DIEP 2013

Nihiha.... Thank you for the apology.

So the nap won!  Never took my walk...  Now that all the driving and cooking/cleaning is done for the day - schoolwork takes the front seat.

In case you missed it in the kerfuffle yesterday...  I am reposting this for my DD.  (Jackie - love that word!  It was one of my student's favorite words last year... we used it every chance we had!)  Thanks to those who have been able to respond so far!!  Interesting results are a'comin'!

Hugs,
 Jeannie

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Hello Survivor Friends!

My daughter Olivia has been working on an independent investigation project this year in school to investigate if/how stress might be related to breast cancer. She has found some interesting information, even some conflicting information. She has created a survey for survivors, in order to learn a little more about women's personal experiences. Could you please take a few minutes to fill out the brief survey linked below?

Thank you so much for your time! Please feel free to send this along to any other amazing survivors you know. She will close the survey late Wednesday, 5/8/13.

https://docs.google.com/a/student.whps.org/forms/d/1fCYM-XJGmtvBEDYiCAmKPdNntfkIUzWd9O5h1ckTqvA/viewform?sid=2385e630c222b0e8&token=I9ZfcD4BAAA.jxSyaLLNcj8TIEaitLW74A.ZMuakPyADoHc2drVrV5NEg

Gini23- I submitted your daughter's survey. Is this a science project? Glad to help her.



The countdown is on. 4 days to go.

Nihahi, you are welcome. I just needed to explain my part in all of this. Happy we can all move forward. You are right, I am feeling great after 11 weeks and apprehensive about my next procedure on Friday. I do tend to heal well and plan on this happening again. 💪



I am traveling to Chicago for this and will play in the city on Thursday. I will also be spending time with my son who lives there. His wife is bringing a quiche to my hotel room on Mothers Day Morning. Hope to feel well enough to come home that evening. (3 1/2 hour drive)

had interesting conversation with precertification dept at my insurance today. Have my tattoes scheduled for end of august with Vinnie. thought i would call them, give them the heads up they will probaby being paying for tats. took over hour on phone to explain things to them.

Thank you, Nihahi!! So glad you're back, with a beautiful post too. Onward!!

Thanks, Kuka!  Your situation is obviously a little different.  But in general, I don't know if BRCA positive would make a difference.  I  suppose that could have been one variable to look at.  Whether or not someone has a genetic marker, I think there are other things that contribute overall when cancer takes over...  habits, nutrition, sleep, stress....  just my opinion.  We'll see how her results turn out.  So far with 26 responses, we're 88% believing stress played a role.  36% "chronic daily life" and 56% "specific event."  

Thanks, Betsy!!  

Sbelizabeth,



Hope you're still biking away and doing great. Have your media friends who have been documenting your journey published articles yet?



Love your blog.

Thanks, Faith!

She is 12 - but wayyyyy beyond her years, God help me!

Gini23 - I just sent you a PM - hope that is OK.  And I completed the survey, too.

I am back and boy has a lot gone on while I was gone.  I'm glad everyone is back on board because you all saved me and made me sane before my surgery.

I am 2 weeks out and doing very well.  I am able to drive and do the school run which is about 1.6 km from our house so I am getting out but not far.  I attended my son's hockey lunch on Sunday which was a triumph because not only did I go but I GOT MY LAST DRAIN OUT AN HOUR BEFORE WE LEFT FOR IT!  Yeahhh.  I am healing well and am happy with my decision to do the DIEP.  I look amazing in my clothes (if I say so myself) and I put on shorts yesterday that I always thought were a wee bit too tight and my DH walked by and commented "You look great in those shorts!"  So progress is being made.  I am shocked by my hour-glass shape.  

I am following my chemo "program" . . .take kids to school, come home rest and nap, do a little errand or make dinner, pick up kids from school.  I am just saving my energy for "important stuff".  Laundry and a clean house are being done in a tag-team approach between DH and myself.  He does the heavy lifting and reaching and I do what I can.  We aren't hosting The Queen anytime soon so we can live with the house in chaos for a while!  I would rather nap than fold laundry.  

So things are going well here in Ontario.  My boobs and my stomach are healing nicely, my hair is growing in, I found stencils for my eyebrows (which are coming in, too), and little by little I am starting to feel like me again after a very long time.  

HHcats....you sound wonderful!!!! No royal visits expected here either, hence last nights dishes are still sitting in the sink! It was finally "hot" here yesterday, so instead of "chores" last night after supper, we went for out for ice cream cones!!!!! Rum and Raisin...my fav!

Lilyun - thanks for the kind words!  I am slowly getting back to my old self.

Nihahi - ice cream sounds terrific!  We are having a beautiful day here  I might have to take the kids after school . . .so what if their dinner is spoiled!  I am doing well and hope you are too.  It's slow going, isn't it?  You just have to take it as it comes which is a life lesson for me.  

Right now I am heading back to the school.  It is Catholic Education Week here and yesterday my son's class hosted the parents.  They did Bible Verse Fill-in-the-Blanks!  I was so relieved when I saw a children's Bible sitting on his desk.  I thought we were going to have to go from memory!  Today the kindergarten is hosting the parents.  My twins' class is singing songs (they sang "God is an Awesome Guy" to me this morning and it was just the cutest) and then we get to read with them.  I bought them a new Olivia the Pig book - she's a pig who likes to do it HER way and she's got her own style!  They will love it.  

I'm taking small steps in the right direction each day.  I think that is all we can hope for . . .

Robin

Marsha, best wishes for your surgery today. Sleep, rest, and heal soon.

HHCats, you have me very excited with your new figure - so happy for you, and that recovery is going so well. Don't worry about the house, and just light candles if company comes at night. It hides the dust - best tip I ever got!

Kuka, sorry that you are so scared, but hopefully you will be okay. Those new breasts are numb, right? So the scraping shouldn't really hurt much. The surgeon will probably give you something to numb even further. Maybe take pain medication before you go? I did that before every TE fill. Parents leaving is hard too. Hugs to you!

Nihahi, very hot here too, 30 degrees. Ice-cream is a must, dirty dishes not so much. Even if the queen comes visiting, she will have to take things as they are at my place. LOL. Too old to be fazed any more.

Hospital pharmacist and PS nurse called this morning to make sure of medications, and to tell me what to expect, what to do, and where to go for the surgery. Both of them so kind and caring. Feels really good to know everything is so well organized.

Faith - be kind to yourself and wait a full 6 weeks before exercising.  Give yourself more time to heal internally.  Your thighs won't really expand that much unless you are eating.  Take a walk.  My PS shared an app for my iphone that really has me considering what I do - Moves.  It tracks steps, running, biking, transpo in vehicle - everything I do in a day.  Walk, walk, walk!  Best way to heal and keep those thighs in line.