It has been awhile, friends. We have lots to talk about it, so pull up a chair and get comfortable! I have missed you and missed the blog, but every time I sit down to write, it seems like something quickly grabs my attention in another direction. Anyway, I think I needed to refocus for a little while in order to adjust to being back into my everyday routine, or figuring out what that means these days. It shifts every day, but there are some constants. Family and friends. Prayers and gratitude. Exercise and a focus on health. And continuing doctor appointments.
Let's pick up with the medical aspect of this blog first. I have had several doctor's appointments since I last wrote. All have been routine, none unexpected or urgent. I met with my radiation oncologist for the final time, which was bittersweet. It is certainly fantastic to be able to close a major treatment chapter, but everyone in that office is so wonderfully nice and they have become friends, so there was a twinge of sadness in saying goodbye...because honestly, I don't think I will ever see many of them again, unless we run into each other elsewhere. I am finished with radiation and won't need to go back.
I also met with my plastic surgeon. His office is also filled with wonderful people, but that is not a closing chapter at this time. I will need a minor follow-up surgery in the spring, and he wants to see me at least twice before that surgery to keep an eye on my post-radiation progress. Tissue damage can continue for up to six months, so surgery certainly cannot happen until that time frame passes, but we can't even be certain exactly what will need to happen until we see the extent of the damage. So it's a wait-and-see game at this point. Which is actually fine by me--I am in no rush to go into surgery again.
I met with an Austin-based oncologist so I will have a doctor close to home and also have an office to visit for my monthly Lupron injection. This doctor studied under my primary oncologist and is a wonderful doctor as well. It gives me additional peace of mind to know there's a place I can go if I need to see someone in a rush. He also runs slightly more comprehensive blood panels and requires an annual chest x-ray, so those are minor things to add to my list.
Without going into too much detail, the calcium level from my blood test run in Houston in late August came back elevated. Which didn't faze me at first. I was a little perplexed as to why the online results kept stating the level was retested...and retested again...and then the nurse contacted me and said we really should get that checked, which set off the alarm bells. I turned to my alarmist outlet, Google, and quickly learned that elevated calcium can indicate bone metastasis, and we had just learned from my oncologist that when breast cancer metastasizes, it goes to the bones about 70% of the time. I will admit that some minor panic set in, but I can balance what Google tells me with rational thinking some of the time, and luckily this was one of those times. I had been taking a calcium supplement because I am worried about the effects of forced menopause on my bone density. I'm not ready to start breaking hips, y'all. Anyway, I knew that the supplement probably had something to do with the level of calcium, especially since I get plenty of calcium in my diet. So I stopped the supp for a week, and lo and behold, my calcium was 100% normal. Major relief, and also a lesson in how every health-related thing that is slightly "off" is going to make me nervous for awhile.
I am tolerating the Lupron and Letrozole fairly well, I think. Hot flashes are not my favorite, but they usually pass quickly and I am pretty accustomed to them by now. I do have stiff joints from the Letrozole, which is common, but it just takes me about ten seconds to straighten up after I have been sitting or sleeping. Which makes for some funny movie-exiting posture. These are minor things which are not disrupting my life, and I am thankful for the minimal side effects of these powerful medications. I'm sweaty and stiff, and grateful to be alive!
And I have felt very alive lately....life has definitely been full! We have done so many wonderful things...my son started pre-K...a quick trip to Colorado...a family celebration of my mother-in-law's 70th birthday...ACL festival...piano/soccer/drama lessons and the never ending taxi services these things require...many fun gatherings with family and friends. Life is very, very good.
October was interesting this year as it is quite obviously Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I mean, it was very noticeable to me in past years. And now, well, it's definitely moved to another level. Obviously, I am ever so much more "aware" than I have been in the past. That's such an understatement! I guess there is also a desire/need/requirement to assist in the raising awareness part. I still feel pretty fresh from the fight, so to speak, so I realize perhaps I am not quite able to mentor or assist at a level that I hope to someday. But perhaps because of this new survivor status, some pretty amazing opportunities have fallen into my lap this year. Let's just say I have been crying lots of tears of gratitude lately. The kindness of people can be amazing and, frankly, overwhelming at times.
At the end of September, my parents and I traveled to Houston not for doctor visits, but to attend the Stilletto Strut luncheon. My mother-in-law invited us to be her guest at the event, which raised funds for the Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center and honored my oncologist.
Which was wonderful and fabulous unto itself, but then through a series of emails, I also had the honor of walking the runway as a survivor/patient of the clinic. I shared the stage with six other survivors and met some really amazing women in the process.
The luncheon was a huge success, raising lots of money for research and certainly spreading awareness of the excellent work the Smith Center is doing.
I have been emailing/facebooking with a few of them since the event and am thankful for these new friendships. One of the co-chairs of the luncheon even ran the Houston Race for the Cure in my honor!
I have attended Pure Barre classes at the studio in my neighborhood since they opened four years ago, and have gotten to know and love the instructors and other ladies attending classes alongside me. I have been thrilled to be back at the barre after my surgery, and the support and encouragement I have felt from this group throughout chemo, surgery, recovery has been amazing...but they really shocked me with this enormous honor:
They raised money for the Breast Cancer Resources Center at the Austin studio and the Lester and Sue Smith Center at the Houston studio. When you donated, you could add names of people who are survivors, fighters, or have lost their battle to a collage on the studio window. They put my name right in the middle! And they had the above email framed and on display, which made me feell like a Oure Barre celeb! Along with the fundraising, there was a "Tuck for Tatas" (20 classes in 25 days) challenge, which I am proud to say I completed in 22 days, along with a special class specifically to fundraiser for BCRC. My friends Kathy, Ginny, Wendi & Suzi were there for the advanced class, which was really fun...especially because we wore pink tutus!
I adore Rashanna and Kathryn from Pure Barre. I think the requirements to be a PB instructor are as follows: be in perfect shape, be stunningly gorgeous, be amazingly kind.
Suzi braved an advanced class for her first PB experience! I love her!
Anyway, I am overwhelmed by the kindness of so many. I can't imagine what I would have thought one year ago, if I could have glimpsed into how much my life has changed in less than a year. But I can tell you, I appreciate the love and support I have received from everyone and could not have made it this far in this positive manner without it!
As a little preview of the next blog post, I'll leave you with a glimpse of our morning at Race for the Cure today...here is a good portion of Team Shelly:
What an amazing group of family and friends. I am so blessed!
