Overdue haircut pics

So these are the pics taken after my very first post-chemo haircut. My hair is longer now, and I have since had another haircut, plus I dyed my hair red but it's hard to notice.

I'm having another haircut on Friday so maybe I'll post more pics after that one.

I'm also trying to work on getting rod of that double chin - it's been a life-long project for me... ha ha.

No uterine cancer for me!

So I met with the doc yesterday who did confirm that my biopsy results were negative and so no cancer worries there. I did challenge him to ask why he recommended the Mirena IUD since the packaging says not for breast cancer patients. He said they were WRONG.... HMMMMM

Anyway, he was going on a spiel about the way the hormone works etc. and talking about progesterone vs estrogen and then I interrupted him and explained that my cancer was estrogen AND progesterone positive... which stopped him in his tracks.

So I explained that, plus the fact that my GP and Oncologist both nixed hormone options for me - and so he moved onto offering me the ablation - which is what I've been expecting all along.

They put a balloon into the uterus and fill it with hot water to scald the lining so that it doesn't build up so much. It's day surgery - but they do have to put me under again.

I'm starting to wonder if being put under general anaesthesia so frequently can be dangerous for me.... I put it in the inquiry of the surgery papers so I guess we'll find out!

Also, today I met with my plastic surgeon who yet AGAIN thanked me for 'pushing' him into the other surgery because it looks so good. He gave me the option today of a gel-like implant or a liquid-type implant. I chose gel. One looks better and one feels better. I went for looks. Plus the gel-type doesn't have any leaking danger.

So that's it for now!

Vertigo...or, as Cam says, Verti-stop

So, this past weekend I have developed a mild case of vertigo. It is a little better today than it was yesterday morning - but still there.

Bouts of dizziness - but no nausea, thank goodness. It is irritating because I don't feel confident to drive since I generally am not walking in a straight line...

If it persists, I will visit the doc to have him check my ears for infection.

We also had our flyball tournament which was a great success. Thanks to those who provided items for our raffle table!

Our website is now easier b/c we bought a domain name: www.flyingsquad.ca

Bored in the night....

Was at a party last night - up late - but NOT hungover! But just tired enough that I fell asleep earlier this evening for a nap JUST long enough to cause me to be awake now.

Actually, I did try sleeping already and then I was hearing weird noises that made me think someone was walking around on my back deck. Finally, I cautiously peeked out the blinds in my spare room but - alas - nothing.... but of course, no sleep in the near future now!

So, I can now finally report back that my thyroid medication did not do much to help with my menorraghia. I suspect the level of medication will increase once my results are analyzed by the doc - and perhaps a higher dose will make some kind of impact - but, I honestly am not really expecting it to. Will see the 'lady doc' next week to report this to him.

I was supposed to see my plastic surgeon this morning but they've cancelled all the appointments b/c he got really sick and had emergency surgery. Didn't ask what with and they didn't volunteer. He was supposed to go to Guatamala for 3 weeks and that got cancelled. Must be pretty serious!

Oh good - I'm yawning..... maybe I'll try this sleeping business again!

Flyball!

So most people reading my blog probably realize that we are heavy into 'flyball' which is a relay sport for dogs. My team is called 'The Flying Squad' - we are the regional champions for the last four years running, and came second in the 'Worlds' in Phoenix in 2008.

Our dog, Molly, is the anchor dog on the Division 1 team - she is expert at running flyball and can run 102 feet in under 4 seconds.

Our team website is www.flyingsquad.ca This is a website I designed (with some help from a kind young woman I found on Craigslist) to help us promote our sport. I realize it is very 'basic' - if any of you readers have an interest in website building and think you can get us something better / fancier / more professional - I will NOT be offended at the offer!!!

Anyway, our team is hosting its annual flyball tournament on November 6 & 7 at the Cloverdale Rodeo in the Showbarn. One of the ways we raise money to support our team is that we have a raffle table at our tournament.

We are in the process of gathering prizes to offer for raffle and I am asking any of you if you have anything to donate for this purpose. The items don't always have to be brand new - second hand but in good condition is acceptable. Personally, I assess my prize choices by asking myself if it is something that I wouldn't mind winning in a basket - even if it's 'second hand'.

