Life in Moderation on this Road to Recovery!

Last week was my first full week home of recovery. It was awesome, because both my mom and dad were here all week! The kids went to school/daycare and my parents waited on me the whole time. Ryan was able to return to work since they were here to help out. My mom did lots of laundry, house cleaning, and making dinner. My dad did lots of man duties for Ryan like mowing the lawn, fixing a few things, and I even had him hang a few pictures on the wall. My mom thinks she wasn't much help, because I wasn't laying in bed or on the couch the whole time, which I wasn't. I have been functioning well, but those darn drainage tubes that were hanging out of me were a pain in the butt, and really did a great job of getting in my way. Mike and Diane also did what they do best....entertain and spoil the kids! I know that after having them in Carroll all Memorial weekend and then here for a full week, that Grandma and Grandpa were tired, and probably needed this last weekend to rest up so they could go back to work today. They left Friday night and I was sad to see them go, because they really did help out more than they think they did.

Thursday, I went in to see my oncologist and have my Herceptin injection that I still get every 3 weeks. This gave us a chance to discuss my surgery results, and "where I go from here." With the very positive results from my surgery, they are questioning if I even need radiation at this point! You see, of the lymph nodes they removed during surgery, none of them tested positive for any cancer! AND of the breast tissue that was removed; what once was 8.5cm of total cancer, chemo shrunk to LESS THAN 1 MILLEMETER! AMAZING! This coming Friday I have a whole days worth of appointments down at the University of Iowa again, where I am meeting with their radiation oncologist group as well to see what they recommend as far as "if I need radiation or not." I'd love to not have to do it, but want this second opinion to make sure I make the right decision. I know there are pros and cons of doing it / not doing it. I'll update you all on that in my next blog post. More big girl decisions to make ahead when it comes to radiation.

So last Friday was the day I had been waiting for since after my surgery. I met with Dr. Lawrence, the plastic surgeon and GOT THE DRAINAGE TUBES REMOVED! NO MORE BALL AND CHAINS HANGING OUT OF ME! I felt like a free woman. I came right home and went immediately to the shower, since I hadn't taken a shower in 9 days. It felt amazing! I had a great day Friday, and felt so good. I even got to go visit some friends til 11:45pm Friday night, and felt great, but then it caught up with me and I paid for it on Saturday. I woke up Saturday morning and was just fine, but ended up in bed sleeping most of the afternoon. We headed over to the neighbors house for their sons birthday party, but I had to go home early and go back to bed. I hadn't been taking the pain meds for a few days and thought I was doing well without them but broke down and took the pain meds for the rest of the weekend. I guess that's where I am still learning to take life in moderation, and be good to myself.

Sunday ended up being the best day of the weekend, because Ryan, the kids, and I got to go do my all time favorite activity of any summer! We headed to the lake with Ryan's brothers, Joe and Doug, and their families. It doesn't matter what lake we go to, it is the reason why I love summer so much. I love boating, relaxing, and appreciating the beauty of a beautiful summer day. Although I was not ready for the boat yet, I was just fine sitting with my 2 sister-in-laws while the guys took the kids out tubing and boat cruising. I hope by the 4th of July I am able to handle the boat, but if not, I will still love lake life :).

This week Ryan is home with me, and I am taking it easy for the most part, and coming up with some projects for him while the kids are enjoying daycare most of the day. I'm still pretty sore and having some twinges/muscle spasms in the chest area. I can't use my left arm nearly as well as my right arm (very frustrating for a left handed person). I really am obeying the rules of "not lifting anything weighing more than a gallon of milk". I think even a gallon of milk would hurt if I lifted it with my left arm. I have MORE DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS Thursday and Friday. Thursday is just blood work since my blood work has been off since my last chemo, and then I lost a lot of blood during surgery, so they are just monitoring it. Friday will be another full day in Iowa City (3 appointments), and will hopefully get an answer on if I need radiation or not. The struggle for me is different everyday. I need to "Take Life in Moderation" have fun a little, and take it easy. I have never been good at listening to my body, so I have to tell myself STOP, you aren't supposed to be doing that. I'm working on it! We have had such beautiful weather since I have gotten home from the hospital too, it's hard for me to not enjoy a beautiful day, right?

Overall, I feel like I'm doing much better than I thought I would be at this point. I'm just trying to relax, reduce any stress, and enjoy my "summer break" that I've been granted. Have a good week everyone!