Well I guess it's about time for an update. Things have been a little crazy and hectic. Ok, so on 9/19 my brother and I drove to Gainesville to stay the night so I could get up bright and early to go to the hospital at 6a.m. I had a date with the plastic surgeon to get some new boobies. Things went according to plan and the were on time with just about everything they said. The doctor came in and marked up my skin with what his plan was. Oh, and by the way, he is a big time Gator fan. I really didn't hold that against him as I have heard alot about his success and credentials as a surgeon. And he is a very nice guy. I did tell him before taking me back that I did not want to wake up with any Gator attributes. He said he could make my boobs into Gator heads that would chomp now and then. It was actually quite funny. Ok, so surgery was to start at 8a and last till it was done. All I remember is being wheeled down the hall. He finished at 6:15 p. Yes, 10 hours. But he said everything went great and he was able to do what he expected. Then in recovery for a couple of hours. I don't think I got out of there until close to 10p and up to PCU, Progressive care unit. Similar to ICU but not as serious. I think it was about 11:30 by the time I was finally settled. The first 24 hours the nurse has to come in and use a doppler to listen to each boob to hear the blood vessels working. It sounds almost like a baby's hearbeat when you're pregnant. Not a whole lot of sleep. They also have to check your vitals, tempature, etc. Well the first 24 hours I did get a fever that eventually got up to 102 which is not uncommon. I had gotten one after my mastectomy surgery as well. So the next day, Tues, I have to get out of bed and sit in a chair 3 times. OMG - really? The bed converts to a chair so it does make it a bit easier to get up but that first time was horrible. By the third time it was a little better. And that night they came in every 2 hours so I got a little more sleep. Can't sleep very well on your back not being able to move. Day 3, had to be able to walk a little in the hall and to the bathroom. I could only walk out the door and 1/2 what they wanted me to. By the 3rd time though I was able to go the distance. And one of the nurses washed my hair with this cool shower cap thing. It goes in the microwave to warm up and it is soapless but cleans your hair and smells good. That was a nice change. Thursday, day 4, up again and walking and sitting. Getting a little better but still very hard to do. Nurses only bothered me about every 4 hours this time. I had to take a shower this day which was nice. The nurse on duty said it gets a little kinky because she has to help me. No problem with me as I can move. Things went well and I felt great afterwards. Food was not too bad but not feeling like eating very much. Still getting poked and picked with shots and blood drawn. I am so over this by now. Good night sleep and plans to go home Friday. Doctor checked on me each morning and said everything looked great. I had this stomach pain pump thing that automatically released meds in my belly (which is where they took the stuffing for my boobies and some skin). As the nurse removed it is, since it was close to my pelvic area, I could feel her pulling some hair. Ok, wasn't expecting that. My brother thought it was cool that I could get a brazillian, tummy tuck and a boob job all in the same surgery. Yeah - funny. Ok, so Friday I am off and running, ready to go home. 2 hour ride but felt ok. Most of the week was uneventful. Can't really sleep and get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Take naps. Stopped taking pain meds Sunday night. I'm a little sore but not really in pain. Went back to doctor on Wednesday and he was excited to see his "masterpiece" as he put it. Said thinks looked great. He took out 3 of the 4 tubes and said to come back this Thursday to get the stitches out of my stomach. Are you freaking kidding me? They are from hip to hip. He said it was one long stitch. I asked if he cuts one end and pulls - he said no, they will cut it in a few spots. I really hate getting stitches out. I plan to attempt to go to work tomorrow to see how I do. I won't push it but I might try to put in a few hours. All in all, so far I am doing well. My sister-in-law is back on drain nazi duty and doing a great job. The fluid hasn't stopped enough yet to take out the last tube, but I hope if nothing else it will come out on Thursday at my appt.
Thanks for the continued prayers and support as I continue my road to recovery.

