The Cancer Compass

 Hi all.  This week has been heavy because things are getting down to the wire and I've had to make some life changing medical decisions that no one should ever have to make. It also really sunk in how rare this breast cancer is. 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer. 1%-5% of those women get diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. Even then it is said to be more common in Black women or those with higher body mass. I also always read that breastfeeding lowered the chances of getting breast cancer and I did that three times.. two of those times were extended breast feeding journeys.... so how did I end up with this?!?!  I guess I said all of that to say this, the treatment for cancer is not one size fits all either. And in my case, I was given some options. All of which sucked to be honest. I was choosing between options I didn't want altogether. How do you even decide? Do you want one breast or both removed? Do you want to increase your risks of complications ...

So many appointments. My head is spinning trying to keep track. I am driving to Nashville most days for my appointments now but that's okay because I LOVE the mastectomy surgeon I have found. He's been following through with everything he says he's going to do and he is thinking of all my options.  Praise reports since my last blog.. WE FOUND A PLASTIC SURGEON. I met with him and he was great. Unfortunately, he cannot perform a DIEP flap surgery for me but I won't be able to get that until 6-12 months after radiation is completed anyway. BUT I have him for what I need currently and I really liked him. In fact, another breast cancer patient saw me in the waiting room there and told me what a great experience she had with him. That gave me hope.  Breast MRI still shows cancer but much better than before chemo. It has shrunk a lot! I had the biopsy done today and he is hopeful things will be fine. Fingers crossed there! The last thing on the list is meeting with the radiat...

Where do I even begin... CHEMO IS OVER: Having chemo every week really took it out of me. BUT that is over. 16 rounds from October through March!!! Let's celebrate that! My nurses were WONDERFUL. They were definitely the bright spots every treatment. As much as I loved the nurses, I hope I never have to do chemo again. However, at all my recent appointments they have mentioned the chances of this cancer coming back are rather high... can't a girl just have a win before we start talking about all that? Anyway... The last two rounds really took a tole on my hands. They were swollen, achy, and it was very hard to grip anything. It kind of became a joke between the kids and I to see if mommy could open something. As the days pass I still very much feel the effects of the chemo throughout my body. It's really weird because symptoms come and go and every day is different. I guess this could go on for years off and on..but I am hoping to feel really good eventually...I've hear...

 I've been meaning to write a blog for awhile. I have chemo every week now and it has been harder to do anything extra outside of life or death responsibilities. So this will be short and sweet. Chemo every week is kicking my butt. As well as some other life altering personal relationships. Everything is getting harder to manage. I don't have any scans scheduled at this time and as much as I want to give you all an update, I don't even have that update for myself. I have asked for more scans and they keep telling me no. They keep telling me to focus on the part of treatment that I am in. If it feels like a long road for all of you, imagine how I feel. I don't have any more answers at this time. I can, unfortunately, tell you I am nowhere close to being done with this battle. That's all I got for now. 

 First post of 2026! Happy New Year!  My new chemo has started. The name is "TAXOL".... short for "paclitaxel" for those of you who want to look it up. I have the second of 12 cycles tomorrow! As of right now they are going to be every Friday at 9:30 am. Last week I did the first cycle and it knocked me out during the treatment time (they give Benadryl through my port and it acted fast!) BUT I had more energy after and felt more coherent the entire weekend! It wasn't until Monday I started feeling the achy effects. They say this chemo's side effects are normally bone pain and neuropathy in the hands and feet. Let's pray against that one specifically because I would love to get back to work sooner rather than later and I need my hands to be working for that to happen!!  For a solid two days my body couldn't regulate its temperature and I was so itchy! I felt extremely cold to the bone and couldn't warm up without my heated blanket. Other times I w...

I have tried to blog so many times and haven't quite been able to find the words. I didn't write this but I heard it on a video today and it has stuck with me so I thought I'd share: "What a weird year. I have somehow been the happiest and the saddest that I've ever been. I have learned how to let go and how to hold on at the same time. I've lost versions of myself I thought I'd be forever and met new ones I never expected. There were days that broke me and days that stitched me back together in quiet ways. I loved. I healed. I tried again. And somehow even after everything my heart still believes in beautiful endings."  The new year is approaching and I know 2026 is going to be filled with at least 3 months of weekly chemo, multiple surgeries lasting another 3 months or so, radiation, and physical therapy. The thing is.... for some reason when life hits me it really likes to hit hard. It is almost comical how things pile up at once. If you know you kn...