Tattoos, Cruisin’ and Friends

Bobby and I just returned from our 5^th Wedding Anniversary Cruise, a wonderful and much needed gift from my mom.  The cruise ended in San Juan, Puerto Rico so we stayed there for 2 nights to check out the city.  We enjoyed the relaxing and fun trip but were happy to get home to our family. 

Last week I had an appointment with Dr Kraus, my radiation doctor and an appointment with Dr Barnhill, my oncologist and had a CT scan and got lined up for radiation.  I have 3 new tattoos but they’re kind of lame.  They’ll start to blend in with my freckles and moles but they’re very important, to help line my body up with the lasers and radiation things.  I’m sure once I start I’ll know the actual terms for the ‘radiation things.’

Dr Kraus and Dr Barnhill are very optimistic about everything.  In case you missed the last post, or didn’t understand, the bone, abdomen and chest scan results were good.  They showed no more disease (cancer) in my body.  But I will still complete radiation and chemo.  The radiation will get the area around the location where the tumors were found (my left breast) and the chemo will hopefully kill any remaining disease that might be in my body.

Radiation should start next week and I hope it does because the more things get pushed back the longer I have to deal with cancer! 

People have been asking how I feel and it’s weird to me becuase I feel fine.  I’ve recovered from surgery where they removed the lump and I’m waiting for radiation to begin.  And from what I understand, radiation shouldn’t make me sick but it will wear me out.  Unfortunately the chemo might make me sick but from what I hear, the drugs I’ll be given are not as harsh as the drugs I was given with my first round of chemo. 

We had a very nice Thanksgiving, first at Bobby’s moms house and then to spend some time with friends.  Thank God for friends and family! 

Speaking of friends, I have amazing friends!  My Portland friends surprised me with a fundraiser while I was in town.  The invite went out on Facebook and was planned and pulled off without me knowing or suspecting a thing.  I was in shock for at least an hour after I walked in to the place it was held.  I have always thought I have great friends but I never expected something like this and am so honored that everyone came together to do this for me.  Plus, it was fun to see everyone again since I had already said good bye to some of you.