any big effects. I will take it for 5 years. 

I now have to say how thankful I am for my life.  This whole hellish situation with the school shooting has straightened up my pitty party.  I was feeling like I was picked on for getting cancer.  I would choose this every time over what those people are dealing with in Conn.  All I can say is that this world sometimes doesn't make sense.  What I have to hope with is that God is good and he will take those little ones and protect them.  It is those of us left behind that have to suffer.  My prayers and tears go out to those parents.  No one should ever have to lose their child.  I am sorry.

I am grateful for my best friend and my soul mate, Todd.  Thank you for protecting me, loving me and being my other half.  You make this fight a little brighter.  I will forever be grateful for you!  My little kids are also a sweet reminder of what is good in this world.  They make me remember why I went to hell and back this year.  I want to be their mom.  

 My little Jordan.

 Family photo for our Christmas card.

I want to tell those of you around me the reason I dance.  I dance because I am happy.  I am happy that I lived!  I am so excited to experience another day.  I get to be a wife, mother, sister, daughter, teacher and friend.  It all goes back to the basics.  Life is good, even when it is stressful and crazy.  It is a blessing to just get to be around another day.  So when you see me dance it is simply because I am happy.  You should try it sometime, it is amazing. 

5 More Radiation Treatments

 The inside of the radiation machine

 Patty and I waiting for treatment

I can't believe it, I have only 5 more treatments.  It has gone fast.  I have been tired and I am getting pretty red.  I have to put this thick cream on my sites three times a day.  The treatments take about 30 minutes a day.  I asked the physicist how the radiation worked today.  It was pretty interesting.  He even opened up the machine for me.  I have been so impressed by all the people at Valley View Medical Center.  They have taken such great care of me.  My next step....hormone therapy for five years.  I will have another surgery in the spring but I am putting that at the back of my mind for a while. 

Image Reborn

 Downtown Park City

 My new friends

 Anna, from Salt Lake

 Lisa, from Salt Lake

 Kim, from Tennessee

 Sheila, our host

 It snowed -A LOT

 Cabin, a large cabin

 My bed, it reminded me of the cold war....

I was able to go to an Image Reborn retreat in Park City this weekend.  It was for Young Survivors, like me.  I made some pretty great friends.  They were from all over the country.  (Washington DC, Tennessee, Missouri, and Utah (Salt Lake, Orem and Cedar City).  I am so impressed by how all these wonderful ladies have dealt with their disease.  We also got so pampered!  Thank you Image Reborn. 

Save a Sister

I am so slow on my posts this month.  I think it may have something to do with me doing radiation??  Ha Ha. 

I was able to participate in the Save a Sister race in St. George, Utah.  This was October 20.  My mom and I joined as survivors.  We even got a special pink shirt to wear.  I took Kaili, Jordan and Houston with me.  We just pushed the two man stroller the whole way, go TEAM.  I had a lot of fun being there with some many supporters.  I even put pink hair gel in my hair.  Kaili, Jordan and my mom joined in the hair fun too. 

Pink Day

 Julie and Kelli, our TA's

 Office Staff

 Mr. Benson and Kalene

 Lynette and Gia

 Our Superintendent

 Lisa and I

 SPED department

 My BFF's

 Aleese

 Nancy, another Survivor

 Denise

 Our kids

 Patty, another survivor

 Margie

 SPED department

 Patty, another survivor

Well, I finally got the total donation amount for our Denim Day.  We raised $1438.00.  I am so grateful to everyone who supported this day.  It was such a fun day.  All of my co-workers dressed in pink and their denim.  I sold 70 pink shirts with our special design.  It meant so much to me.  We even had an anonymous donation of $100.00.  The superintendent brought the four of us a livestrong bracelet and came to see us.  Our school bought us pink flowers and my friend, Amy, brought me a pink ribbon ornament and bracelet.  I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.  I will post some of the amazing pictures I got that day.  

