Just a little bit behind...

I am a little bit behind on here...a lot has happened since my last post. I guess it is time to play catch up. My chemo treatments went well with the first medication and the tumor/growth had shrunk in size considerably. The second drug was started in January and the shrinking seemed to stop. Then, just before the 4th treatment, I felt like the area was swollen or perhaps getting larger again. When I went in for the 4th treatment, the doctor confirmed that it felt like it was back to the original size or larger and sent me to the surgeon. More tests were run and surgery scheduled for a mastectomy. I spent my 62nd birthday in the hospital recovering from the surgery but was able to go home that afternoon. Pathology work was done in the following days, both on the breast tissue and the 3 lymph nodes that were removed. The following week, I was told NO CANCER in the surrounding tissue or the lymph nodes so I am cancer free. Since that time, the incision has healed nicely...even though there is a large and rather ugly scar. My hair is coming back, too, as well as my eye lashes and eye brows. It has been and is a very long process but at least things are getting better. There is still soreness around the incision area and the doctors say that will probably last another 8 to 12 weeks. I have met with a plastic surgeon to discuss my options and have decided to go ahead with breast replacement/reconstruction...there is just too big of a cavern there right now. This will involve 2 more surgeries...the first one in mid-August to the first of September and the second one about 3 months later...mid-November to the first of December. Hopefully, by Christmas or the first of the year, I will be finished with this and can move on. My strength and energy levels have been steadily improving as well and for the most part I feel great. My only problems are encountered when I see myself in the mirror but I try not to do that very often. Enough about me.

Allen is doing well. He enjoys his job and enjoys having a great fishing lake about a mile from the house. He can go fish for a couple of hours in the evening and not have to plan a trip. Although, he has been wanting to go to the coast for some fishing so I think we will be heading to Corpus Christi this weekend...at least for Saturday. It is only a couple of hours away so we can easily make it a day trip. He keeps talking about wood carving but so far hasn't really started that up again. I guess fishing takes priority!

That pretty well catches you up on what has been going on here. Travis and Brandi are doing great but I sure wish they lived closer! Sarah is getting married next week. She and Chris and Alex are gone now on a wedding trip to Las Vegas via California. They plan to visit with Travis and Brandi and take in Disneyland this week and then all of them are heading to Vegas for the wedding. Travis and Brandi will leave from there to Kansas to see her family and Sarah, Chris and Alex will head back here. They will be living with us for while until they can decide where in the area they want to live and either purchase or build a house.

I will stop for now but seriously hope to be able to post more frequently than I have been. One thing that I have started realizing in the past few months is that I need to take more 'Me' time. There are so many things that I enjoy doing that I haven't done in ages and I need to do more things for myself. Simple things like pampering myself with longer showers, taking time to use lotions, powders & oils, choosing foods I like to eat for meals. Silly, huh? My life has been such a blur of rushing to take care of everyone else and do what everyone else wants to do that I forget about me sometimes. Well, I am important, too, so I need to start treating myself better. I will try not to get behind anymore.