September 17, 2014

Are you kidding me??? June first since my last post???  Well there is a reason for that...computer issue after computer issue and finally biting the bullet for a new hard drive. All is well now! Planning to keep this post a catch up one.

Summer has come and gone. We survived graduation, moving two kiddos to college, and the beginning of "empty nesting". There has been a few camping weekends as well as some great family time with more forthcoming.  The summer weather has been incredibly cool and very wet.  In fact there have been days I thought I was going to melt down if I didn't see the sun soon. After such a long winter we ALL need to see the sun and it's been very elusive.

In between times Brody has joined the University of Indianapolis football team as a walk on, #93!!! As a Freshman he won't play at all. (I think they have 7 kickers). He is perfectly great with that and enjoys the work outs, team bonding, and study tables. Fortunately he loves the structure and it keeps him very busy. He will not travel to any away games but will dress for home ones. As long as he is happy so are we! Go Greyhounds!!! So far he has adjusted very well to college life, living in a confined space (at home his room was huge, the largest in the hose), and seems to have made tons of new friends already. The fact that he has had no major adjustment issues has made our transition to an empty nest easier. Molly dog however periodically circles the kid's rooms just making sure they have not sneaked back in without her knowledge. :(

Kinsey is all settled into a campus apartment with her same roomie and one new one. All is well in their world.  Kinsey has started volunteering at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis. She life guarded all summer, has plenty of babysitting experience, and hopes to practice art therapy focusing in the area of pediatrics. Of course Riley is the perfect fit for her! She has only spent one Friday with the children so far and was placed in the neuro/ transplant unit. Needless to say the tubes and wires she saw coming from everywhere on these children left a lasting impression. She LOVED it and can't wait to go back this Friday. Riley has a great art therapy program so this should be an excellent stepping stone.

As for me and Brad, well it's been different. My dad kept me busy from March through August with constant heart problems. Knock on wood I think we have him regulated and he is doing great. It has been wonderful not having every minute of every day planned and there have been times we have looked at one another and said "What on Earth are we going to do today?"  I have been a Pinterest recipe making fool. We have enjoyed some of the niece's and nephew's activities and have more on our calendar. Weekends are still super busy which is fine.  Our 25th wedding anniversary is coming up as well as my 30th class reunion and Brad's parent's 50th wedding anniversary so things will pick up I'm sure.

My health has been just fine. Brad had a couple episodes that really concerned me. Since he has a history of TIA,( transient ischemic attack, better known as a mini stroke), off to the doctor he went. He has undergone enough testing he should glow quite well for some time. All has been normal so we are most grateful for that!!!

As the autumn leaves begin to turn and the chill is in the air may you enjoy some quality time with family and friends, with campfires, football, and comfort food.  I will catch up soon with some helpful information to pass along. In the meantime Go Hounds!!!

June 1, 2014

Commencement 2014!  The time simply flew by and our baby is officially considered a college Freshman. Brody entered this world two weeks early at a whopping 8 pounds 6 ounces. He was an excellent baby from the start cooing tons in the hospital and smiling early on. His infectious smile made many a stranger comment on his personality. Now he is our almost 6 foot handsome fella who has had quite the successful high school career. He has won plenty of athletic awards, has graduated with an academic honors diploma, and was awarded cords for being in the National Honor Society as well as the Spanish National Honor Society. On Senior awards night he made us even prouder by bringing home multiple scholarships!  We couldn't be prouder!!! Brody plans to attend the University of Indianapolis along side his sister and study kinesiology and then apply for entrance into the physical therapy program. Congrats Brody on all your hard work and accomplishments!  We love you lots!!!

                                           

                                        

May 12, 2014

Just a bit behind here.  After my general surgeon follow ups were my oncology 6 month visit on April 22nd and then my plastic surgeon one year follow up on May 12th.  Oncology was all good, just keep doing what I am doing and return in 6 months. My plastic surgeon was able to see the settling the left breast has done since surgery. I had called and let them know I had a sunken area months ago. That area remains near the top and it's pretty obvious that the implant has shifted downward. He lifted it a bit manually to show how if he surgically lifted it it would help fill in that sunken area somewhat. No thanks, I'm done with surgeries for awhile. It isn't noticeable in my clothing so I see no need to fix it.  I suggested that we wait until my three year MRI to check the implants. If he sees any issues then maybe we can go in and make that adjustment. I have not the time, the money, nor the desire to undergo another surgical procedure. However I do very much appreciate that he is a perfectionist and wants to make sure all his patients are completely satisfied. He did take photos at this stage to have on record.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Many of you have heard of inflammatory breast cancer. Although very rare it is certainly worth being aware of. Below I have copied and pasted the information the American Cancer Society has posted on their website. This is a simple over view which explains the disease and how it differs from more common forms of breast cancer. Please take a moment to read and share with a friend! 

What are the signs and symptoms of inflammatory breast cancer?

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

This document briefly describes inflammatory breast cancer. For more comprehensive information on this and other types of breast cancer, please refer to our document called Breast Cancer.

What is inflammatory breast cancer?