Radiation...Not So Much Fun

So, I started radiation yesterday.  I was in the most awkward position for 45 minutes.  Let me give you a visual...I am lying on my back on a slab with both of my arms above my head.  My head is turned turned to the right, which I cannot move for the entire time.  I am in a hospital gown with my left side exposed.  They, a man and a woman, then tape down my right side so that I don't get radiation on it.  They line me up for about 5 minutes with these red lights.  I am not allowed to help them, they move my body how they want to.  They look at my tattoos, which now I have six of.  I got a new one today, I am so wild.  I also get a big rubber band on my feet.  This is so that I don't wiggle them and move my body.  I then start my radiation treatments.  I am getting IMRT radiation.  It is a more in depth than typical radiation.  Because my tumor was on my left side,they have to do this.  I have to protect my heart, lungs and my new implants.  They are aiming my radiation away from these important things.

I get 12 treatments each day.  I haven't been told how many weeks yet.  It is usually between 4-6.  I need to ask them tomorrow.  I have had too many questions, I keep forgetting all of them.  My treatment today was 25 minutes long.  By the time I drive there, change, get treatment, and drive back to work it is about an hour long.  I really hope this goes fast.  I hate this much stress.  I feel like I am running around all of the time.  It really gives me anxiety.  I keep having to practice what my OT taught me.  Breath in through the nose, blow out through the mouth.  Over and over.  This, too, shall pass.  It shall pass.  One day at a time.

IMRT

An advanced radiation delivery system, IMRT allows CTCA radiation oncologists to precisely tailor the shape and intensity of radiation beams to treat difficult-to-reach breast tumors with new levels of accuracy.
A state-of-the-art external radiation delivery system, IMRT uses advanced computer technology to create a three-dimensional model of a breast tumor, and direct multiple, precisely-focused beams of radiation at the tumor with laser accuracy.
By precisely modulating (controlling) the intensity of the radiation beams to conform to the tumor shape, this technology allows CTCA radiation oncologists to use higher radiation doses than traditional methods would allow in these areas, while also limiting exposure to healthy surrounding breast tissue.

Advantages of Breast Cancer IMRT

• IMRT employs an advanced computer program to precisely map your radiation dosage in three dimensions, based on the breast tumor’s size, shape and location.
• Intensity modulated radiation therapy directs radiation at the breast tumor and modulates the intensity of the radiation beams with laser accuracy, helping to spare healthy tissue surrounding the breast tumor.
• The technology allows each dose of radiation to be custom-tailored according to the exact geometrical shape of the breast tumor.

IMRT breast cancer radiation therapy may be used in conjunction with other treatment modalities. Your CTCA care team will work with you to determine the best treatment plan based on your individual needs. 

Radiation, BLAHHH

Tomorrow I go to start RADIATION.  I am not so excited about this.  I hope that I don't glow at night.  I have been feeling so great.  I have been doing my reconstruction in Salt Lake City, every week.  It has been a lot of traveling but I feel better, like a normal person.  Tomorrow brings a lot of unexpected things.  I don't know what to expect from the radiation.  Will I feel tired?  Will I feel sick?  Will I hurt?  It is a lot of the unknown.  I think I will get some more tattoos (from the dr)...why can't they just tat me with a pink ribbon while they are at it.  I really like some that I have seen.

This is the information I found on radiation therapy...

Radiation therapy — also called radiotherapy — is a highly targeted, highly effective way to destroy cancer cells in the breast that may stick around after surgery. Radiation can reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence by about 70%. (That's a lot!!!)  Despite what many people fear, radiation therapy is relatively easy to tolerate and its side effects are limited to the treated area.
Your radiation treatments will be overseen by a radiation oncologist, a cancer doctor who specializes in radiation therapy.

Here are some side effects:  The most annoying and uncomfortable side effects of radiation therapy involve the skin of the area being treated. In many ways your skin reaction will be like a sunburn, with a mild to moderate pink color or redness, with itching, burning, soreness, and possible peeling. But unlike what happens with a sunburn, your skin will react to radiation very gradually and possibly only in patches.