Tag: Breast cancer

So long 2012

With the end of the year approaching, everywhere you turn you see recaps.  I did a medical recap not too long ago and quit honestly am not too interested in reliving this year.  Instead I am looking fully forward to what I hope will be a better year.

Making a statement like that always makes me pause for a second because of how close I was to cancer (according to the pathology reports).  I had the bilateral prophylactic mastectomy to prevent cancer since I was high risk but until we received those results showing cancer markers, well we had no clue just how close I was.  So, with that said the end results made 2012 a good year I suppose and I guess I should recognize that good.

The hope for 2013, well they are filled with no surgery, no medical scares and good times with my family.  I do need to get through the follow-up Ultrasound next week to check on the complex cyst.  Hopefully that shows that it took care of itself and onward we will move.Disney Trip October 22-29, 2011 627

One super bright spot that we have all been looking forward to for some time is our trip to Disney World!  We are in the home stretch and can begin an official countdown in the next week or so.  My girls do love official countdowns :-).  We are all really looking forward to this trip!  We are staying at The Animal Kingdom Villas-Kidani, right over the Savannah.  How thrilled with the girls be seeing the animals come close to the balcony.

My crew in Animal Kingdom October 2011.
My crew in Animal Kingdom October 2011.

Since we are staying in Disney we also did the meal package.  It is nice going and knowing that almost everything is prepaid.  We will be dinning with the Princesses, Mickey and crew, Chip and Dale and at the new Be Our Guest Restaurant.  Planning this trip, making the dinning reservations were a nice distraction while I was recovering from surgery.  Finally coming close to the actual experience  knowing how much we are all looking forward to it, well what can I say that Disney does not?  It is the happiest place on earth!

Ugh Colonoscopy?

I went to my primary doctor today for the first time in a few years.  All went very well, blood pressure was 100/70 so that blip before the mastectomy was just that, a blip.  After stepping on the scale I can officially say that I am down 40 pounds from my maximum weight and very pleased.

Here is my dilemma of the day, after the doctor wrote me out a script to get a full blood panel  done she tossed in a comment that I may want to have a colonoscopy done.  She said there is a slight increased risk of colon cancer with breast cancer.  BUT I did not have breast cancer.  I would have eventually probably but I did not.

I came home and did some investigation and just don’t know if I really need to do this test now.

It just never ends!

Difficult Questions

I continue to be amazed with the depth and intelligence of my own children.  Although  I continue to heal, I am not 100%.  It is no secret to the girls that I am not fully comfortable.  They are aware that my body is still changing.  I am trying to get things back to a normal daily routine but all they have to do is see me while I am changing and it is clear that we are not fully back to normal.

Megan is pretty easy to read.  She wears her feelings on her sleeve so if something bothers her it does not take long to identify it and get it out into the open.  Madison, she is a totally different animal!  Things come flying out of her like missiles out of the blue.  The other night, I was putting her to bed.  We go through our normal routine, which in itself is very structured.  Madison has certain things she has to say and have said to her nightly.  As I give her one last kiss she looks up at me and says, “Mommy, will Megan and I have to have our boobies operated on when we get older?”

I was caught so off guard!  Although I do my best not to lie to my girls, sometimes there is no good truthful answer.  The honest answer is, I just do not know but it is highly probable.  They have two grandmothers who past due to metastasized breast cancer and a mother who according to all of the doctors involved, would have been a breast cancer patient at some point had I not had the Prophylactic Mastectomy.

I gave her a hug and told her that we did not need to worry about such things.  As I walked out of her room, I admit I had a few tears.  I would do anything to protect them!  I guess reality is that for as much as I want, I will not be able to protect them from everything.  Over time, I will seek out advice and take any and all steps needed.  It never ends!