New stuff is always preferable - but when you're asking for donations, you can't be picky!!! LOL

Anyway, if you have some items that aren't 'garbage' but that you wanted to get rid of and feel this is a 'good cause' to do it, please let me know and I will arrange to pick up!! awesumrossum@hotmail.com

Thanks!

I think it's a good sign

Today I had a thyroid ultrasound. The ultrasound office is in the same building as my gyno so I popped by to book an appointment to review my uterine biopsy results.

The receptionist pulled my file to ensure the results were there - and they were and they were signed off by the doctor. She explained that when 'normal' test results come in, they get signed off by the doc and then filed - no specific appointment to discuss is required. So that tells me that the biopsy results were clean and there is nothing for me to worry about.

However, I am not planning on relying solely on that for comfort - I booked an appointment. I want to talk to him about those results. And hopefully report back to him on my other issue now that I have been on the thyroid meds for awhile. And have the opportunity to ask him why the hell he suggested the hormone IUD.

I guess now I'll just be hoping that I don't need to worry about the results of my thyroid ultrasound either....

I saw an oncologist last week (barely since I forgot the appointment and had to race in there almost after hours).... and he said that my last heart scan was good - and also that my mammogram results came back with nothing for me to worry about. So THAT'S good news. Especially since the radiation oncologist had warned me that after my breast reduction, they would probably freak out because everything had changed and call me in for tests etc.

My appointment isn't until November 9 - so I'll probably post to update you guys of the confirmed results then also. I wanted to leave enough time for my cycle to work its way around & have something to report back to the doc on.

Since all my physical ailments are an open book (or blog, I guess), I will report that the first couple of weeks on the thyroid meds had left me with terrible cramping & pooping problems. Excruciating pain daily and requiring an almost full-time hot water bottle for awhile there. But over the last few days that problem seems to have resolved itself. I am REALLY glad about that - because that is the worst pain ever. (that I've experienced).... well, I wasn't really very happy when I got cold in the hospital and started shivering just hours after surgery either - that was also very painful.....

But they say that labour & giving birth is the worst pain - obviously I'm no expert there - however, I'm guessing that severe 'poop cramps' are akin to labour pains. Especially since I had that wonderful experience of using that medication to open my cervix before the biopsy. And the insert on those pills said they were used for inducing labour. And the cramps I had then - and also resulting poop problems again - give me an idea of what labour must feel like. Maybe not full knowledge - but an inkling at least. Which, of course, makes me feel confident that I made the right choice not to have kids. HA HA.

You know, I have been having WAY too many conversations about poop the last couple of weeks. My poor friends. And nevermind my friends....while at chemo last week, I had to report all my issues to the nurse as they always ask if I've been having any problems. And since I walked into chemo with a hot water bottle on my stomach, I had to spill why. And of course, I then had to explain all those other gyno problems to explain the labour-inducing pills and resulting ongoing poop problems and that we're hoping the thyroid meds will solve everything etc. etc. etc. But this discussion was held in the 'pod' - which holds 2 - 3 chairs, which is open to the next pod holding 2 - 3 chairs - and all those chairs had asses in them. So after I gave the rundown, I felt I had to make a comment that the entire chemo room now knows all about my gynecelogical, poop & thyroid issues. What a treat for everyone. Then the lady across from me said 'I could write a BOOK on hypothyroidism'..... as if that was the problem I was most embarrassed about sharing..... ?!?

But then she also went on to say that I should just be thankful that I don't have Graves Disease which makes your eyes bulge out and point in different directions. UMMM - is that a weird thing to say in a chemo room? I think yes. So I said 'like Marty Feldman'? - I don't think she answered me - but of course I couldn't help but look at her eyes thinking she must have said it for a reason. And her eyes WERE a little bulgy - but nothing I would have noticed if she hadn't made the comment - and certainly they weren't pointing in different directions.

