Moving on to the next phase of treatment.

With chemo well behind me I am moving on to the next phase. This is a picture from my last day of chemo. The t-shirt says "Yes, they're fake! (The real ones tried to kill me!) It was a big hit in the chemo room and at the plastic surgeon's office.

If you remember back to the original surgery I had, I developed an infection on the left side. After a subsequent surgery and antibiotics the plastic surgeon  decided to take the tissue expander out on the left side so I could get started on chemotherapy treatment.

With chemotherapy completed, I had surgery last Thursday to put the tissue expander back in to continue on with the reconstruction. The surgery was scheduled for 9:30 a.m. It went well and I was home around lunchtime. My friend Linda drove me to the out patient facility and back home again. She stayed with me and spoiled Shadow with treats. Linda is an animal lover too and carries dog treats in her pocket!

With the tissue expander back in place I can continue with the reconstruction process and be a little more "balanced". I've heard all of the jokes about being a unicorn, leaning to one side, and going in circles with only one breast being expanded. In a couple of months I will be expanded and ready for the next step.

In the meantime, I have an appointment Wednesday with the radiation oncologist. She will do measurements, etc. in preparation for my radiation treatments. I need to have 33 radiation treatments. The treatments will happen everyday Monday-Friday until I've had all of the treatments. My plan is to get all of the treatment out of the way in 2012. I want 2013 to be a fresh start!

Today's my last chemo!!

I was up early today - 4 a.m. - as I often am the day of chemo but this day is special - it's my last chemo treatment!! You would think it was Christmas morning! I see today as being one step closer to having all of this behind me. I want to get back to what will be my new normal. I want my energy back.

They say cancer changes you life. I think that's true. For me it's changing my life for the better. I have better clarity into my future and what I want to do with my life. They always say "there's no time like the present". That saying becomes a lot more meaningful post-cancer. My family has always been important to me but they are even more important now. Their unwaivering support and always being just a phone call away can't be measured.

Today and tomorrow are supposed to be rainy in San Diego so it will be a good time for me to go through my normal chemo side-effects: sleep, watch Lifetime movies; sleep some more; get caught up on Grey's Anatomy; and of course, sleep some more. This time will be different though because it's the last time I'll have to go through it!

The next set - get the port removed from my chest. Get a new tissue expander put in to continue on the reconstruction path. Meet with the radiation oncologist to get set up to start radiation. Radiation should start in early November. I've heard it can make you tired but it's nothing like chemo. I'm really hoping to get all of the treatment out of the way by Christmas. It will make for a great New Year's Eve!

Chemo update.

I am far overdue in sending out an update on the latest so I'll give you a snapshot of the past couple of weeks.

Last weekend, Sept 24th and 25th I spent a wonderful weekend in Minneapolis where my really good-looking nephew Andrew and the lovely Emily got married. It was really nice fall-like weather with lots of warm sunshine on their outdoor wedding. It was great for me to get to see so many of my family members. I haven't seen most of them in a couple of years. With everything that's gone on this past year I really needed to see them. I realized when I was there how much they all needed to see me as well. You know that feeling of seeing someone who hasn't been well and how once you see them and "put your eyes on them" you know they are going to be OK. That's how it felt. Courtney also made the drive from Chicago to Minneapolis so I was able to see her as well. She hadn't had the opportunity to see her mom's bald head or fashionable wigs!

All of this wonderfulness did come at a price. I caught a cold when I got back to San Diego. Because I had a cold the chemo nurses wouldn't let me get my final chemo treatment last week! I tried to convince them that I would be fine. It turns out they weren't worried about me they were worried about me making the other chemo patients sick! Believe me, I called and begged for chemo. I'm sure they don't get that call everyday.

Anyway, chemo has been re-scheduled for this week Wednesday, October 5th. I CAN'T WAIT! I am so excited about getting this phase of treatment out of the way. As it turned out, I was home in bed part of last week trying to get over my cold. I was feeling pretty miserable and couldn't imagine dealing with the chemo issues as well. Darn those nurses - they are always right!

Right after my very last chemo this week is our Peregrine Breast Cancer Bake Sale. We started this event three years ago as a way of raising money for my friend Jessie who does the Breast Cancer 3-Day here in San Diego every year. Little did I every imagine three years ago that I too would be benefiting from this Bake Sale. This isn't just any bake sale. We usually raise about $1,200-$1,500. You see, there are a lot of men at my company and they all LOVE to eat. Our bake sale is not only bake goods but soups, sandwiches, lasagna, and other Asian dishes. The bake sale will be on Monday, October 10th. So many of the people I work with have commented to me how I put a face with the realities of breast cancer. I have to agree. I didn't in my wildest dreams ever think I would be dealing with breast cancer in my lifetime.

More updates to come AFTER MY LAST CHEMO!  Next it's surgery to put me back together again then radiation treatments.