Small goals to keep us in focus each day. It’s the little things that can add to our quality of life.
Hello everyone. It's been about three weeks since my last post, and I apologize for that. I've spent this time recouping from more side effects that I wasn't even aware I'd have. Constant nausea. Have you ever had nausea from the time you get up until the time you go to bed? Well, I can say that now I have. Even pregnancy wasn't this bad. I felt like I had the flu, everyday for weeks. I finally went to the doctor to get pills to help. My other side effect was insomnia. I went from total fatigue to total insomnia. I would stay awake all night long. It was frustrating to say the least. I couldn't fall asleep during the day either. So, another pill, a sleeping pill. I was also sensitive to noise, any loud sounds just shook me the wrong way. My head would hurt constantly, not a headache per say, just a dull ache. During this time I also entered what doctors call survivorship. I didn't know what this entailed until I started experiencing it for myself. Another one of those things you really don't understand until you're in the moment. I read the information I was given about survivorship and the recommendation to get therapy and group counseling, and I wondered, why the emphasis on counseling? Well, the best way to describe what a person goes through after treatment ends is to think of a battlefield. From the time you are diagnosed with breast cancer, you suit up with armor, ready to fight this cancer and do all that you can to just survive. When it's all over, everything said and done, you can put the armor down, and say to yourself, " it's over, I don't need to protect myself anymore". But then the emotions set in and say "it's my turn". You are reminded that "oh my goodness, I've just been through something terrible! I had cancer! I had Cancer!" I found myself emotional, every day, crying every day, praying and crying and praying and crying again. I told my husband that I have no idea what's going on, I don't know what's wrong with me. He gave the battle analogy. He's brilliant, you know. That's when I began to realize what survivorship meant. That's when I realized why doctors include survivorship into your treatment plan. I got a call from a doctor who specializes in this, and I have an appointment at the end of the month. I still have an uphill journey ahead. I know this, and I'm ready.
Lastly, I want to give mention to a couple of acts of kindness that touched me so much. One, from a dear friend, the other, from great customer service. I talked about my deodorant issues on a previous post and let's just say that my underarms were not the best smelling for awhile. My friend, Traci W. brought me a deodorant as a gift that has charcoal and other all natural ingredients. This deodorant has been a lifesaver for me. I feel fresh and clean everyday now. Thank you so much, Traci! You are just awesome! I love you to the moon! I'm including the website for this product in case anyone wants to learn more about it.
www.windeckerfarms.com
The other mention is for great customer service.
I have had monthly subscriptions to a company called Stitch Fix, which is a great company that sends clothing and accessories to your home to try on. I've used them for about a year or so. After my diagnosis, however, I canceled the subscription for an indefinite time, because It just wasn't important to me right then. So one day, my husband gets the mail and calls out, "hey you got a Stitch Fix." That surprised me since I had cancelled the orders. When I opened the package, there was a book with a note from the company. I will post below what was said. I was so touched by this act of kindness, that I couldn't help but tell the story. Thank you Stitch Fix, for your support and positivity. That's what I call excellent customer service! I want to give an update on the pain I was experiencing after surgery, which remained consistently well into summer. I consulted with my doctors and felt that I needed to do research and find alternative options. I decided to see a chiropractor, and was pleased with his knowledge and understanding of post surgery pain. Basically, because of the aggressive nature of surgery, many people feel intense pain, even chronic pain due to nerve disorder and/or stressors to muscle and surrounding tissue. One article I found from the International Association for the Study of Pain, mentioned that chronic pain following surgical procedures for breast cancer affect over 50% of women. Also, during surgery, peripheral nerves can be severed or injured, which causes pain in the breast.
