Coming back for Round 2

So...where to begin. About two weeks ago I noticed a nodule on my left breast.  Since I had an appointment with Dr. Kumar in a few days, I didn't say anything to anyone. He immediately noticed the lump and we both stared at each other for a minute or so.  "I don't like this", he said..."me either", I responded. He sent me for a mammogram and an ultrasound.  Both tests came back suspicious. Two days later I underwent a core biopsy.  The diagnosis??  Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma in the left breast. Damm!  After five years of NED (No Evidence of Disease)...it's back. Breast Cancer is the pits.  On Thursday I had a radical mastectomy of my left breast.  Today is Tuesday....early morning. I still have a drain..I have not slept all night and I have reached the angry stage.  I am furious that this horrible disease I fought so hard to rid myself of is back and taking up residence in my body again.  Lot's of thoughts fight for control....did I not eat a good enough diet, did I not exercise enough, was I too glib about beating it the first time.  Of course I know none of that has contributed to this diagnosis...I know that my chances of the cancer coming back were high and I am pretty sure I couldn't control this outcome. I am mostly angry because my husband is also not well and is facing a serious surgery soon. I HAVE to be able to care for him.  I am worried about having chemo again...it decimated me the last go round and I hated radiation.  I won't have those answers about treatment for week or so. I just read this over....I, I, I,  geez what a pity party I am giving myself.  Ok...I will step back...look at this in perspective and come up with a game plan.  I restarted this blog because so many of my wonderful friends and family have called, sent card and letters, emails and stopped by.  I am overwhelmed and am having some problems responding, but I do want you all to know that it means so much to know you are thinking of us and pulling for us.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.  I will check in again try to make this blog a fun place to be...not a pity party.

Getting onto South Beach

Well, WW didn't work for me this time. I was always hungry....so South Beach here I come! I have a friend who lost a lot of weight on SB and recommended that I try it. This month I have had 2 doctors tell me in no uncertain terms to LOSE the spare tire. It's great having a buddy to try new recipes with, to talk to for advice and to commiserate with when you get dejected.  We both started this on Thursday and I have already lost weight and some of the belly fat. I am totally psyched. The first two weeks with no sugar, no carbs, no fruit are tricky...but it is doable. The one thing I have noticed is that I am NOT hungry on this diet..correction...my friend says it's a way of life ...not a diet. I will post my menus here by week and hope it might help someone else.

"Belly Fat"

So...I signed up for Weightwatchers....and have been going now for a few weeks. Tonite I fell off the wagon, but I will get back up tomorrow. I have lost a few pounds this month and have about 20 or more to go, but more importantly I already feel a little bit better. I was carrying around that dreaded "belly fat" and it was not helping my already taxed lungs. Losing that will make it so much easier to breathe. Tonite we went out with friends and wound up at Chilis...hey guys, try to find something there to eat that is "diet friendly"....a real problem. I have a weigh in on Saturday morning....let you know how I make out then.

Life Lessons at an Early Age.

"The original edition of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten became an instant classic, dominating the New York Times Bestseller List for all of 1989 and much of 1990. This collection of essays was the second longest #1 bestseller in 23 years. The essays reflect the truth in everyday form - here is one of the best.





Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday school. These are the things I learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living. Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm.

Think what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had as a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess. And it is true, no matter how old you are - when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

Quoted from: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten; written by Robert Fulghum.

Getting On With It!!

Wow! I havn't posted in such a long time and so many things have happened to us. First of all...healthwise...I am great! I had a PETSCAN on December 28th and show NO EVIDENCE OF DISEASE! I am shouting because that is the greatest Christmas present one can receive. I have a few problems...side effects from the drugs. I have neuropathy in both hands and my feet....am on meds for that - although the Doctors feel that is a permanent condition. I also have lyphodema in my right arm...a side effect from the surgury....that is also a permanent condition. But....I have a full head of hair, I am back at work full time and running around like I have always done with meetings, clients and friends.

