Pain

I didn't want to start neglecting my blog so soon after taking it up again, but I've had so much pain lately, that I can't seem to get much done.  I see the doctor on Monday, so I'll talk to her about it then.  Just a short post in case anyone out there is reading.

If you need Someone to lean on

I found this on facebook and wanted to share.  It's from MyBible.com. (Check them out to get their social app).  The bible is full of answers to everyday problems and situations.  It is a book about life.  If anyone needs help, wants to talk, anything, just let me know.  You can email me at archadia7@yahoo.com.

Pelotonia

From their facebook page:

"Pelotonia is a grass roots bike tour with One Goal: End Cancer. 100% of all Rider raised donations support innovative and life saving cancer research."

A client of mine, who is also a breast cancer survivor, is participating in the Pelotonia Aug. 8th - 10th. Her goal is to bicycle 50 miles to raise money for cancer research. 100% of every dollar raised goes directly toward Cancer Research. Their goal is to END CANCER.

Click the link for information about her, the ride, and to donate:  Cassandra's Pelotonia Page

Please share this link with others who might be able to help.

Cancer sucks.  Let's annihilate it!

Thank you.

I had a lump

I wrote the other day that one of the things that happened within the past year is that 2 of my new mother-in-laws passed away.  The first one, DH's real mom, was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer just a few days before our wedding.  When she went to the hospital, it was obvious that the cancer had spread to her bones because she broke a bone in her arm (or maybe it was her shoulder) just by climbing into bed.  Within a week and a half, she past away.  No one will ever know if she knew she had breast cancer, and for how long, but she never said anything about it to anyone.  My thought is that she didn't want to do anything about it, and if she told her family, she would be pressured to go through chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

After my first husband died of colon cancer, I had made up my mind that if I ever got cancer, I wouldn't go through all of that.  His quality of life didn't seem very good, and although it gave him an extra year of life, he went through so much.  But, things I say "I'll never" to, usually change very quickly under the right circumstances.  A couple of weeks after my wedding, and after my mother-in-law passed away, I found a lump.  I was pretty sure that it was nothing because I was very good about going for yearly mammograms, but I immediately made an appointment with my gynecologist, just to be safe.  I didn't want to wait another 2 to 3 months until my yearly exam.  I know so many people who are of the mindset that if they ignore it, maybe it will go away.  Knowing me, I would be out of my mind with worry, because, not knowing is so much harder than knowing - no matter what the outcome.

First, I went to my gynecologist, who confirmed there were a few lumps, actually, and she set up an appointment for me to have a mammogram and an ultrasound.  She said, chances were that it was just some cysts, so not to worry.  I went through the mammogram and the technician said that I was full of cysts.  I went from there to the ultrasound where the technician said the same thing.  She didn't see any cancer, just cysts.  After the appointment, I was to wait while she sent the film to a radiologist to look over.  They discussed it briefly over the phone.  She came out to the waiting room and told me the radiologist thought they looked like cysts, also.  I took that as the final word on the matter and didn't think any more about it.

To be continued ...

(This is the first post in a series about my breast cancer.  I hope they are helpful to others going through the same thing.  To find additional posts I've written on breast cancer, click here.)

Clear your mind

One thing that helps me when I can't seem to shut off my mind, is to meditate and say "om" on the exhales.

Cushing's Disease

The Vet called today and said that Velvet's blood tests indicate that she is not in renal failure (kidney failure), but that it looks like she has Cushing's Disease.  From what I understand, Cushing's Disease is the result of a benign tumor on the pituitary gland.  The symptoms seem to be very similar to kidney disease, but this has a much better prognosis.  Since she is doing so well on the medicine for her eye and ear infections, we're going to continue her antibiotics for a second week and then do a new urinalysis after that and pray for better numbers.

For more information on Cushing's Disease, I found this article to be very helpful:
Cushing's Disease in Dogs

Whatta Year!

Actually, it should be "whatta year and a half!"  My last post was January, 2013, and I think that must have been my last "normal" day.  The short and sweet version is that in the past year & a half, I have:  traveled to Romania, Switzerland, Virginia, and Hawaii, bought a new house, got married in it the day after closing, lost 2 mother-in-laws, the first one was 5 days after we got married.  Within a month of getting married, found out I had breast cancer.  Since then, I've had internal radiation, chemotherapy, and external radiation.  The chemotherapy wraps up this coming October.  Because of all of this, I had to drop out of school (again!)  And, I just found out Friday, that my 13 1/2 year old beagle has kidney disease' oh, and an eye and ear infection.

Those are just the highlights, and although they may sound mostly negative, they really aren't.  I have been very blessed through all of this, and have come through it all a much better person.  I'll elaborate on all of these things bit by bit.  I really miss writing, and although I still write in my journal/diary frequently, I miss the interaction of a blog.