Wow - has it really been 3 months since I have blogged. I actually thought it has been longer. At lot has happened. I had my follow up with my doctor and my glucose numbers are good. I don't always check my daily numbers like I should. I really need to start doing that. I had an appointment with my oncologist and she said everything is good. She did have some bad news for me though. She has resigned at the office she is at and will be leaving in December. She is not quite sure where she is going yet, but said for me to definately look her up. I will see her again in November so I hope to know then what she will be doing. I decided to call a plastic surgeon in Gainesville I had heard about, mainly to find out what time frame I was looking at for appointments and surgery. Knowing my appointment with the radiologist was in November and I would probably have to wait until then to do anything. Well, to my surprise, the girl told me it was better to plan early rather than later. I was able to get an appt for an evaluation and consultation this past Tuesday. So I go to see him, super nice guy and great office people. He said I was healed well enough to move forward as long as I had a letter from my oncologist. Good thing my appt was with her the day after. So they had a few openings for surgery over the next couple of months. I ended up scheduling my reconstruction surgery for 9/20 in Gainesville. I will end up being there Mon-Fri. It is a very long surgery (mostly all day), so I am quite nervous but excited at the same time. So I have 2 months to prepare and look forward to a new me.
Ok, well my son has turned 16 and passed his drivers test. He was really nervous, but he did great. He has not taken the car on his own yet - he is not quite comfortable. That is fine with me. And I celebrated my birthday yesterday.
Hopefully I will be back into the swing of blogging and keep you updated on the happenings.

Dear Blog,
I am so sorry I have neglected you lately. Seems like other things are taking my time.
Today is milestone, so to speak. One year ago today I called my surgeon to find out the results of my 2nd biopsy and heard the words I never wanted to hear. It was a very emotional day, one that I had to come home and let sink in until I went to her office the next day to find out my fate. I can't believe it has been a year. Looking back at that day, I wondered how I would ever get thru all that was ahead of me. I am so fortunate to have great family, friends, work support, church support and others that have prayed for me along the way, prepared meals for my family, sent cards or well wishes and just offered support in every way. As my brother responded to me today in an email - to think this time next year, I should be done with reconstruction and the last of the healing. It seems like so far away but I know it will be here before I know it and I will be writing a similar message.
Ok - so to update from where I left off, I went to my 6 week follow up with my primary doctor and she was happy with my glucose numbers and I had lost 7 pounds in those 6 weeks. She said I could go from testing 4 times a day to only 2 times. Yay. I never thought I would think pricking my fingers 2 times a day would be a good thing but it sure beats 4. I will follow up with her in May. On a side note, my prayers are with my friend Debra who had a lumpectomy last week, and no positive lymph nodes. I hope I don't stay away as long this time. Until then - Enjoy each sunrise.

So what's new? Well, the blood testing is going ok so far. A bit of a hassle but I'm trying to keep up with things. I've been to 2 classes so far. The first one on what diabetes is and what it can do to your body if you don't stay on top of it. The second was on nutrition. What to look for on lables, what I should and shouldn't eat. It was actually quite informative. One more to go. Ok, so I went to the orthopedic doc yesterdy for a check up on my shoulder. Had an x-ray and the doc was pleased with how things have healed. The fracture seems to be healed for the most part, and he said there was a crack across the bone that is healing well. I told him I didn't know there was a crack. He said he didn't notice it last time but could see the new bone growing. OK. News to me. Any way he said to still take it easy with the arm and I will probably still feel some soreness for awhile. Next I go to my oncologist today for my 2 month follow up. My son had made brownies for me to take to her office. She was very appreciative for the goodies. She was happy with the healing as well. A lot better from last time. Still has a little more to go but the swelling is much better. I told her about the diabetes and she was not surprised due to the chemo. She was surprised I was put on medication already and said to make sure I have my blood checked frequently. If I could get back to my pre-chemo weight and work on exercise I could probably drop my sugar level back to what it was. She gave me the indication that it most likely is not a permanent situation. Gave me a bit of hope. Don't have to go back for 4 months.

I am such a slacker. Ok so here's the latest. I finally got my tester last Tuesday and started testing my blood sugar on Wednesday. It took a few days to get used to but I have managed to keep up with it so far. The morning fasting levels seem a bit high but the rest of the day seems to be ok. I have done pretty good with food choices so far (at least I think I have). I went to a class tonight that that was 3 hours long. I have to take 3 classes to learn about the disease, nutrition and how to keep my blood sugar in check to prevent future problems that can be caused by diabeties. It was long but quite informative tonight. Actually it was quite scary. To hear what can happen if you don't keep your sugar level in check. I guess I will be doing as much as I can to control it. I came home and my son had done the dishes and even made dinner. What a great kid. Then we took a long walk with the dogs. The biggest things that will help is exercise so I should try to walk some everyday. Ok, so while we were walking tonight something pretty funny came up. I am not a runner but sometimes I jog just a little with the dog. Well Suger and I were trying to keep up with Nick and Harley and I realized (for the first time since surgery) that my boobs didn't hurt when I ran. I would usually have to hold them to stop from bouncing so much. Well, not outside where people can see. It was quite a funny thought. Humor goes a long way and sometimes you just have to see the funny in things. Thanks to the church ladies for bringing me food this evening. They heard of my shoulder issue and thought it would help for me to have food. How very thoughtful. You should always take the opportunity to pay it forward. One thing I haven't mentioned is: a girl I work with was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago (maybe 2 months ago). She had never had a mammogram and finally went. They found a small spot that needed to be biopsied. Come to find out, it was bigger than they thought. I had referred her to my surgeon and come to find out she needed to have a mastectomy. However, it was caught early enough and it was a type that did not require further treatment. She was able to have immediate reconstruction. So many people were very generous with me by bringing me and Nick food that I felt I needed to do the same for her. I coordinated meals from those at work to keep her and her family supplied with dinner the last 9 days. I know it seems like a simple gesture but it makes the world of difference on the receiving end. I'll keep you posted on my food and testing progress.

