Kickin' It Pink With Kristyn

What a difference a day or two makes.  I decided to not put my sleeve on yesterday because it made the swelling and pain worse on Monday.  Today I can actually see my knuckles.  I still have pain but I'm starting to wonder if it's due to radiation side effects still occurring, chemo side effects and the white blood cell shot I got on Friday.  I'm wondering and hoping because lymphedema is a dreaded illness.  I won't say I'm off the hook though, I had swelling a month ago and it went down then the swelling came back.  And lymphedema is a risk I'll have for the rest of my life because I had lymph nodes removed.  Monday was definitely a bad day for me and I thank everyone for your prayers and concern.  

I have a check up with my Radiation Oncologist today and I’m going to badger him with questions about radiation side effects and how long they’re going to last.  I’ve been having pain in my left breast since I had my biopsy in February, which is probably normal because of all the treatment I’ve had but I want to make sure it’s normal and not something that needs to be addressed.  Unfortunately I’ve heard the side effects can last years.

  

I haven’t really provided updates on my chemo treatments in a few weeks.  My blood counts were good for my Day 1 treatment on April 3^rd.  For my Day 8 treatment my counts were low, really really low but Dr Barnhill decided to give me a dose dense treatment (I’m assuming dose dense means less of the drugs) and then Friday I went for the dreaded white blood cell shot.  I’ll see Dr Barnhill again on April 24^th for Day 1 treatment again, as long as my counts are ok again.  I’m going to ask about her plan for future treatments since that will be the beginning of my 4^th cycle.

Lastly, it is hard for me to ask for help because everyone has been so helpful already and it is all appreciated.  If you haven’t seen or heard, my friends, family, United Fire Fighters Association and the Bayou Beer Garden are holding another fundraiser for me.  There’s a suggested donation amount of $15 – if you can’t pay that (or don’t want to) I’d still love if you could make it!  I enjoy silent auctions and the chance to bid on cool items and I LOVE seeing friends and family.  If you, or someone you know wants to donate an item or if you have questions you can email me and I’ll put you in contact with the right person (ksmoore2211@yahoo.com).  

Despite a swollen, aching hand I am still able to laugh with my friends! 

swollen hand w/sleeve - no knuckles.

This guy makes me happy too!