Hiatus from cancer stuff

So, I guess it is pretty obvious that I took a hiatus from thinking about cancer.

I didn’t blog. I started working out – running and lifting weights. I’ve been REALLY busy at work. We went on vacation. Basically, I’m trying to find my new normal since my most recent “new normal” was two years of waiting for the next cancer milestone — surgery, chemo, radiation, reconstruction, etc. It is weird to not have the next scary thing looming.

A couple cancer-related things have happened in the few months that have gone by:

1) I passed my one-year anniversary of finishing chemo. I think that is a big one because I believe that this means I move from seeing an oncologist every three months to every six. Dr. Razaq, my former oncologist from OU Cancer Center, told me that my highest chance of recurrence is within the first year. If that is accurate, this milestone is pretty significant. Woohoo!

2) I had a CT scan of my brain a month or so ago. I was (and still am) having weird spells. They are kind of like feeling dizzy, but more like someone just came and shook your brain up so you feel disoriented and confused … and maybe a little dizzy, but it comes and goes really quickly. It is a strange experience. It happened five or six times in a three week period so I called Dr. Toma. True to her word, she got me in for a scan. She even got me in the SAME DAY. That both freaked me out and comforted me. Every cancer patient knows waiting is grueling torture. CT scan showed nothing of concern. Still don’t have a great explanation for what is happening, but is isn’t cancer … and that’s enough for me to feel content!

My next step happens next Wednesday, Aug. 6. Dr. Kronowitz will be going in to replace my tissue expander with an implant. He will also do some touch up work on my right side while he is in there.

It is an outpatient surgery, but they’ve asked me to stay in Houston that night so I can see him the next day. I’ll have one drain (UGGGGGH!), and I anticipate being pretty bruised up from the fat grafting he will do when he does the touching up. It was pretty ugly last time.

This is the last surgery where I will be actually cut open and stitched up. After this, we will likely have some touch ups to do on the left side. I’m hoping that he will do these before the end of the year — partially so I can say that I’m done with all of this crap and partially so I don’t have to pay a fourth year of out-of-pocket for my insurance. OK — mostly because of the out-of-pocket.

bedre-meltaways-caramelAlan will be posting an update next week. I’ll accept all prayers for a quick and easy procedure with no complications or infections. While you are at it, throw in a prayer for my medical team. I mean, I’m bringing them Bedré Chocolate for some motivation and luck, but prayers wouldn’t hurt either!

 

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