I guess I am overdue for an update. Lots going on and have not been insistant on updating. So, let's see, I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and reported that I am not classified as a diabetic. Yay me. As of today I am still waiting on my testing supplies to show up. They are ordered thru a medical supply company and gets shipped. The good thing is my insurance covers it so I won't have to pay for strips or lancets, which I understand can be quite expensive. So last Monday I go to the diabetic center my doctor sent me to for one-on-one appointment on what I need to be doing, how to use the blood glucose meter and sign up for a class. So we talked about what I should be eating and how to keep my sugar in check. It's not really as bad as I thought, I just have to be selective. I can have bread if I want but I am limited on the grams of carbs I can have at each meal and snack. So, if I eat the bread, I can't have other starch. I should have some carbs at each meal. Even though I don't have my meter yet, I have tried to start eating the way I should and starting to walk some so I can make the transition. So I have 3 classes I have to go to that are 3 hours long. For real?? They do serve dinner so at least I'll get a free meal. Ok, so one thing that I haven't had checked yet - my eyes. Something some people might not know is I do use eye drops for a type of glaucoma known as pigmentary glaucoma. I don't have any effects from it yet so right now I am just doing preventative treatment. So my eyes are normally checked every 6 months. Since all this started last March I have not had my eyes checked. I thought the chemo and meds my have had an effect on my eyes (as it had everything else) and I also was not using my drops for awhile just out of inconvenience. I had a check up on Friday and things look great and my eye pressure was down 4 point from the last time. Pretty good I would say. And on top of that, my prescription had not changed. Yay, something that improved. I imagine I will get my meter on Monday, hopefully, not that I am anxious to prick myself 4 times a day, I just want to get this started. Oh yeah, I also went to my hairdresser for the first time since she shaved my head in May. Believe it or not my hair has grown in very even and has gotten a bit long. She trimmed the top and back to match the length of the front and then cut some on the side and gave me a few whisps by my ears. It now has some kind of style to it. Well, that's the update for now. I'll post more once I get going on my blood testing.

Just when does it stop?? You would think that all i had to deal with last year was enough for anyone to deal with for awhile. Then I have to deal with a fractured shoulder. Which is slowly getting better. It is hard to sleep at night but I am able to manage during the day. Well, then this past weekend my son was having groin pains. So yesterday I take him to the doctor. It is a guy thing that just happens sometimes, however they take it serious and want to make sure there is no other problem. So off to get an ultra sound. And to top it off, he had 2 ladies in there due to one in training. Of course, they didn't tell me that. Thirty minutes later they were finally finished. Good thing is - he is normal and things are find but he is on an antibiotic. Ok, so today I go to my doctor to follow up on blood work I did last week. Well, she doesn't like my sugar numbers. I have been put in the diabetic column. After much conversation, come to find out, the steroid I was given during my chemo can increase the sugar levels. So now I am on medication for diabeties and have to start taking my blood sugar levels 4 times a day. And see my doc and do blood work every 3 months. What joy. Back on a special diet, exercise and hope that I can get my sugar levels on track and not have other problems. Ok, so the chemo kills the cancer, but can elevate your sugar and make you gain weight. The Tamoxifin will help prevent cancer from returning, but promotes osteoperosis and slows your metabolism, which makes you gain weight. A little good with the bad - kind of like 2 steps forward and 4 steps back. I don't remember signing up for this journey and I think I would like a refund since I am not satisfied with the events. I need continued prayers to deal with all of this and also to get thru whatever challenges may be ahead. I need strength to get thru the day to day choices. I hope I can get thru this.

