Happy New Year!! The Christmas tree is down, the Menorah’s are put away, Chanukamas is officially over in our house. (Yes, we are a mixed up house)
It’s been a while since I updated my Blog. The ASCO/Cancer Net “Expressions of Hope Calendar” has been printed and the website has been updated, you can read my profile on there. It’s so exciting!! I still can’t believe I am a calendar girl!!!!! Thank you to my amazing Oncology Social Worker –Beth Bell –she took this photo!
I enjoyed my Chemopause and “Rebecca Month”. It gave me time to reflect and make some decisions and just try and be myself.
I thought that I could just get away with having my family wave our pets (2 dogs) over me and I could declare that I had my Pet Scan done, but apparently that’s not an acceptable scan in the cancer world (go figure LOL). So I finally gave in and went for my Pet Scan in mid-November. Talk about being on edge waiting for results. It’s amazing how you get used to being poked, prodded, and sick as a dog and then stress so much over a test that can change your life again. I didn’t tell my family or friends when I scheduled the scan, I didn’t want anyone stressing along with me and my husband and kids. I avoided posting about it too, for fear I would jinx myself. My Pet Scan came back good!! So I have no new cancer and am in Remission! That word “Remission” conjured up every tv show or lifetime movie I have ever seen that says “the patient is in remission” but I really didn’t understand what it means for me, as an individual….for me it means that my cancer is at bay right now. Unfortunately the Pet Scans don’t show microscopic issues, that is how my cancer spread to my lymph node in my chest and was only found during my mediastinoscopy, so I will be scanned every 4 to 6 months. It’s still like sitting on a time bomb and waiting for the next piece of bad news and I am trying to learn to live each day as a positive kind of day. (great piece of advice from my surgeon). The residual side effects of all the chemo & radiation are difficult to deal with; neuropathy, memory issues, bone & muscle pain, exhaustion (to name a few) and now waiting on thyroid test results….it’s a slow process healing from all the treatments and there is no Chemo 102 course that tells you what & how you will feel after treatment. I really wish there was a list somewhere…..but it does help to talk to other cancer patients.
“Rebecca’s Chemo Closet” One of the things I did during treatment was what I called my “cancer purge”, I’ve lost so much weight and my clothes were falling off me, so I purged them, donating them to local charities. I was able to afford to pick up a few things in a smaller size and my daughter lent me some of her sweaters (she’s tiny). I realized there are so many of us who are going through treatment related clothing size changes and along with the huge cost of treatment, doctor visits and meds, some cancer patients can’t afford new clothing. I am hoping to start “Rebecca’s Chemo Closet”, a free clothing exchange for cancer patients (men and women), I want to also include wigs, scarves, hats and blankets. I know we need it and I know it will help others! I'm hoping to start it in conjunction with my Oncology Social Worker -Beth Bell at the hospital where I am treated, Bryn Mawr Hospital
Stay tuned for more info!
Stay tuned for more info!
xoxo
