And then there were none...radiation is over!

Feeling just like the last day of school:  "No more pencils, no more books..."

The best view of a cancer institute is in the rear view mirror

Touch

I have been hibernating in the a/c in the hot afternoons, for the past week watching episodes of the TV series Touch.  The premise of this show is “we are all interconnected.  Our lives are invisibly tied to those whose destinies touch ours.” 

A young boy, who does not speak, sees the past, present, future and how it is all connected.  He communicates with his dad through numbers and manipulates the connections to fix problems in people’s lives. 

Today, I left home even earlier than usual to go to my second to last radiation treatment.  I was walking down the stairs to the treatment area when a woman coming up the stairs hesitated then turned and asked me “Do you have breast cancer?”  At this moment, our lives connected, me as I come to the end of my intense treatment journey (remember my resistance to this term when I was first diagnosed-I think I get it now) and hers as she is just beginning.  She meets with her oncologist today to get a treatment plan and asked me a million questions.  I felt as if I was looking at myself, less than six months ago and I saw how far I have come. She was reassured that I looked so good and was smiling.  I hugged her and told her she would be ok, that she would get through it all as I have.  We exchanged contact info and will keep in touch.

I can’t help but think that this could be an episode of Touch.   

#PinItToGiveIt

For Pinterest users:

A few weeks ago, I posted about the workshop that Mom and I attended with Look Good, Feel Better.  Since then, Mom has become a master at some of the tips she learned.  Earlier today, Elizabeth Arden launched an innovative new philanthropy campaign on Pinterest. For every repin from their #PinItToGiveIt board, Elizabeth Arden will donate one product to Look Good Feel Better.
So, start pinning!


Here is a link to the board.

And then there were 8!

Today marked day 22 of radiation.  Mom drove herself to her appointment, which she has been doing since the beginning of this round of treatment.  Mom’s treatment on the radiation machine is a quick one: in and out in 20 minutes.  But today was a little different.  On her way out, Mom found out she'd won the lottery.  Well, her version of the lottery.  She found out that there had been a slight miscommunication in the beginning and instead of having 33 radiation treatments, she was only having 30.  3 less! According to her, it is like winning a million bucks.  She has 3 more rounds of radiation to the whole area.  The area is made up of her chest and underarm on the right side, the cancer side.  Then, they will do 5 rounds of radiation just to the incision scar on the right side.  Barring any equipment malfunction, she will be done with treatment by June 29.  That means not going into July.  It may seem like a small thing, but it is a HUGE thing psychologically.  Cue the happy dance.

So far, Mom's skin has been holding up pretty well to radiation.  We are hoping that continues for the next 10 days!  She hasn't had to upgrade to the heavy duty "magic" cream and continues to use over the counter aquaphor.  She is pretty sensitive to heat and humidity, so the next few days of 97+ degree weather will be challenging.  She may have to do some mall walking instead of her normal outside loop.  Fortunately, the mall she plans to walk in has a bakery that makes really delicious cake pops...(By the way, her sweet tooth is back.)

I find the countdown to the end of treatment to be a bit strange.  It definitely means the end of an intense series of interventions.  There is definitely cause for celebration.  But, it is not the end of the road.  Mom will still go every 4 weeks for her Zometa infusion and continue hormone therapy.  We'll wait, sometimes patiently, sometimes impatiently, until her next scan at some point in the fall.  And, we'll try to figure out whatever the new sense of normal is.  As we start to see that there could be an end to intense treatment, we know that there are others that we love who are just getting started and/or are deep in treatment.  We hope for continued improved health for those with cancer and an ability to remember self-care for the caregivers.  Our thoughts are with all of them.

Heads Up!

It seems like the story of Linda’s health is told by her hair.  It was tough to see it fall to the floor four months ago, but it is pretty darn cool to see it now growing back as she regains her health.  She won’t be plugging in the blow dryer anytime soon, but it is a signal of better days ahead (get it?  aHEAD!).

As part of her on-going treatment, she was back to the hospital last Thursday morning for a Zometa infusion.  Zometa protects the bones and will be a part of Linda’s medical regimen for a long time.  As the nurse was preparing the injection, she asked us if we had any plans for rest of the day.  We told her that it was our 32^nd anniversary, so we would be going to her radiation treatment that afternoon to celebrate.  We know how to have good time.