Has it really been that long since I have blogged? Well, I went to the ortho last Monday. Good news - if you want to call it that. It is only a small fracture that does not require surgery. It will heal on its own but will take awhile. He gave me an immobilization brace and a sling and also some exercises I need to do. Told me to come back in 6 weeks to re-check it. The brace he gave me is a piece of crap and doesn't really work. It has been challenging at work to say the least. I often rotate wearing the brace in the morning for a couple of hours, then my sling, then nothing. At night it is hard to sleep and be comfortable. I try to keep my arm stationary and in the morning it is quite sore and stiff. I have also worn my lymphedema sleeve a few times and it is tight on my arm so it keeps things somewhat stable. My son has been a great help. He does the dishes, helps me cook and he even scrubbed the kitchen floor. I am very proud of the young man he is becoming. I have to pat myself on the back for doing a great job raising him. (if I do say so myself). Well, on to another week of healing. Check back for the latest news.

Sometimes life just sucks. I went to the doctor today to see what damage I may have done to my arm. It would have been nice to have been told I just jammed it and it will be back to normal in the next couple weeks. Noooo, I find out I have a small fracture in the humorus in the upper shoulder. What the hell????? It wasn't very humorus. I have to go to the orthopedic doctor on Monday to see what I am in store for. I am hoping it is not surgery. I would much rather have to wear a sling type brace for a few weeks and let it heal on its own. Like I don't have enough on my plate or I didn't go thru enough the past 10 months. I feel bad for my son, having to continue to take care of mom. He is definately getting some of life's challenging lessons. But he is great. I could not ask for a better son. And he continues to find the humor in things and laughs at me rather than take things too seriously. Until Monday - stay tuned for the next chapter in a day in the life of Val. Pray, pray, pray that I can be healed easily.

Well, if this wasn't an interesting weekend. First to go back to the work week. I had my followup appointment with the oncologist. I was really nervous about this appt as I was to get the results of my scans from the week before. I'm not really sure what I was afraid of, I guess I just wanted to hear that all the crap I went thru the 6 months prior did what it was supposed to. My brother went with me. My blood work looked good. The report showed some soft tissue that they weren't sure what it was. Turns out it is the upper chest area, indicates still swollen from surgery, chemo and radiation. Not anything of a concern but still healing. Doctor wants to keep on eye on it to make sure it heals. She said it was not uncommon and that things looked the way there were supposed to. She also told me I had gallstones so if I started having pain to let her know and I'd probably have to have it taken care of. So I need to see her again in 2 months to check the healing and then every 3 months thereafter. So on to the weekend. There is a few big things in my house I wanted to get rid of (wall unit, table, etc) so I started to empty them this week and had planned to take them to Goodwill. A friend at work was having a garage sale on Sat, so she offered for me to bring my stuff over and try to sell them first. So, I started looking thru the house and garage and found some things to try to sell. Well, it ended up being colder than anticipated so we did not have much activity. We plan to try again next weekend. Well, later in the evening I went into the laundry room to get something out of the dryer. We have a baby gate blocking part of the room to keep the dog out of the cats food and litter box. I most often just step over it. Well, on my way back out of the room, my back foot got stuck on the gate and I couldn't get my foot free. I fell into the door in front of me and my right arm is what caught me first, then my face hit the door, then I fell to the floor. OMG. I had a small cut on my forehead from my glasses, which also got bent. I think my arm took the weight of my fall. I layed on the floor and could not move my arm. The upper portion (bicep) is very sore. I think I pulled muscle or ligaments or something. My son helped me up and I couldn't move my arm. We called my brother who come over to check it out. I didn't believe anthing was broken but there was concern since it was the right side. Same side as radiation and lymph nodes removed. I put ice on it, took ibuprofin and tried to take it easy. Everytime I moved, my arm hurt. Had a hard time sleeping. It felt a little better this morning but I still could not do too much with it. I can't use it for anything that requires strength. Thank goodness I have such a great son who is very willing to step up and help me out. Basically sat on the couch all day with ice off and on. Not sure if I will be able to work tomorrow. I will see how it is tomorow and determine if I should call the doctor. I think it was just a sprain or pull and it will just take time to heal. Never a dull moment around here.

Happy Sunday. It's been a decent week at work. We have had fun with the dogs. Took them to see my friend today. They were running around the backyard. Well she has a pool and Harley has not been around a pool before so he thought he could run across it to catch up with Sugar. Splash - he went right in. 50 degree water too. He started swimming right away to the side so I had to grab him out of the water. Good thing I didn't have to jump in. After a little while, Harley and Sugar kept trying to drink the water from the pool. Well, down at the deep end, Harley bent over to drink water and straight down into the pool he went. OMG - I wasn's sure if he was coming back up. Nick was there this time and had to grab him out of the water. It was quite funny. He did end up getting a bath when we got home and Sugar did too. I think I had my first real hot flash last night. I was actually sweating and was very warm. I meet with the oncologist this week and don't expect anything unusual. At that point, I believe I am done until May. On to another week.

