As I mentioned last week, I was really nervous about my check-up with my oncologist. I was worried that seeing her would cause more anxiety than relief. When I got there, I had to have my port accessed for the first time in quite a while. My port is supposed to be flushed every 3 to 6 weeks and it had been a lot longer than that, so I got a short lecture and tsk tsk from the nurse. Oops. My copay is $50 every time I walk in the door, whether or not I see a doctor, so I wasn't in a hurry to get in there to pay $50 to get stabbed in the chest with a needle. Anyway, luckily she was able to get blood out for the lab. They always leave the needle in just in case the doctor orders more tests, then send me back to the lobby to wait for the doctor. Scott was with me and we waited and waited. Usually they aren't running far behind, if at all. It was not a good day to have to wait longer than usual! When we finally saw the doctor, she was very apologetic about the delay, so that at least made things better. She also reassured me about my recovery and cancer-free future. I told her about my surgery date and she agreed to have my plastic surgeon remove my port during surgery! I am happy to get rid of it! We also discussed the oncology rehabilitation program. She advised me to wait until I recover from surgery to start, so I will hopefully start that at the beginning of May. I was happy with the appointment and felt more confident about future screenings, etc. when I left.
I got some really exciting news last week. I applied for a young cancer survivor kayaking camp in February and was waiting for my oncologist to submit the medical review to be accepted. The paperwork was finally sent in last week and I was accepted to the camp! I'll be going to Vail in early August to learn how to kayak! I learned about the camp from Kim's friend Karson. She attended last year and it looks like it's going to be an incredible experience. I am looking forward to the challenge, but I'm really nervous about being away from home for a whole week, by myself. That will be the longest time away from Annabel and I'm worried about how much I'll be able to call/email home. Vail is one of my most favorite places on the planet and I can't wait to go there in the summertime. I have gone white water rafting a handful of times and I find the rapids both thrilling and terrifying at the same time, so I have a feeling that I am either going to love kayaking or be really freaked out. Regardless, I think it will be a great challenge and I am up for it! Jeff is a kayaker and likens the experience to skiing, which I love. Very cool that I will get to be a part of it.....here is a link.....http://www.firstdescents.org/. Amazing! And what a lucky girl I am!
Kim was here last week for the first time in a long time. We had a great visit and it was reminiscent of "old times", pre-cancer. There for a while, I needed help and it was frustrating and disappointing to me that I couldn't be a hostess and/or visit and do fun things when we had company. So it was nice for Kim to be here and for things to be mostly normal. She is recovering well from her surgery and is going back to work next Tuesday. We did some shopping, but mostly just hung out and enjoyed Annabel's company together.
Tomorrow, Scott and I are going to Tybee Island/Savannah for a long weekend! I am really excited about it, even though I know I'll miss Annabel a whole lot. She has stayed with her Mimi and Pop Pop for three nights before, but we have never been farther than 45 minutes away from her. A mini-vacation is in order, though! I look forward to celebrating the end of treatment and having a nice break before I gear up for my surgery next month. The forecast for Friday is sunny and 75; my favorite! I am going to eat a mountain of fresh shellfish and I think we are also going to take a haunted pub crawl. I am sure it will be good times!
On the hair front, it continues to grow and I'm going to need another neck & ear trim before too long! I never would have gotten my hair cut short, but I am loving it! It is absolutely maintenance free. Kim and Scott and both trying to encourage me to use product, but I don't see the point with it still being so short. I do have a few cowlicks, but nothing that can't be tamed with water and a pat-down. Sometimes I forget to check the back, but Annabel is excellent to let me know that my hair is sticking up....ALWAYS when we are in the car on our way somewhere! I guess my cowlick is directly in her line of sight when I am driving. I am trying to encourage her to point it out before we leave the house so that I can do something about it, but so far, not much luck with that. It has lots of gray, but I haven't made a decision whether to do anything about it. Currently, I wear it proudly. I am not inclined to start the merry-go-round of hair dye. It is hard to stop once you start and I really enjoy the lack of effort required right now. LOVING no hats, no ponytails, no hair in my face or making my neck hot, etc. It is nice to enjoy the moment since I was bald and yearning for hair for the months that I didn't have any, then have spent the last few months wishing it to grow fast.
That is the update! We have another spring-like day today and it really does a lot for my mood and my outlook. Annabel and I are off to take advantage of the weather and play outside!
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