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Posts Tagged ‘Dana-Farber’

De-ported

Posted in Cancer, family, Home, lymphedema, radiation, recovery, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 28, 2012| Leave a Comment »

When I told Tina that I was having my port removed, she said, “Oh, you’re being deported?” and we both burst into hysterical laughter. I thank God every day for my close friends and family who have kept me smiling and laughing through this miserable journey. I’m choosing to see the removal of the port today as nearing the end, at least the end of the daily part of the treatment. After January 15, other than taking tamoxifen and my PT exercises, there won’t be anything I have to do on a regular basis (unless the damned Lymphedema gets out of control, which I’m not going to let happen, or if the cancer comes back and I’m not even entertaining that thought right now). Then just a few surgeries and a few years of pills – which is nothing in comparison!

Today went well. Mom stayed over so her and Nick got up with me at the crack of dawn (actually, it may have been pre-dawn…) to take me to Dana-Farber so I could be the first person on the radiation table before moving to the OR for the port removal. Both were quick and as easy as could be. We came home and napped, and then I assured mom I was fine and she headed home. After all, I was just hanging on the couch, and am perfectly able to get up and get anything I need – I’m just not supposed to drive or do any heavy lifting.

Of course, after mom left and Nick went to work, I had a few Diet Cokes… and I realized that mom wasn’t just here to help me do things, but to prevent me from doing things! The soda made me jittery and full of energy, so up I hopped, running around the apartment cleaning this, putting that away, sorting these… and then my arm (specifically the wound where the port was taken out) started to ache. Uh oh. Now I’m remembering how they warned me not to do things so I don’t pull the stitches. Ugh. Sorry…

So to get a little more of the energy out without hurting myself more, I sat down to write this. Luckily, Tara is on her way here and we’re going to see a movie. I don’t think I can do much damage there…

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The big L

Posted in Cancer, Fundraising, hair, lymphedema, radiation, work, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on December 20, 2012| 2 Comments »

The big L – that could be so many things, I’m not even going to venture a guess as to what you’re thinking! In my world right now it stands for lymphedema. Did you guess it? It’s not exactly a roll-off-your-tongue every day word, and I personally wish I didn’t know what it meant. But when I realized last night that the phlebitis had traveled into my hand and I held my two arms together, I had the feeling this might be happening. Then at work today my right arm was considerably more swollen than my left, and was confirmed by several of my colleagues. Off to Dana-Farber I went (hey, I had to be there for radiation anyway, so why not?) and it was confirmed: yup, lucky me, I can add lymphedema to the list!

It is early, so hopefully it will be contained. Without going into a ton of detail, I need to:

  • Wear my compression sleeve and glove during waking hours. Good thing I got it for the plane! Guess it’s not just for travel any more…
  • Keep doing the lymphatic massage that I learned last week at PT, as well as the exercises. Of course, this would be easier with a partner, but since I’m not with someone right now, it’s all me!
  • Ibuprofen – thank goodness I’m done with chemo and can have it again!
  • Warm compress

None of this is convenient or fun – especially this time of year when things are crazy enough. But it is what it is and I will deal with it and hopefully prevent it from getting worse. That’s kind of the name of the game right now – just deal with it. The daily trips to Dana-Farber for radiation – just deal with it. Taking the Tamoxifen (which I started Saturday) – just deal with it. The hot flashes – just deal with it. At least my hair is starting to grow back…

Oh! Speaking of hair, I got the sweetest compliment at work the other day: this older gentleman, who I have seen around but don’t really know, came up to me in the cafeteria and said, “I hope you don’t mind my saying this, but I have to tell you. I’ve always thought you were an attractive woman, but now that you’re bald, it’s obvious that it’s not hair that makes you attractive.” It was so nice of him, I really appreciated hearing that, especially so randomly.

Now speaking of random (or not so random) acts of kindness: I know I said I was done soliciting donations for Dana-Farber, but this is too good not to share. If you haven’t finished your shopping, consider giving the gift of a donation in someone’s honor. Now until December 31 you can use this special link www.dana-farber.org/yearend and your gift will be doubled! It only works through this link, and only until the end of the year, so don’t wait! And I guarantee anyone you give this gift to will truly appreciate it… I know all of us who frequent Dana-Farber thank you!!!

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My Christmas Wish List

Posted in Cancer, Dreams, Fundraising, radiation, tagged , , , , , , , , on December 10, 2012| 2 Comments »

My first radiation was fairly uneventful, which I consider a very good thing. I’m praying the next 24 will be just as anti-climactic. But what I observed while at Dana-Farber made me happy. I saw a woman who (apologies for judging a book by its cover) appeared to not be very well off be given a small tube of lotion that I paid $25 for without blinking. You could tell by watching and a bit of eavesdropping that she was incredibly thankful. I don’t know, maybe her insurance paid for it, maybe someone else, who knows – but what I do know is that Dana-Farber makes sure you have what you need, whether you can afford it or not.

So what do I want for Christmas? Well, to be honest, my first wish is for it to be last February, turning 38, with long brown hair, 25 pounds lighter, feeling like I’m on top of the world and ignorant of most things cancer. But since I don’t have a magic wand or fairy Godmother, that would be a waste of a wish. And I hate wasting something as special as a wish. This is what I want for Christmas:

I honestly don’t want anything more than this for Christmas. So if you insist on getting me something, please have it be a card saying you made a donation to support something like this – or wherever you want to help those who really need it. And if there isn’t something specific you want to contribute to, fundraising continues for the 2012 Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk until December 31, so even if you already sponsored me, you’re welcome to do so again (I promise this will be the last time I solicit support for the 2012 walk… 😉 ) or visit my brand new Jimmy Fund donation page here. Seriously, supporting the place that has made this horrid year a little bit easier is my only Christmas wish. I can’t help thinking the same thing I thought last year when I was making donations for presents in honor of Mirany (and you can donate in her honor here) – what could we possibly need more than our health?

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