I am so glad to know that people are still reading my blog. I know, I haven't written in the last 10 days, and some of you have noticed. I just didn't think people wanted to hear about my daily work adventures. So since I last wrote we have adopted a new puppy from the shelter. It's a boxer mix and he looks just like our other dog we got from the shelter 3 years ago. We've named him Harley and he is a cutie. He is getting along very well with our dog, Sugar and is very smart. We have been having a lot of fun with him. Took him to the vet yesterday and he is in very good health. It is getting us out walking as we try to take a walk daily when I get home from work.
Ok, so on to me. I have been doing well and healing fine. I had my first follow up scans today. I had a chest x-ray and CT chest scan. I have a follow up appointment with the oncologist next Thursday so I will most likely find out the results at that time. I am a little nervous since it is the first check up since my treatments. I'm sure things will be fine but one can't help but be nervous. I seem to be doing well with the tamoxofin medication I am on. I get a little warm now and then but I am tolerating it just fine.
Had my annual review at work and things went fine. I still have a job, which I am very blessed to have and also got a raise in pay, which is always good.
Well, that's the update for now. Stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Yesterday, Sunday, I picked up Nick at his friend's house and we went to a move. Saw the Chipmonks - very cute. Did a little shopping then Nick made dinner on the grill. Nice to be taken care of by my son.
Today - back to work for the beginning of the year. Not a bad start. Went to the radiologist today for my follow up. Hard to believe that it has been 60 days since my last radiation treatment. I brought my camera so I could get a picture with the doctor. I told him I was going to write a book one day and wanted to be able to put pictures of my doctors in there. Of course when he came in I had already put my lovely gown on. I told him I couldn't do a picture with no top on, so he gave me a big hug to cover me and we got a great picture. He said it needed to be the cover picture of my book. Everything went fine and he said he would see me in 4 months. Unfortunately that means my reconstruction has to wait till after then. I told him my story of the over 50 discount at Beall's and he said he was glad to know they offer a discount. Although he will only be 45 - this Friday, which also happens to be my dad's birthday. He would be 80 if he was still with us. Guess I'm good for another week or two when I have my chest x-ray and follow up with the oncologist. Then I'm done for 4 months. Is it possible that before I know it, it will be Christmas again???

A chilly start to a Saturday. And it is supposed to get down to about 19 tonight. Burr. I thought we left the cold last week. I got to sleep in which was nice. Nick wanted his friend, Kevin, to come over and play the new Wii, but first we went to the game store. He had credit from turning in some PS2 games. He found another Wii game, then we went to pick up Kevin. The two of them played a bit and Kevin's mom, Gail, came over and she and I went to a movie (New Moon). It was okay, but the book is better. It's a little slow in some parts but a good chick flick with my friend. When we got back, Nick went home with them for the night. Not much on tv tonight so it's quite boring. Made some salad for dinner. My chest is almost healed and I go to the radiologist on Monday for a follow up. I can't believe it has been almost 60 days since my last treatment. Time really does fly by, even though it doesn't seem so at the time. I can only hope and pray that this is all behind me for years and years to come. One more day of rest and then the normal routine sets in.

Great day for football. Slept in, made breakfast then got ready for the FSU game. Great game. FSU won and it was the last game for Bobby Bowden and Mickey Andrews. Went to grocery store and Nick made dinner. Now watching the Gator game. Not sure I will be able to stay awake for the whole thing as I am falling asleep as it is. Not sure what tomorrow will bring but today has been a good start to the new year.

Happy New Year. I hope it brings good things to us all. Thursday at work was very quiet. There was only about 10 of us there and not much going on. My boss was awesome and let us leave at 3. Nick and I went shopping, then had to make some stuff for my friend's party we were invited to. I don't usually go anywhere for new year's but we had a good time. Lot's of good food and friends to share with. I had a shot of some kind of peppermint schnapps, which was good, then had some shot of something from Peru - it was yuck. Then we had some champagne and set off fireworks. Crazy stuff. Thanks Ann. Today it is raining. Important bowl games to watch. Seminoles in the Gator Bowl as Coach Bowden coaches his last game. So sad. Then I'll have to watch the Gators in the Sugar Bowl so I can give my Gator friends some grief. Anyway - happy new year. Hope 2010 brings good things and leaves the hardship of 09 behind.