Her radiation treatments are about one-third done and continue daily, except for a glitch last week when the machine was down for repair.  If there are no more delays, she will be done with radiation on July 5, and will celebrate a different kind of independence day with that! One interesting side effect of the different treatments she’s had appears to be the suppression of Linda’s humility gene.  Never one to call attention to herself or her accomplishments, she now talks about her beautifully shaped head (it’s true, no dents, no blemishes – perfectly shaped!).

On Saturday, the hospital sponsored an event to coincide with National Cancer Survivor Day for anyone whose life has been detoured by cancer, including their families and friends.  Linda, Adrienne, Jessica, and I went together and got to see many of the hospital staff in a non-clinical setting.  At the same time an event like this staggers you because you see the many lives impacted by cancer, and then it raises your hope because of all the progress made to help them.  Sadness infused with hope.  As one of the Cancer Institute speakers said on behalf of the doctors, nurses, and staff, “It’s this kind of event that makes our jobs so worthwhile.”  I’ll drink to that!  If you’ve ever donated to cancer research, you did a good thing.

Here’s a picture of Linda with her Oncologist, Dr. Susan Schaeffer.

Red Carpet Treatment for Survivors

Looking Good, Feeling Better

Last week, Mom met with her oncologist.  The doc said she looked great and healthy and should be pleased with the way things have gone so far.  Then, gave her a big hug.  It's great to have affirmation. In this stage, there are lots of appointments to manage.  In addition to going to radiation every day (Monday-Friday at 10a.m. until July 2), Mom is going to physical therapy twice a week to work on the cording in her arm and general range of motion.  Monthly, she will check in with her oncologist and surgeon as well as going to the infusion center for Zometa, a drug to help strengthen her bones.  Mom has done 3 of the radiation treatments and there are no ill effects yet.  There are some effects from the hormone therapy, but "nothing awful" (Dad's words.  I'm curious to know more but afraid to ask.)

Over the weekend, Mom went on her first excursion out of Richmond since her diagnosis and visited Jess in DC.  Proof that when this woman puts her mind on a goal, she makes it happen!  Mom and Dad also had a fun afternoon in Richmond on Sunday including attending Richmond's first Food Truck Derby.


Tonight, Mom and I went to a program at the hospital called Look Good, Feel Better. It was a two hour workshop on make-up designed for women going through cancer treatments. It was a fun way to pamper Mom a bit. And, she walked away with about $200 worth of free make-up donated by most of the major cosmetics companies! In addition to discovering that Mom lost most of her eyebrows and eye lashes without any of us noticing (we think it's because they were so light in the first place), we learned how to make a turban out of a t-shirt.  This will be much cooler for the summer heat!  She's got some peach fuzz hair growing in, but it will probably be a while still before her hair grows back fully.

It was also really special for Mom to be in a room surrounded by women who had also been detoured by cancer. One was much older, one was much younger. All of the women had their own stories. But, they also had one big thing in common.

Here are some snapshots of the evening:

Mom's goody bag of products

Before her "makeover"

All the products from her goody bag

All done! Check out that smile!

A Natural and Unnatural History

Prior to Mom's surgery, I wrote a post about our family's frequent conversations about breasts.  Imagine my surprise (and entertainment) when I found out that someone else was also "consumed" by them.  I first heard about Florence William's book "Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History" on a morning radio show.  I ordered 3 copies of the book that afternoon (one for me, Mom, and Jess-I figure Dad can share with Mom if he really wants to read it...).  Since then, I've heard about the book in other various media outlets.  I'll be delivering books to Mom and Jess this weekend.  If you'd like to join us in this literary/scientific/humorous journey, feel free!

According to one review "Be brave, buy this book, and withstand the giggles and sniggers of your friends. For here is a wonderful history, stretching across hundreds of millions of years, of an astonishingly complex part of the human body.  Williams weaves together research on nutrition, cancer, psychology, and even structural engineering to create a fascinating portrait of the breast: that singular gland that gave us, as mammals, our very name." (Carl Zimmer)

Click here to visit her website

Sorry, Dad, I fear there are even more conversations about boobs in your future.

(If you do by the book, I'm under familial obligation to encourage you to order from Barnes and Noble!)