Injury, irritation, or infection can cause increase blood flow and the buildup of white blood cells in the body's tissues. This typically results in redness, warmth, and swelling in the involved parts of the body. This is called inflammation.
Inflammatory breast cancer displays the same symptoms that may occur with inflammation, like swelling, skin redness, and an orange peel like texture of the skin. But this does not mean that IBC (or its symptoms) is caused by infection or injury. The symptoms of IBC are caused by cancer cells blocking lymph vessels in the skin.
Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is rare and it differs from other types of breast cancer in its symptoms, prognosis (outlook), and treatment.
There is some disagreement in the numbers, but IBC probably accounts for about 1% of all breast cancers diagnosed in the United States. Some experts believe that IBC may be more common, but diagnosing it is often difficult. This can mean the disease is not being reported as often as it should be.

How is inflammatory breast cancer different from the more common types of breast cancer?

Inflammatory breast cancer causes symptoms that are often different from those of more common breast cancers. It rarely causes a breast lump, and it might not show up on a mammogram. Because it doesn't look like a typical breast cancer, it can be harder to diagnose.
IBC tends to develop at a younger age than the more common form of breast cancer (at an average age 52 versus 57 for non-inflammatory breast cancer). Also, African-American women appear to be at higher risk of IBC than white women. It also is more common among women who are overweight or obese.
IBC also tends to be more aggressive—it grows and spreads much more quickly— than more common types of breast cancer. Based on the way breast cancer is staged, it is never early stage breast cancer. It is always at least stage IIIB (locally advanced) when it is first diagnosed because the breast cancer cells have grown into the skin. Often, though, it has already spread (metastasized) to distant parts of the body when it is diagnosed, making it stage IV. The advanced stage of IBC, along with the tendency to grow and spread quickly, makes it harder to treat successfully than most other types of breast cancer.

Last Medical Review: 10/14/2013
Last Revised: 10/14/2013

(This information is copied and pasted from the American Cancer Society website. Please visit http://www.cancer.org/
for more information.)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Sadly, this month marked the passing of one of our community's best, Tracey Barnard. She is the gal who I spoke of some time back who had colon cancer with recurrences and whose husband has battled skin cancer. Tracey lost her battle leaving behind her husband and two children still at home. At only 41 she had battled cancer for a number of years and was nothing short of a peaceful warrior who never gave up. She fought each recurrence with strength and grace and daily made anyone who knew her wonder how she kept going and how she was still able to smile. So many have prayed so there is no denying she is wrapped in God's loving arms pain free at last. It's my prayer that her family can stay strong and keep her close at heart always. Tracey will be sadly missed by so many, but certainly by her third grade class who offered her so much love and support! Rest in peace my friend!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKDGlQLf7ls

  Monday, March 10, 2014

Sometimes it's amazing how difficult something so simple can be. I was to see my general surgeon in December. His office cancelled as he was to be out of town. We jointly cancelled early January due to a blizzard. On my third attempt, in weather that was not to be bad at all, I totaled my Suburban en route. Needless to say this visit was making me somewhat paranoid! Finally the weather cleared and I made it safe and sound.

After getting me situated in a room his nurse told me she had a patient who was really struggling with reconstruction. She often is not in the room for the final post op exams so she asked if I would be comfortable showing her the end result of my reconstruction. Of course I have continued to be very open with my experience and I was happy to show her. I mean really, at this point who really cares after all I've been through!  She was quite impressed with my finished product and asked if she could share my story of reconstruction with this patient as she knew I had struggled with the whole idea. I of course agreed and even gave her my number and offered to talk with this woman if it was in her comfort zone. To me it was not an inconvenience or an invasion of my privacy, but more of an honor that of all the women they see who have faced breast cancer, it was me who she thought would be compassionate and helpful to another patient.

My doctor came in and did a thorough exam. He felt I have very good results with my reconstruction and said it was no big deal that I did not continue on with the nipple reconstruction. He said as long as I got the result I was going for, simply some shape back, that's all that mattered. He said he was sorry he couldn't do a better job on the left side, the cancer side, but that he took all that he could of the tissue just to be safe. He did a great job and the only issue is with a small sunken area above my implant. Both he and my plastic surgeon said I can have a lipo injection to fill in that area. I have no desire to mess with it. To me it's just not a big deal. In the meantime I am to continue to be on the look out for any lumps, especially along the incision line. The odds are very slim for a recurrence with mastectomy but it can happen. My surgeon has signed off unless I should find an area of concern. That's a great feeling!!!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent as recognized by many Christians. My day started off with penance...going to 8am Mass and receiving ashes. No the Mass part wasn't the penance, it's the 8am!  I am completely a nocturnal creature and really don't do mornings before 9, but I did it!!! Often times I "give up" something but sometimes my Lenten focus is on "doing" something extra. This year I am going the "giving up" route and I am trying to "offer up" any stresses or roadblocks as penance. This was something taught to be by my mom and my aunt. Jesus suffered tremendously for our sins and I know that my trials and tribulations are really nothing compared to that. It just makes sense to put them in God's hands and to suffer through them as a form of thanking Him for His suffering.

What does all this have to do with cancer, illness, or daily struggles? Well, my thought was that by sharing this idea maybe those of you struggling with anything in your day to day journey may want to give it a try. We all have different ways of dealing with stress. It's my hope that by sharing this simple idea maybe someone else may find it helpful. Sending prayerful thoughts to all who may be troubled today!