Update on life after chemo

It has been eight weeks tomorrow since I received my last chemo dose. It is hard to believe. I am feeling pretty much back to normal, except for the vertigo. I still struggle with it a bit, but it is nothing compared to how I was feeling as a whole while still receiving the chemo. I am extremely thankful to be feeling so well.

The CT chest, abdomen, and pelvis was negative - no signs of cancer of metastases anywhere. My CA-125 (a blood marker that helps them determine if cancer recurs) was low, which is good. This was all on June 28, when I met with my oncologist, Dr. Page.

I was set up for followup with Dr. Vasques, a gynecologic oncologist, for physical exams. I was a little surprised to hear that I would still be getting Pap smears. I honestly did not know what to expect after them removing all my "female parts." I still am not sure I quite understand it. However, I did meet with her and was very impressed with her, even though my head was spinning a bit by the time I left.

She gave me so much information to take in...I cannot remember it all now...but by the time I left her clinic, I was set up for appointments with a genetic counselor, a nutritionist, a psychotherapist, and also to get my CA-125 checked again. I was told that I needed to get the CA-125 checked once a month and I need to see Dr. Vasques for a Pap smear every three months. Then at six months, she wants another CT.

After I had a few days to process everything, I called them back to cancel the genetic counseling because I had decided not to do that. In the meantime, the counselor herself called me because she had not gotten word that I canceled. We actually wound up having a good talk over the phone. It had seemed to me that everyone was really pushing for me to get this to see if I am genetically "marked" for breast cancer. I asked Darren, "What are they going to do if I am? Lop them off???" LOL  Well, the counselor explained that there were extra steps and precautions they take if someone is genetically marked for breast cancer. She also calmed my concerns about the cost. After talking with her, I think I may reconsider in about three months, after life is a little more back in order...maybe (cause does life really ever get back in order?).

I also cancelled the meeting with the nutritionist because Darren and I had already met with her. I did call her, however, and had a good talk with her as well. She is having a six-week class called "Navigating Nutrition" this fall that is free. She goes into more detail about what she told us when she met with us the first time. I asked her to please let me know when it starts. It is actually open to the public, which I think is great.

I left the psychotherapist appointment set for now because...well...I am still debating that one. LOL

So, in the meantime, I am watching my hair grow out and am surprised that so far it seems to be pretty much the same as before I lost it. It is still early though and I would not be surprised at all if it starts to curl on me. Right now, it literally feels like ultra soft baby hair.

I am also back to working full-time and even covered some doctors for a couple of ladies that took some time off within the last couple of weeks. That felt really good - to be able to help someone else out instead of them constantly having to bail me out because I could not work at the last minute. I am so very thankful to have the health, strength, and stamina to be working like this again.

I work on stuff around the house as I have the energy, but lately, I have become obsessed with crabgrass in the yard. We have an open field behind our backyard fence and crabgrass has started invading the back yard. I also noticed a couple of patches in the front yard. I read where if you allow it to continue, it will eventually kill off all of your grass and you will have a yard full of crabgrass.

I have been using two methods to get rid of it. One is to pour boiling hot water on it. I had read this somewhere, and believe it or not, it works! Of course, it kills a little bit of the grass as well, but not enough to really damage it. The other method has been just digging it up, one at a time.

At one point, I had been working on it and when I stopped for the day, I looked at all the crabgrass along the back fence and thought for a minute that I was fighting a losing battle--that there was no way I could beat this crabgrass.

Then it hit me how much my walk with Christ is like that. There are constantly things that pop up, seemingly sometimes out of nowhere, that cause me to trip and oftentimes fall. But I am learning that there are things that need to be "weeded out" just like the crabgrass in order for His Spirit to continue to grow stronger inside me. If I give up and allow those things to grow and multiply in my life, it starts to crowd Him out. I have to work daily at getting rid of the sins that so easily beset me so that He can increase and I can decrease, just as getting rid of the crabgrass allows the regular grass to grow and flourish.

Hebrews 12:1b (KJV)
"let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us"

So, let's all go kill some crabgrass! LOL

Testing, testing...

This is a test of the new blogging system. This is only a test. If this were a real blog, you would be notified where to go to read it. This is only a test.

goodness, someone is getting goofy...lol