New Year, Better Me

Happy 2019! Wow it’s been a while since I updated you guys.

When I updated last, I was towards the beginning of my radiation treatment. I’m SO happy to say that I finished radiation right before Christmas. I rung that bell for hopefully the LAST time. Fingers crossed.

Radiation really was not too bad. My energy gradually lowered but nothing too crazy. My skin did not really burn, or at least I didn’t think it did. It did however start to peel so that was fun. But now I’m all good!

I had a great Christmas celebrating with my wonderful family. Ray’s family came down to spend it with us as well. I felt very loved. And very lucky.

I finally took off my wig and started rocking the natural hair. It feels SO good!

We rang in the new year. I’ve never been so happy to have a year come to an end. 2018 taught me many things. It taught be how to be strong, how to love, how to not take one single second for granted, and most of all how to really talk to God. I have quite the conversations with the man upstairs now. I would not be where I am today without Him.

January was full of fun times. Not many doctor’s appointments. I did however have an appointment with my oncologist. My blood work, where they check for tumor markers, came back great! Then I was hit with quite the decision that I needed to make. They said I could do a clinical trial. The trial consists of a drug that you take twice a day along with the hormone therapy that I am already on. The drug is FDA approved for stage IV patients and has showed great results with their cancer not progressing. This trial is for earlier stage cancers like mine was. It is to see if taking the hormone blocker along with this drug lowers the risk of reoccurrence more than taking just the hormone blocker alone.

Of course this comes with side effects. Some of them definitely concern me but also this is a really expensive drug that I’d be getting for free. So I’ve decided to try it. I can back out at any time so I don’t see the harm in just trying it out for a bit to see how it goes. I’ve had zero side effects with my hormone blocker, so that is a great start.

Before I begin the trial I will have to get a bone scan (cue scanxiety attack). So that is what I will be up to in these next few weeks. I will begin the trial in March.

I also would like to tell you about my lovely friend Amanda. I’ve known Amanda ever since college. She is strong. She is beautiful. She has the MOST adorable family ever. Amanda is 33 and just found out she has Stage IV breast cancer. Just typing those words make me so emotional. It just does not make sense. She is handling it with such strength and grace. You can read her blog here.

Speaking of my “breastie”, here is a photo of my Nashville Breasties. Can’t believe we all have had breast cancer at young ages. It just is crazy. But it happens. And I’m so lucky to be connected to them.

So there are the updates from the last two months.

In three days, February 6, It will be one year exactly from when I went to my breast appointment and my nurse Norma found the lump that turned out to be cancer. It will be an emotional week for me going through those days that followed. I can’t believe it has been a year.

Love you guys!

Until next time…