My chiropractor came up with a treatment plan which included massage therapy to focus on muscle tissue, and adjustments on my neck and back for nerve damage. The massage therapist concentrates on smoothing out the muscles, and any knots are worked out until gone. The chiropractor does the adjustments to work out pinched nerves and decompressed bone in the spine, which can worsen the nerve pain. After the first visit, I felt relief. The pain was still intense, but I didn't feel like screaming anymore, so it was a success. After my second and third visits, the pain was less and less. I continued going for therapy and adjustments twice weekly for two weeks, then once weekly, I'm still being treated. I'm so glad I made this decision. I recommend chiropractic treatments to anyone experiencing pain after surgery, especially when it involves the neck, shoulders, arms. With the appropriate diagnosis and rehabilitation, nerve pain can be effectively managed or eliminated. As for the breast nerve pain, I take ibuprofen, when needed. The article mentioned earlier (International Association for Study of Pain) mentioned that some patients have tried physical therapy, acupuncture, meditation, yoga. Since I have not tried these methods, I cannot give any input. Do your research and then decide whats best for you. Hope this helps anyone experiencing intense pain similar to mine. Today I want to talk food, mainly comfort food. We all have our faves that we want when we are sick or down, or just to enjoy with family and friends. What's your favorite comfort food? Recently I have had the chance to taste a couple of dishes that were so amazingly delicious that I want to share the recipes and spread the love. The first dish to talk about is one that my sister made while she was visiting, and my family finished it off in no time. The second dish was prepared for my family by a special friend who wanted to bring over a meal to help out. Thank you Cindy, it was so tasty, and leftovers were non-existent. I'm going to add a recipe page to this site, so that I can add recipes whenever I feel the need to pass them along. You can find it in the Menu bar at the top of page. Enjoy! Leave a comment if you decide to try one. cottage cheese chicken enchiladasprepared by my friend, CindyINGREDIENTS 1 tbsp vegetable oil 4 skinless chicken breast halves, boiled and shredded 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 can green chile peppers 1/2 package Taco seasoning mix 1/2 cup sour cream 2 cups cottage cheese corn tortillas (12) 2 cups of shredded monterey jack cheese 1 can of red or green enchilada sauce (cindy used green sauce) PREPARATION Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and minced garlic (4 cloves). Add chicken, onion, peppers and saute until brown. Add your taco seasoning according to package directions. In a separate bowl mix sour cream, and cottage cheese with salt and pepper. Stir. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Assemble the enchilada by heating tortillas until soft. Place a spoonful of meat mixture and cottage cheese mixture and add some shredded cheese. Roll them and place in a lightly greased 9x13 in baking dish. Top with any remaining meat and cheese mixture, the enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Yum. manicotti italian casserole(prepared by my sister, sabrina)This recipe makes a big batch. It would be great for a crowd.
INGREDIENTS 1 pound rigatoni pasta 1 pound ground beef 1 pound italian sausage 1 (8 ounce) can mushrooms, drained 2 (32 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce 1 1/2 pounds shredded mozzarella cheese thinly sliced pepperoni DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Pour in rigatoni, and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, and set pasta aside. 3. Meanwhile, brown ground beef and italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. With a slotted spoon, remove beef and sausage to a baking dish. Stir mushrooms, spaghetti sauce, and cooked pasta into the baking dish. Sprinkle cheese and pepperoni over the top. 4. Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Radiation treatments are over, and I am elated! It's been a whirlwind of a ride these last few weeks going to and from treatments every day for what seemed like an eternity. I've experienced fatigue, low energy, and nausea throughout this experience. My skin did quite well, however, up until the last (4th) week. That's when the burn marks appeared around the area where the radiation was directed to. Under my right armpit it looks like a bad sunburn. On my right breast, red splotches began to appear all over. Under my right breast fold are burn marks as well as red splotches (See Pictures Below).
I don't know how long I will have these side effects, but my doctor did warn me. I thought I was going to get away with not having any skin reaction, and all of a sudden, almost like overnight they appeared. In addition, almost overnight the pain from the burns were felt. My doctor's exam was Monday, he saw the red areas and he said, "I warned you it was coming!". He knew I wasn't happy about it, and he did tell me not to jump ahead of myself. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this ordeal, it hasn't been easy, but I feel like I've made it past the halfway point. I can see a good ending ahead. Yay! Before radiation treatment begins, patients are given special instructions on what type of bra to wear, what type of deodorant to use, moisturizers, topical medications to use, and so forth. I am sharing what has been the most effective during treatment in hopes of helping others get some comfort when the side effects start to happen. Patients should avoid wearing an underwire bra. I have never really cared for bras without underwire, mainly because i need support and most no wire bras I have tried in the past didn't give much support. I decided to go and have a bra fitting and consultation, and I'm glad I did. I was able to try on different types and brands of bras and find the best fit and style for me. My favorite no wire bra is by Wacoal. I found this particular one at Nordstrom and it is super comfortable, yet still gives great support. It comes in a variety of colors, and I definitely recommend it. I bought two to wear during my 4 week treatment period. The bras are great for wearing afterwards as well, I plan to. You can click on the picture at the end of this blog post to take you straight to the Nordstrom.com link. During the 4th week, however, no bra that I've tried provided any comfort. I would recommend a bralette because it's less restrictive and allows for mobility. Nordstrom sells these as well. Another recommendation is using Aloe Vera gel everyday on the breast and surrounding areas. I just used what I had on hand, which was a drug store brand. After the third week of treatment, I started using Calendula cream, which was recommended for burns and irritation on the skin. It can be found at drug stores in the first aid area. This cream helps to promote healing of burns or sunburn, and is good for the dryness and chaffing. I have found this product to be a definite necessity. I also bought Aquaphor healing ointment, which is very helpful if your skin on the breast or under the armpit gets extremely dry or cracked. Of these three products, Calendula cream has been my favorite. The Doctor also recommended over the counter Hydrocortisone cream 1%, this product has also been a necessity. Lastly, I had to change my choice of deodorant, I normally use an antiperspirant. However, during treatment and for weeks afterwards, I have to use deodorant, and a specific one. I have been using Tom's of Maine and it's just ok. Tom's is the only one recommended so it has been what I've used. With the temperature outside well in the 90's, lets just say, I keep my arms down. I've linked the remaining products below to CVS Pharmacy, just because that's where I usually shop. You don't have to use these links, I'm just trying to make it easier for you. In my next blog, I'm going to let you know how I've been taking care of my shoulder and arm pain. Stay tuned! *Nordstrom links are affiliate, which means I receive a small commission if any purchases are made. Thanks for supporting my site. I've finished my first week of radiation and have started on my second. I must say that it was hard on my nerves to begin with, mostly because I didn't know what to expect really. Even though the nurse goes over everything that happens during treatment, you just don't know until you are there in the moment. For this reason I decided to film a video of my experience at the treatment center to give an idea of what radiation treatment entails. I hope this video is helpful to someone about to start treatments or to someone who has a loved one going through it. As a reminder, I go 5 days a week for about 4 weeks. The time is about the same everyday except for Mondays, which lasts longer because I see my radiology oncologist so that he can check on my progress. I hope you enjoy the video. As far as side effects from radiation, I have noticed mainly the fatigue and forgetfulness. I'm still waiting on the sunburn like appearance on the breast. Hopefully, I won't experience much more than the aforementioned. A girl can hope, can't she. So this week is another full week of radiation treatments, however at the end of the week, I'm looking forward to the visit from one of my sisters from out of state. I can't wait! I need a great distraction, and some laughs, I need to laugh more. My sister, Sabrina has a fun personality and to go along with that, a sense of humor. Another benefit from her visit, I don't have to put on any pretenses, I can just be me.
