Team DeAnne

I’m still having computer problems, and that’s why my postings have been so few.  But every day I have so much that I look forward to!  I could write something every day and still have things to say.  But for now, I’ll keep it to major updates.

For one, I like to think that cancer is all behind me now.  Yet a part of my mind says that I’ll never be free of it.  One oncologist that I consulted with confirmed that…that the people with “hormone-receptor positive” cancers tend to have more recurrences.  BUT!!!  I’m doing everything that I can to stay healthy.  There’s this wonderful book I read when I was first diagnosed, called “50 Things To Do If You Have Cancer”.  When I was too scared to sleep at night, I stayed up and read this, and other books like it.  I implemented the six things on the author’s Wellness Pyramid:

I)  I went to the best doctors I could find, and when my insurance decided to be poopy, my lovely yet ferocious sister came up with a plan.  I have recieved the best medical care available!  I feel like my doctors are part of my team.  I respect them and sometimes even do what they tell me to do! 

II)  Exercise!  I no longer do it because I ate too many skittles at the movies the other night.  Nor do I eercise to fit my clothes.  These days I exercise for the sheer thrill of being truly alive in the moment, and in Nature!  Is there anything more life-affirming than a run through the wildflowers?  Acting like a healthy person is being a healthy person!  Besides, when people start to give me that sad little “How are you, dear?”, I get a gloating, obnoxious bad-ass feeling when I can say, “Oh, I’m doing well!  I just ran 6 miles and swam another!  How are you?”

III)  I have completely re-worked my diet, from being a “pizza-terian”, consuming large amounts of frozen pizza and vegetarian taco bell, to being a fairly strict macrobiotic vegan. This diet plan wouldn’t make everyone happy, but it works for me.

IV)I’ve done a major overhaul on my attitude!  I’ve learned to make time for fun times with my friends and to celebrate the good times.  If there don’t appear to be any good times on the horizon, then I’ve learned to make some! 

V) I’ve learned to surround myself with love and support. I now trust that I am worthy of that!  I’ve learned that I’m not an island, that I am loved, unconditionally, by many.  I’ve learned to be more loving, and to live in the moment.  (I used to always long for the glories ofthe past, or wish for a brighter future…but having had cancer, you learn really quick that all any of us has is RIGHT NOW!) Are we going to live in the moment, and use our powers for good or evil, Hahaha!?

VI) I’ve never been a religious person.  But I have found my place on this planet, become comfortable, and have come to appreciate the positive and downright miraculous side of our Universe.  Cancer or not, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, because I’m pretty darn content! (it’s been proven that happy people don’t get recurrences as much!  Hooray for Happiness!) 

OTHER NEWS:

My hair is still MIA, except for a sort of 5:00 shadow.  But I have eyebrows and eyelashes!  I woke up this morning, and lo and behold, they’re back!  Woohoo!

I went for my post-surgery appointment with the reconstruction surgeon.  All’s well, doing fine, can’t complain.  BUT!  he said no running or swimming for at least another two weeks.  GRRRR!  I’m feeling the lack of endorphins.  I can go for little short walks, he said.  (He’d probably be mad at me if he found out I’ve been walking 4 to 6 miles each day, at a 17 minute pace, on hills.)  He said I could go to the gym, but only if I lifted no more than 5 pounds on either side.  Shoot!  Why bother, then?  (What about the 40 pound sacks of groceries I’ve been hoisting?) 

At this rate, the plastic surgeon’s gonna have to work his magic on the rest of me, since I’ve been sitting around so much!  I haven’t put on weight since the surgery, but I feel sloppy and dumpy.  Sigh…this too shall pass!

Then there was the big stink about starting Tamoxifen.  I hate using any kind of unnatural substance.  And I’ll need to take this medicine once daily for the next five years, to prevent a recurrence.  I know a few people who are also taking it, and they haven’t had any serious side effects.  But I’ve read about the scary stuff it can sometimes cause.  I also know that, by law, doctors and pharmacists have to tell the patient all about these “rare but serious side effects that may occur”.  It shouldn’t have surprised me that the pharmacist handed me a textbook-sized pamphlet about Tamoxifen, and all the nasty things it could do.  She went over it all in detail.  She kept saying that there are risks and if I’ve been prescribed this medicine that hopefully the benefits outweigh the risks.  I explained that I’ve already had treatment, and this wasn’t just to prevent a cancer to occur.  With trepidation, I took the first little pill that night, right before bed, so that, in the words of the pharmicist, I could “hopefully sleep through the worst of the side-effects”.  It was tiny, about the size of a baby aspirin.  How bad could this be?!  I ate a raw carrot, to top off my ten servings of veggies for the day, did some core exercises while watching the 10 o’clock news, and went to bed. 

the next morning I awoke, well-rested and happy, ready for breakfast, a bit sad to  not be able to run for yet another day…but also gald to see that I haven’t turned into a werewolf or anything, yet!  See Chapter One, in the above-mentioned book, “Stop Awfulizing!”

I think I’m bullet-proof!  Roar!  Or maybe I’m medicine proof!   

So far, all’s well.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.