Oh, to be on a boat -

- where I would hopefully not be able to hear/read all of the Chic fil A hooplah.   There are certainly more important things to focus on in life.

Check out the other blog to see where we are in the process of our current plan...

Tips!

I'm thinking I should log the things I learned from my first surgery (bilateral mastectomy w/placement of tissue expanders) so that I can remember them - and maybe even help someone else that stumbles on this little blog :)

1st and foremost - T-rex arms are a nuisance but they CAN be accommodated!  (I may or may not have walked around growling like a T-rex and waving my forearms maniacally, as my elbows were initially held close in to my rib cage due to lack of range of motion.)  So here are tips that will make round 2 much easier!

1.  Move the coffee cups down to the bottom shelf - or even the counter top!  Coffee is muy importante - for me and those around me.

2.  Keep a small, light weight stool in the kitchen.  I kept a small one around and just kicked/slid it throughout  the condo so that my tinyarms could grab things that were just out of reach.

3.  My rocking chair became my best friend.  It is fairly shallow so I didn't have to lean back so far.  (sitting on the deeper couch and trying to lean back seemed/was impossible for at least a week.)

4.  Keep the ground coffee where you can reach it!  (see #1)

5.  Comfy button front shirts are crucial!  Make sure they are long and baggy so they cover the ugly drains that you'll be toting around for a couple of weeks.

6.  I will have my honey shower with me before bed each night next time.  Showers wear you out - just like when you have the flu.  And no matter which fabulous relative agrees to help you shower - it's still awkward.  So M. gets the job this time.  And I'll be able to slip into bed and sleep as soon as my hair is dry.

7.  My motorized bed is magical and was worth every penny - no changes there, I'm just thankful I know I'll get decent sleep without having to resort to sleeping in a recliner as I've heard others are forced to do.

8.  It ALL passes.  The weird tingling that you get when your nerves grow back DOES go away.  As do all of the other odd pains and sensations.  In fact, immediately after surgery I was having improvements daily.  After a couple of weeks my improvements were more likely to be weekly.  And now I notice improvements every couple of weeks.  In fact, 4 months out, I think I'm almost normal.  I still don't have full nerve sensation in the general region of the incision - but I'll be having another surgery anyway, which will jack up the nerves all over again.  At least now I know they'll eventually heal, for the most part... :)

9.  Drains suck.  And while they seem to last forever - they really are gone in a couple of weeks or so.  You may not want to hear that they are horrible, but they are.  And then they're gone.  

10. Take your pain meds - the sleep is crucial to healing your body!  I tried to get off of them too quickly - and when I went back to taking them before bed, I noticed another big jump in my recovery.

11. Get massages!  They will be awkward - so find someone you know.  I still can't lie on my stomach, but massage therapists (even the ones that were strangers) are happy to work around it.  Just explain what you can't do - and they will do everything they can to accommodate.  

I have a feeling this list will get updates...

Playing the Gene Game

How did I forget to update on this?!?  I got my genetic test results back - the initial BRCA 1 and 2 results, that is.  Still waiting on the BART.

You should see my family tree.  There is SO MUCH cancer.  (Not to mention other weirdness going on that most of you know about but I won't discuss here... You should've seen the genetic counselors face when she looked down at my loopy tree!)  But it's all different kinds of cancer.

My results were negative.  Yay/boo?  I'm glad they were negative, as that means I don't have a crazy high risk of ovarian cancer (well, still need the BART results to be sure - it's a more specialized test).  That means no ovarian removal surgery.  Woo hoo!  I personally think I'll have reached my yearly quota on surgeries as soon as I finish with The Girls.  But clearly there is something going on with our family.  They just haven't narrowed down that gene yet.  One day, maybe they will.  Won't that be a cool day?  You know what will be an even cooler day?  When they figure out what causes cancer in the first place and how to cure it.  Technically, I guess they kinda have.  If you catch it early you can get rid of it - as illustrated by ME over the past 4 months :)  But anyway - if they knew what gene it was then ALL of my crazy sisters/cousins/nieces/brother/nephews etc could be tested for that single gene.  While they wouldn't be out of the woods, it would be a much less scary trek through said woods.

Off to clean my house with chemical free cleaners I'm slowly converting over to in order to reduce my exposure to potential carcinogens...

It's broken. Waaaaah!

Just shy of the 17 yr mark and my wedding band snapped. I don't know how or when. I just noticed it scratch/pinch me yesterday. 

You'd think a $15 ring fr Walmart would hold up better ;). This makes me sad.

And yes, that's gold glitter (spray paint) on my thumb.

It's Official.

I bit the bullet and started the new blog.  You can see it here.  Please follow along!  You'll be kept up to date on our boating escapades - and maybe learn along with us, to boot.
It's a working title, as it's a working dream.  We're always evolving - or rolling with the punches, whatever you want to call it.
Now get on over there and see what the fuss is all about!