Happy Pink October

Some see the leaves falling from the trees in the fall, but every where you look, whether you are a thriver or not, is a sea of pink in October. My first bout with breast cancer started in the fall of 2008 and Pinktober was a bit much to process with everything else I was going through. I obviously made it through then and now I am ending my second bout of breast cancer in Pinktober. Let's hope that that starting and ending, in what was already my favorite month, is enough & the last I have to hear about this as far as my own health.
I know my job is not over. I have already received the dreaded phone call from a friend who just heard she has breast cancer and I will be right there by her side through this. Educating her, supporting her, crying, laughing, drinking, whatever she needs because that is my new job, well atleast another of my new jobs.

So I have been resting alot the last three weeks, Fall cleaning and organizing, and going to all my follow ups. My surgical follow up went well. The scars are healing nicely, no new lumps were detected in a very thorough breast exam, and I am tolerating the Tamoxifen just fine. Sure, I had the headaches & nausea the first few days, but you get that most times you start a new med. Now I just have the hot flashes, clothes and hat on, clothes and hat off.

My Radiation follow up went well. No more burn and skin is healing well. See. I saw a friend out recently and she was really disturbed by my last radiation picture, so I thought I would leave you with this one, which as you can see, is perfectly normal, no redness, swelling, or burning. I told you that Lucky Goat lotion was great and even my Doctor said that Lucky Goat is really doing a nice job! I was also instructed to massage my breast.I think I mentioned before that radiation can cause adhesions to the implants and those effects don't set in until after radiation is done, so massage helps prevent that from happening, Andy was happy to hear about this new job he is taking on for me.

Happy be free and Go Bald Day. 

There is a discrepancy on the internet as to the exact date, but it is sometime around now. A day to take off those hats, hair pieces, and scarves and be free!

 Hair update.

 I have more, as you can see here. I went to my hairdresser friend yesterday and she gave me a secret hair thickening solution for a hair welcoming gift, thank you for that by the way! Apparently if you put this serum on 2 times a day and massage it it, along with brushing your hair for 100 strokes, it stimulates the hair follicles and helps them grow faster and stronger. 

I  got what should be close to the last bill for my treatment yesterday. I thought it would be interesting to go back and see how much the price tag for breast cancer treatment is and this is what I found. For all the surgeries, doctors appointments, chemotherapy, and radiation the total cost was $130,000. Luckily, we have health insurance and the cost to us was $3,000 in bills, and of course the past 25 years we have paid into the health insurance. Point being is that we have lots of money going into finding cures and lots of money going into the latest advancements in treatment, but if people can't afford health insurance and don't have access to care, what good is it. Give to organizations that provide money to the uninsured to get the care they need. 

So I am starting my new job at Syracuse  University this coming Tuesday. I am excited and nervous. Excited about the job, nervous about the changes it will bring to the rest of my life, but I have a supportive husband and children, supportive family and friends, and I can do this with their help. I hear through the grapevine that the new office is also going to be watching out for me to make sure I don't over do it, I guess you would hope that is the case in a Health Service Center, but it was nice to hear because we all know I sometimes try to do too much and forget to stop and take care of myself.

So, yes I have been wearing lots of hats this summer, one at a time, but now it is time to put back on all my hats and get back to being just another working mom and wife trying to do it all.

I am grateful that there is so much support, awareness, and funds going into finding a cure this month and it is great that people who might feel like they can't make a difference or contribute otherwise have so many ways to participate, but let us not forget this doesn't stop on October 31st. Not for the ones who are newly diagnosed, not for their loved ones and friends, and not for you or people who have never been touched by this.
                               Keep becoming aware, keep getting involved, and keep fighting!