One week out of treatment....

It's been one week now since I've been done with cancer treatment.  It's so nice :) I plan on working my normal schedule this whole week.  I have been working, but I've left early if my patient load was down.  My skin has been really sore.  The radiation area truely looks like my skin caught on fire.  It  is dark and red and burnt.  I do think it is starting to heal now though.  The dark layer is literally peeling away.  It's kind of gross.  The skin underneath is so soft and like new skin.  I can't wait till the whole area looks like that.

I see Dr. Kaplan again on August 7 to start my tamoxifen.  I kind of want to get started with that.  I guess I feel like if I'm taking something it will help with this cancer not coming back.  Which that is exactly what the tamoxifen is doing.  I will see my radiation oncologist towards the end of August.  I need to schedule with Barry to get going on the clinical study real soon too.

I AM DONE.......

Today was a great day.  I am officially done with cancer treatment.  I had my last radiation treatment today :) WOW.....  I arrived at Swedish Medical Center for my first appointment at 11:30.  I saw Dr. Ridgeway at the Laribee center to get more latisse.  This stuff is amazing. My eyelashes and eye brows are coming in so well from this product.  Next I went over the Dr. Kaplans office (my oncologist) love him.  My appointment with Dr. Kaplan was for noon.  My last radiation appointment was for 1:00pm.  As usual I waited for about an hour to see Dr. Kaplan, which I don't mind at all because he is a very busy man.  I get called back to see him at 12:50.  I let them know that I need to run down stairs to get my radiation.  Of coarse, it was not a problem at all.  People at the cancer center are amazing people.  They all treat you so well.  I went down stairs to the radiation clinic and I see all of my friends that I have made over the last 5 weeks.  We have a special bond.  We have seen each other Monday through Friday at 1:00pm for 5 weeks.  I brought some yummy cookies....that's what people do when it is there last treatment day.  I went in and changed into my designer gown, as they call them.  Then  I came out and started visiting.  My favorite little lady was passing my cookies around to everyone....it was so cute :).  Her husband has esophageal cancer and his throat is so sore from radiation that he can't eat.  He has lost so much weight :( I will think of them often.  Then everyone was so happy for me that it was my last day.  We all discuss how many days each has left, then Beth came out to get me for my treatment.  I jumped up with excitement and everyone started clapping for me....I have been an emotional basket case every since.  It just touched me in a way that I can't even describe.  I continued to flood tears through my radiation.  My therapist were so sweet and totally understood even more than me about the emotions I was feeling.  I gave them all big hugs and Beth gave me a big kiss.  I told them thank you for always treating me so kind and I shared that I hope I never see them again :) I quickly ran in and changed back into my clothes.  I rushed out of the dressing room and told everyone that I could not stop crying since there wonderful applaud for me.  I wished them all the very best...and ran to the elevator and scurried to floor five where Dan was still waiting in the treatment room for me at Dr. Kaplans office.  Dr. Kaplan came in and I was still emotional.  He sat down very close to me and shared that this day is often as emotional as the first day you are diagnosed.  It is a weird mix of emotion.  I am so excited to be done, but yet a little scared also.  Now the fear of it returning enters your mind.  As you all know that continue to follow my journey, I am not a downer nor will I be a downer nor will I allow these thoughts to remain with me, but today they emerged and it is okay.  Dr. Kaplan discussed with me that I will now take tamoxifen for probably just a couple of years then as I emerge into complete menopause I will switch to another drug that I will take for a total of 5 years.  I will see him every 3 months now for two years.  I will have mammograms once a year and CT scans and or MRI once a year.  So I will be scanned every six months.  I am good with that.  I also will be starting a clinical study with in the next month.

My skin is very dark and is getting pretty sore.  The treatment area is very defined now.  I put first aid cream and aquafor on it many times a day.  The treatment is accumulative and will continue to get worse before it starts getting better.  It will probably be about two weeks before it starts getting better. 

I am doing much better now.  I started this blog about two hours ago.  I am no longer crying and seem to have a grip on my emotions for now.  Dan and I and Haley are having a nice dinner tonight and enjoying saying that I am done with treatment.

Getting through radiation......

Hi everyone.  So sorry it has been a while since I have blogged.  I am doing good.  I have had 24 radiation treatments now.  Woo Hoo!!  Nine more to go and I am done with cancer treatment.  Crazy huh!?  I seem to be handling radiation very well.  My skin is a little dark, but it hasn't been sore or red much at all.  I keep waiting for it to hurt and it hasn't yet.  It has got a little itchy, but not to bad.  I will see Dr. Kaplan (my oncologist)  on July 23rd, which is also my last radiation treatment day.  I am sure we will talk about the tamoxifen that I will start taking.  Also about the schedule that I will see him now.  I believe that I will see him every three months for two years.  I will also have CT scans and or a Mammogram every six months for a few years.  I am good with being seen very regular for a long time.  I have also decided to do a clinical study that will start once I am done with radiation.  I will have to fill you all in more about that later. 

My hair is really coming in good.  It still has a ways to go before I am ready to run around without a hat, but it is getting there :)  It started coming in really white :( so I have already dyed it. Haha  It is definitely going to be curly :) I will never complain about my curly hair again ;) once it all comes back.  I can't wait to use a hair tie again.  That will be a while.

Dan and I are really looking forward to getting back to normal.  What ever normal really is...haha

Just going to work and working my normal schedule.  Not going to Seattle for doctors appointments every week. And all the other crazy stuff we have had to do to deal with this crazy cancer.

I have been walking a lot preparing for my 3-day walk that is in September.  It's been a little more difficult since I went back to work to get my miles in.  But I am definitely walking many miles each week.

We have went boating a few weekends at crescent bar.  We just love boating and sunshine.  It took me a few times out in the sun to figure out how I could keep myself covered up and not look like a total dork.  I have to keep my radiated area totally out of the sun.  I have never had to run from the sun so that's been really different.  I've got a cute swimsuit coverup now and I have a few t-shirts that are working well.