1 year check-up - Good results!

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I had my one-year MRI and a spot mammogram, and results were good! The mammogram said "Probably benign", which they expect after surgery, and there were no changes since 6 months ago. And the MRI showed no issues. So I remain in the status of "No evidence of Disease" and am thrilled. My feet and hands look and feel good again, which is exciting! My fingerprints are back and I'm delighted to be able to open my own jars and bottles! My main remaining symptoms are inability to focus and accomplish complicated tasks, low endurance, low arm strength, and lower breathing ability. They mostly don't bother me much and are all improving. Frank came back from a FIRST Robotics convention and tested positive for Covid a couple days later, and although we'd stayed apart since he got home, I tested positive the next day. We isolated a lot, but didn't have terrible symptoms. Mostly sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, and fever for a couple of days. I'm thankful th...
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I am done with treatments!

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Last Friday, I took my last chemotherapy pills! Hip hip hooray! Frank surprised me with a zoom call with family and some close friends that evening and we started celebrating! I plan to continue forever!

This last treatment was pretty tough. I kept off my feet except for needed steps inside the house, yet still got a huge blister on my big toe. I did lots of epsom salt soaks and elevation and ice, and it is now gone, so I can get around the house without pain now. I also still had trouble with my tailbone, but that has improved a lot. Then I got a cold, or maybe allergies, and hung on the couch for a week. I seem to be mostly over that now.

I limped in to church to sing a Beetles song with a small group, then went home. The congregation and choir have recently made masks optional, so I'm not hanging around for now, until I feel my immune system has had a chance to get stronger. Plus, it's still exhausting!

I'm 5 days out from treatment now, and the effects of the meds are starting to clear. The most noticeable improvement so far is that the tips of my fingers don't hurt as much. I am hoping to see more improvements every day. The loveliest thing so far is that I am able to sleep in since I don't have to take the pills at 7 am anymore; I am enjoying sleeping in without any alarms set, even if I have still been waking up before 7 some of the time!

I am going to a Sweet Honey in the Rock concert with Suzi and Frank on Saturday, wearing a mask and hanging out in the back, so that will be my first concert in a very long time! And then in mid-April, Frank and I are traveling to Texas for 10 days. He's got a FIRST Robotics competition to attend, and I'm tagging along to see all my Texas relatives. We have 10 relatives who live in Houston, Austin, Arlington, and Mineral Wells, TX, so we'll be doing some little road trips through the state to see everyone. And my sister and brother-in-law from Pennsylvania are flying in too, so we get a bonus! One of the things we'll be doing is celebrating my dad's 95th birthday!

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to walk more by then, but if not, I will use whatever devices I need to see everyone. When I looked up what to do while Frank is at the competition, I looked for everything from spa treatments to pickle ball courts, depending on how I'm doing with my energy levels and walking abilities!

My next immediate steps are to see my oncologist in early April, stop taking blood thinner, and get my port removed. I signed up for a LiveStrong cancer survivor program at the local Y in May, and will be  working on getting my strength, endurance, immune system, digestive system, skin and everything else back in shape.

Going forward, I will be having a checkup every 6 months for 5 years. They will alternate between a mammogram or an MRI every time. My next one will be in mid-July, with an MRI and a spot mammogram.

Thank you to all who have supported me in all the many ways, from meals, cards, prayers, phone calls, gifts, texts, videos, listening, walking with me, thoughts, following along on this blog, and anything else you've done. Your caring support means a lot to both of us.


Feeling happy to be done!


Some lovely snowy scenes in our yard.

Frank was out snowshoeing and took this picture of our solar panels covered by fresh snow. It melted off pretty quickly.

Working in the dark on a puzzle with our solar light during a 7-hour power outage.

A potholder I made for our British friends Ronnie and Bill Pearce celebrating their anniversary. Hopefully they won't see this, since I haven't mailed it to them yet! I tried to get it to look close to a Union Jack flag, and I had to design the pattern myself. Lots of trial and error, and hard on the hands, and not exactly what I envisioned, but hopefully they will appreciate the intention and effort!

A screen shot of some of the people helping me celebrate on zoom! Some were even wearing our blue family shirts! We missed a few who left early or came later, but I enjoyed seeing them too.

A celebratory poster handmade by our young friends! 
It came in a big box full of balloons and cards from many others too!












Warning, weird hand pictures to follow!

















My hands look a bit as if I dipped the palms into boiling water. The backs look completely normal, and you can see the change to red especially clearly from the sides.


Comments

  1. Amy TravisMarch 26, 2023 at 4:35 PM

    HOORAY!!!!!! YIPPEE!!! SO, SO HAPPY FOR YOU!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MaggieMarch 29, 2023 at 7:52 AM

    Kathy, that is such great news! I hope the Y program helps you recover quickly! I loved how you wrote, we started celebrating and I plan to continue forever. Just so great. xoxox!!

    ReplyDelete

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