Too many dr appts

This past week was full of dr appts. It can be quite exhausting......you wonder where your day went and why you are so tired. Not exactly how I choose to spend my time, but, unfortunately necessary.

I stared out the week bright and early Monday morning with an appt for for a blood draw to run labs for my cancer naturopath. Mark took the kids to school so I could get there early. Unfortunately, there was a problem with one of the codes for the tests so they wouldn't do any of them. My dr office was not open that early to call and confirm so I had to come back another day. Frustrating!

Later than Monday morning I was off to the dentist for a routine exam & cleaning. My check-up went well. My gums are healing well and are not so sensitive. Chemo takes a toll on your teeth and gums. Another lovely side-effect. There were many weeks during treatment that I could not brush my teeth because the gums were so sore. Flossing was not even an option....ouch! Thankfully I'm getting back on track. My dentist was pretty impressed with my turnaround since December. Hooray!

After the dentist visit, I went for my weekly Herceptin IV cocktail, but this week I would see my onc before infusion. I see her about every 6 weeks. I asked her when I can expect to get my port out. She said I can get it out immediately after my last treatment. Which should be sometime around Thanksgiving. I'm tentatively planning to get it out in December.......what a fabulous present that would be!!! I would like to have it out before we hike the Grand Canyon around New Years. It's a quick out-patient procedure and I would go back to my surgeon who put it in. We also talked about my hair......it's growing like crazy in case you haven't seen me lately. And VERY curly! Wow! But about once a week my hair hurts. It's similar to the feeling I had when it was falling out.....very sensitive to the touch.....wearing a hat is tough. My onc said this is common, especially in people who had pain when the hair fell out. The hair follicles are rebuilding and working hard to regrow hair. They go through cycles as they get back to normal. Funny stuff you learn! At least this explains why my hair hurts!

On Wednesday, I went to my dermatologist for my 6 month whole body scan. Everything looks fine. I told her I noticed a flare up in acne in the last 2 months. She said the absence of ovaries will do lots of "fun" things to my skin including acne, dark spots, dry patches, tags, etc. Oh, I can hardly wait! Yipeeeee!

On Friday, I went to see my naturopath who is helping me with women's issues. She's wonderful. Since I saw her last, I had 2 tests. One is called an NTx which measures how fast I'm losing or turning over calcium. My number was well within the normal range. This is good news. Since I no longer have ovaries, I'm at risk for early onset of osteoporosis if I don't keep close tabs on my numbers. The next step is to get a DEXA (bone density scan) to have a baseline of my current bone health. I'll work on getting that done after summer. I might need to wrestle with my insurance since I'm a bit young for typical coverage. The other test I had done was an Adrenal stress index to check my levels of cortisol production through out a typical day. Mine were slightly out of range......a bit too high first thing in the morning dropped too sharply by noon. Why do we care about my cortisol and adrenals? In the absence of ovaries producing estrogen, the adrenals will take over and produce the hormones to compensate. This may put a drain on the adrenals causing low energy & hot flash symptoms of menopause. I'm having some very minor hot flashes.....nothing crazy. She recommended a supplement to help support the adrenals. I'll try it and see if I notice a difference.

Next week will be light with dr appts........labs on Tuesday morning and Herceptin later that morning. I'm moving to a Tuesday because of the holiday, then to a Wednesday in 2 weeks. It's pretty flexible when I get it as long as it's about 7 days apart.

I pulled a muscle in my lower back that has sidelined me a bit. It's getting better, just requires time and patience.......which I don't have enough of. I hope to run tomorrow. I have a half marathon on my radar for November and a sprint tri on July 4th.

Later, srb

We made the paper!

My daughter and I made the paper!!! On Saturday, an article ran in the Arizona Republic Chandler section about the downtown Chandler market. I go pretty regularly to get fresh produce from farmer Jeff Scott who brings it up from the Wilcox area southeast of Tucson. Lois and I just so happen to be paying for our produce when the photo was taken. I didn't even see the photographer. Jeff has great stuff!! His cucumbers are the BEST! Wow! Love 'em! The sweet corn last week was so yummy!!! And the peaches were fabulous. Hope he has more this week. You can find him selling his produce on Thursday afternoons 3pm to 6pm in downtown Chandler on the west side of AZ Ave near the San Marcos Hotel. He will come all summer, but the other vendors will take a break during the summer heat. It's a great way to eat locally grown food and support our local farmers. Give it a try!

