The BREAST Years of My Life

Last week I realized and pointed out to Scott that for 2+ years now, I have been either pregnant, breastfeeding or dealing with breast cancer. So, now I will call these the breast years! Lots of other (more important!) stuff going on, of course, but I can't think of another time that shares the common theme of BOOBS.

After my chemo on Thursday, I had my regularly scheduled Nuelasta shot on Friday. My Dad and Kim came from Knoxville to pick me up and take me back to recover there. I had a great, relaxing week and was very comfortable on the bad days. Annabel and I were very well taken care of despite the fact that we missed Scott! Kim and Jeff took Annabel and I to Fox Den to swim in the kiddie pool (pic above of Uncle, Annabel and I). I enjoyed that since that is where we used to swim when we were little. Annabel wasn't too impressed despite the snazzy new float that her Auntie bought for her. My Dad cooked me my favorite dinner on Monday night and I ate lots. Kim took us to the Binghams one afternoon to swim and hang out. Annabel and I got to meet all the Bingham kids. She had a great time playing and we had a really nice visit. We had a delicious family dinner at Seasons on Tuesday night and then I packed up yesterday morning to come home. I was really sad to leave, but also missed Scott. And the dogs!

Annabel is really chattering away. Her current favorite word is "MINE". I guess it's an age thing because she's pretty spoiled and there's no reason why she wouldn't think everything is hers! Ha, ha. She picks up new words every day and we are having "conversations" now. Another new quirk is that she has clothing preferences. Not always a good thing, but cute nonetheless. When we came home last night, she went through all of her clothes and tried a lot of things on. She likes to practice getting dressed and undressed. It is entertaining to say the least! She picks out some interesting outfit combinations.


Some days are harder than others. I think I am feeling the cumulative effects of the chemo now, so I get tired easier and when I get tired, sometimes I feel sick. It seems like I am always feeling sick; it just wears me out. But also, I think these few days in the treatment cycle are sort of a low point. Tonight I indulged myself in "WHY ME". I think it's a waste of time to ask why this happened to me, but I am worn out and short on sleep. Don't worry, I have already taken my Ativan to combat the icky stomach and the anxiety, so I hope to sleep soundly tonight and wake up feeling tons better tomorrow!


And on a more positive note, I have also made an appointment with the cancer society for some counseling. The woman that will be counseling me also usually leads the breast cancer support group that I attended a few weeks ago (she was on vacation that day). So I look forward to meeting her and I hope that she can help me with my cope-r (coping mechanism), which is also a little run down from working overtime for the past few months. I have great support from my family and friends, but I look forward to talking with her since she's an expert! Our Greenville County Cancer Society has lots of great programs that are free to cancer patients. I am so grateful!


All of this has been happening so fast and I feel like I don't have a lot of control over the situation, but I am starting to read and learn more. I am going to make an effort to learn about some alternative complementary therapies and have already made an appointment to see an iridologist. I don't know much about iridology, but it looks really interesting. An iridologist looks at the iris of your eye and is able to determine weaknesses and strengths in your body and then suggest herbal supplements, diet, etc. to help. Of course, I will take any suggestions to my doctor for approval/review. My appointment for that is next month.

I feel like I'm turning into a hermit, but it is so dang hot outside! Not to mention that leaving requires getting ready to leave and trying to wrangle 25 and a half pounds of 20 month old. She is a good girl, but she is not always willing to be compliant, whether it be a short trip or a long trip out of the house. I am ready for some cooler weather!