So I guess we obviously both had cancer since we were getting chemo, and we both have hypothyroidism since everyone heard everything I said and she could write a book about it (she actually said she was one of the rare cases that almost died and had lost some mental function.... hmmmmmmmmmm LOL) - and so she means thank goodness I don't have Graves Disease as well as the other two like she does.

Just like my own GP explaining hypothyroidism by saying 'put it this way, if I had to pick a disease, this would be the one I would pick'. To which I replied, 'yes, I wish I only had to worry about ONE disease. I would definitely pick that one too!!!!'

But now I can go around saying 'at least I don't have Graves Disease'. That's some comfort anyway.....

Never a dull moment!!!

Which came first - the chicken or the egg?

I have been taking iron supplements for well over a year. Since the addition of my thyroid medication, it has become a little more complicated because you can't take iron with thyroid med or it will affect the absorption of the thyroid med into my system.

So I was Googling how much iron supplement I should be taking at one time. When I was taking 3 pills per day, I would try for morning, supper and bedtime. I can't take it in the morning anymore and then I often forget the rest of the time - so wondered if I was allowed to take all three at once.... (no answer on that as yet - will save the question for my GP).

Anyway, in doing that research, I was learning about the difference between anemia and low iron and low ferritin (I won't bore you with it) - but found it VERY interesting reading low iron can be a result of CANCER cells 'stealing' the iron from your body.

I have always assumed my low iron was due to that heavy bleeding I described earlier. Now I wonder if the heavy bleeding was due to the thyroid and the low iron was because of the cancer.

It's mind-boggling since I have also wondered if the thyroid issue is caused by the cancer treatment, or did I have that before. And since a low thyroid causes more 'thyroid stimulating HORMONE' to be created by my pituitary gland, and since I had a cancer that was fed by hormones, is my thyroid issue the cause of my cancer? Or a contributing factor to the aggressive nature of it?

ARGH...!

I never get straight answers from the doctors. I am very happy with all the treatment I have received but one thing that gets me is it is the same for all the doctors - no one will really commit to anything.

My radiation oncologist tells me that taking birth control pills probably did not contribute to my cancer since bcp regulate hormones and so probably kept them more constant than mass influxes of hormone. I told that theory to my GP who felt very skeptically about this theory and is pretty much convinced that the pills were a contributing factor.

I've got the gyno telling me that it's ok to use a hormone-iud, and both my GP and oncologist said NO. The onc tried to 'soft sell' it by saying that 'technically, they don't know for sure the effect of progestin on hormone positive cancers but it is best not to risk it'.

I was once diagnosed with an 'elevated sedimentation rate'. I'm not even sure what the hell that is - but when they retested me, I was told it was ok and don't worry. That was the original doc - the only one that pissed me off - and she was leaving on vacation so I am not convinced that it was NOT something to worry about - but she didn't want to deal with me.....

Perhaps the "ESR" was not an indicator on its own, but combined with my massive mood swings (hormonal????) plus low iron - someone might have thought to check for cancer before I found a big lump, don't you think?

I guess they assume the easy things first. But it is all a little disconcerting. Now I am left wondering that if I had low iron because cancer cells were using it up, when I am taking 900mg of iron supplements, am I potentially feeding/encouraging cancer again? Just like they don't want me taking hormones, maybe I shouldn't be on iron supplements. Then again, your body NEEDS iron.... so I don't know. I have a list started from my GP but I honestly am not expecting any enlightenment... even though I really like my GP.

I know I said in posts way early on to be careful of what you read on the Internet in relation to cancer, as it is extremely scary reading - and my actual experience was never as scary as what can be read online. However, when you finally DO get to the stage of wanting to know things, you can't really get anything from real doctors and so you are left resorting to Internet research and freaking yourself out. I feel like I have gone through all this treatment without really knowing anything much about cancer.

I guess I know a lot more than many other people - but I know more about the process and how things work as far as treatment goes. I don't really KNOW what has actually happened to me. I don't know why Herceptin is supposed to help me. I guess I get a little that Tamoxifen is an estrogen blocker - and if my cancer wants estrogen, blocking it seems like a good idea. But again, what if my cancer wants iron????

I need to get some answers. If I actually get anything useful, I'll let you guys know....