Work??? We left Century 21 and moved to Prudential Tropical Realty. PruTrop, as it is known locally, is the largest real estate company in this area. We have 15 offices locally, from St. Pete to Spring Hill. We have been overwhelmed with what the company offers and absolutely love our new Broker-Manager. Laurie is the former owner of Marie Powell, Inc. and sold her company to PruTrop last year. She now manages the office we are working in. I have been made CDM for the Spring Hill office (Career Development Manager) which is very nice....my job there is to recruit. A big task in this market...but something I think I can sink my teeth into.

So...life since January 1 has been very busy....learning a new office's policy and procedures, getting back into listing and selling in a down market, dealing with the side effects of the last years treatments, working for the Center for Independence (I am on the Board of Directors there) and I am also on the Board of Directors for the Orchids of Radcliffe Homeowners Assoc., plus I am the chairman of the social committee for that group. But....being busy is such a blessing for me...I will never complain...it sure beats laying on a couch wishing I had the energy to get up and move across the room...and feeling so sick that I thought I would never feel well again. I am truly blessed. Dr. Al'Kafaji said "You beat the odds!" - "I did not have high hopes for you." Dr. Kumar said "I am in awe of women that go thru cancer treatment like you had - that keep your smile and spirits up, despite the trauma that we put you thru." So - with that my friends - that blip on my radar is done. Time to get on with it.

Glad it's over - Let's Party!!

I am sooo glad this election is over. Now I am interested in the political scene, I try to follow the major candidates and issues and I always make my way to the polls and vote. But this year.....egad .....21 months of this stuff was quite enough. We have real issues in this country, between the wars, the economy....and personally the real estate industry mess is affecting my income bigtime. But - it's time to have some laughs, some fun and enjoy a good time. In my web surfing I came across this traditional wedding dance of a bride and groom. I don't know them....but I sure would like to. These people know how to have a good time. I am betting that this marriage lasts forever. Check it out!

Reach to Recovery

I have joined the Amercian Cancer Society and finished my training to become a Reach to Recovery Volunteer. I came home yesterday, after finishing my training, so excited about this program. This is a way to "give back" to other newly diagnosed breast cancer patients....to help someone over the rough spots and to lend a shoulder when necessary and an ear to listen.

For more than 35 years, the American Cancer Society Reach to Recovery program has helped people cope with their breast cancer experience. This experience begins when someone is faced with the possibility of a breast cancer diagnosis and continues throughout the entire period that breast cancer remains a personal concern. When people first find out they have breast cancer, they may feel overwhelmed, vulnerable, and alone. While under this stress, many people must also learn about and try to understand complex medical treatments and then choose the best one. Talking with a specially trained Reach to Recovery volunteer at this time can give a measure of comfort and an opportunity for emotional grounding and informed decision-making.

Volunteers are breast cancer survivors who give patients and family members an opportunity to express feelings, talk about fears and concerns, and ask questions of someone who is knowledgeable and level-headed. Most importantly, Reach to Recovery volunteers offer understanding, support, and hope because they themselves have survived breast cancer and gone on to live normal, productive lives.

Through face-to-face visits or by phone, Reach to Recovery volunteers give support for:
a. people recently diagnosed with breast cancer
b. people facing a possible diagnosis of breast cancer
c. those interested in or who have undergone a lumpectomy or mastectomy
d. those considering breast reconstruction
e. those who have lymphedema
f. those who are undergoing or who have completed treatment such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy
g. people facing breast cancer recurrence or metastasis (the spread of cancer to another part of the body)

Volunteers are trained to give support and up-to-date information, including literature for spouses, children, friends, and other loved ones. Volunteers can also, when appropriate, provide breast cancer patients with a temporary breast form and information on types of permanent prostheses, as well as lists of where those items are available within a patient’s community. No products are endorsed.

For those who know me, you know I have decried for months about the lack of services in Pasco. Well....that will now change. Another gal, from Miami, who was a Reach volunteer there, recently relocated to Pasco and will now become the Reach coordinator for West Pasco. We didn't have a coordinator till now....The North Pinellas Coordinator was pitching in and trying to cover Pasco and it's 400 plus requests this year for service. There is such a crying need for help here - hopefully we can get this program working for our needy West Pasco residents.