Please comment with your thoughts and with any questions you might have. Thanks! Just a bit of info on mammograms, have you scheduled yours lately? My cancer was found through a mammogram, so I can't stress enough how important it is to have one. Doctors differ on how often a mammogram should be performed, so ask your doctor about it. Do your research and be diligent, it could save your life.
Last week was full of doctor's appointments, four to be exact. If you add in the x-ray, you get a good idea of how busy my week was. In addition to my daily appointments, I was experiencing worsened neck and shoulder pain to the point that I was holding back tears. My first doctor visit was to the Radiology Oncology department. I met with Dr. Hunter, and was so impressed because he explained about what radiation does and all the statistics regarding why one person is recommended radiation over another who might not be. He gave me enough information to make an informed decision. My radiation therapy begins July 24th, and continues five days a week for four weeks. I talked to him about my pain, his reply was that I needed to talk with the surgeon. I already tried that.
The next day I met with the medical oncologist, who examined my scar from surgery and made sure it was healing well. She also talked to me about hormone therapy, which is a pill called Tamoxifen, that you have to take for five years. My cancer is 100% estrogen positive, which means that estrogen in my body helps the cancer to grow and flourish, so the pill, Tamoxifen, would deter the growth. The doctor then listed all the side effects of this drug: hot flashes mood swings weight gain joint/muscle ache fatigue low libido vaginal dryness hair thinning skin dryness endometrial cancer blood clots It was an easy decision to make, no thank you. With radiation, a patient has a 95% chance that the cancer does not come back. The hormone therapy only adds another 2 %. I'm good with 95%. I asked the doctor about my pain, she said that I needed to talk to my regular doctor about that. Hmm. My next appointment was back to Radiology Oncology. I was given a C-Scan and fitted for treatments. I also had to get 3 tattoos, yes little tattoos. These are used for placement of my body for radiation, and they are permanent. I was pricked 3 times, kinda painful. I was given info about skincare products to use during radiation, only certain soaps and moisturizers are recommended. ( See info in Breast Cancer 101 *Cancer Radiation Information) I'm told I will get something like a sunburn on my breast and it could be painful. Go figure. As if I don't have enough pain to deal with. Just a side note, during my 8 week experience thus far, every doctor and their mothers have touched my breasts! Seriously, I never imagined. I used to be embarrassed, not any more. My next appointment was with my regular doctor about the pain. Finally! I had an x-ray done first, then later checked in at the doctor's office. All said and done, she didn't know why I was having pain and decided to send me to a physical therapy class. I would learn some exercises to help with mobility. I was given a prescription for ibuprofen and sent on my way. This was not the solution I was looking for. I wanted answers. Why the pain? Where is it coming from? Why did it start right after surgery? How can I get relief? So, I had a meltdown. Right in the middle of the Kaiser medical offices, I started crying and cried all the way to the car. I have been trying so hard to work with the program, do the treatments, keep a positive attitude, fight the fight. While on the inside all I feel is confusion, pain, heartache, inadequacy, frightened, alone, fatigued, and helpless. I feel like each doctor wants to thrust me on someone else, and sometimes I feel abandoned, by friends, by family. Having surgery to rid us of cancer and all the other treatments work, I know. But it leaves collateral damage that affects our quality of life in so many ways. I have a feeling that all of this collateral damage isn't going away anytime soon........... If you have had a similar experience with treatments or have any questions, please comment. I'd love to hear from you! |
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September 2017
AuthorSherri Dunning is a wife, mom, grandmother, and recent blogger. Follow along with her as she writes about her experience with breast cancer. |