Year ago today first chemo

One year ago today was my first chemo treatment. It was one of the most emotional days of my life...right up there with my wedding, a miscarriage, birth of 3 kids and news of cancer diagnosis. Mark & I received a HUGE surprise when we showed up to my oncologists office.....a crowd of people patiently waiting to greet me & cheer me on as I started my first treatment. It was the biggest outpouring of love I have ever felt. It still brings tears to my eyes when I think about that day and how their support lifted my spirits. For them it may have only been an hour out of their day, but to me it left an imprint on my heart that will last forever. There were also dear neighbors who had signs and balloons along the streets out of my neighborhood. I was so scared and nervous that day, but feeling your support gave me strength. I am so lucky to have an amazing group of friends. Your love makes me strong for the journey. Thank you so much for being a key element of my survivor ship. I could not do it without you!!! Thanks to God for bringing each of you into my life at the right time. He has blessed me abundantly.

I received a card with these words on the front...."A day can be transformed by a single lovely act." This is so true. Something as simple as a smile to a stranger or holding the door for someone in need. I often ask my kids if they did any "unexpected acts of kindness" when I pick them up from school. The impact can be immeasurable to those giving and receiving. Think about it. I was shopping in Trader Joe's several many months ago when my hair first started growing out & I stopped wearing scarfs. A stranger caught my eye and told me how much she loved my haircut. Wow! I have no idea if she knew I had lost it because of chemo. I don't really care. Her gesture made me smile and gave me confidence at a time when I needed it as I got used to my new look. Unexpected act of kindness........do it today!!

Love ya, srb

SheROX

This morning I participated in the all women SheROX triathlon as a relay team with a friend. It's a great event at Tempe Town Lake! This is the real deal as compared to Tri for the Cure......big league with pro athletes. My friend swam the 750M, I rode the 13.5 miles on my bike then ran a 5k. The clouds hung out until we were done.....thank goodness. It was over 100 today.

This is the most inspiring & physically fit 50+ year old woman you'll ever meet. I bought her old road bike....you can see it on the rack next to us. She's so kind hearted........and did I mention....a competitive triathlete. She often wins her age group.

This was a great way to start Mother's Day weekend! I love these events; especially the all women ones. They help me feel strong and healthy, Love that adrenal rush for hours afterwards.

My friend in the middle conquered her first open water tri. She did great! She's my hero. I have lots of fears about an open water swim versus a pool swim. I need to spend some time in the pool getting comfortable in the water again. Then I can work on beating the open water demons....total mental game! Gives me another goal!

We are winners! The shirts & medals are fabulous!!!!!!! Love, srb

Half Way!

Monday I reached my half way point with Herceptin! Yippeee! Only 6 more months of weekly IV drip! Sometime in November I should finish up. I'll have to skip a couple weeks this summer for travel plans. No biggie. Then in Dec/Jan we can likely get the port removed from my chest. Thank goodness! It's not so bad except when I want to lay flat on my stomach like in a yoga class. Should be interesting when we fly this summer. Hopefully security won't be a hassle.

Monday was a milestone for my onc, too. She officially stopped contracting the hospital to manage the chemo room. She owns it now! And I was their first patient! Lots of hoopla! Kind of fun. What does this mean to me? Faster service! I won't have to wait for the hospital to register me and mix my drug. It will be done in the office now. Hooray for Dr. O as she grows her business!

I went to my naturopath on Friday. This is the first visit with her and she focuses on women's health. It was primarily a preventative discussion. The three main concerns are calcium, vitamin D3 and adrenal function. Because of my hysterectomy, I need to stay on top of my calcium intake so osteoporosis doesn't become a problem. I took a urine test to determine my calcium turn-over rate. This will help us gage how aggressive we need to be with calcium supplements. Ideally, I should have a bone density scan, but insurance may not pay for that. I need to work with insurance/drs on getting that done in the near future. Seems like it should be easily justified. She bumped up my vitamin D3 to 5000 IU per day in a liquid form. D3 plays a big role in bone health. We talked a lot about adrenal function. It plays a big role in overall health including managing stress. Based on a few screening questions, she seems to believe my adrenal glands are working fine. However, I'd like to see the data. In the next few days, I will do a saliva test that will measure my cortisol levels. Why do I care? Properly managing stress & having a healthy adrenal gland is VERY important for long term survivor ship....staying cancer free. This is also why I'm trying to do yoga a couple times a week and beginning a meditation program.

Speaking of yoga....gotta a funny story for you! So as you may remember, I joined a gym a few months ago. It's working out quite well. I'm swimming and attending spin & yoga classes. I'm trying to make yoga a priority because of the calm it brings me mentally & physically. Well, one day last week I was so calm at the end of the class in corps pose that I fell asleep. Yes, a little embarrassing! I was out and then all of a sudden I hear people clapping and getting up.....while I'm still laying there flat on my back with all my limbs stretched out. Too funny!

For all you soda drinkers........my naturopath told me soda is the top calcium depleter! Coffee is up there, too! She is treating several women in their 20s who drank considerable amounts of soda and now have full on osteoporosis. Scary!

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Love, srb