Kicking cancer's ass - day 610

I've said it before - cancer is the gift that keeps on giving.  Even though I'm finished with "treatment", the appointments, tests, procedures and surgeries continue.  It's been almost two weeks since my "revision" surgery.  Did you know that having liposuction on your thighs would make your foot look like this?

Lipo not only sucks the fat from your body, it sucks the energy, too.  I have been SO TIRED the last two weeks.  I can sleep all night and still need a nap by 10am.  This morning I went back to bed after the kids left for school and the roofers didn't even wake me up!  (I did have a little help from my friend Percocet thanks to a migraine, but still)

Anyone who chooses to do plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons, I'll just put it out there - you're nuts!  

Sorry for the graphic pictures, but they give you an idea of what my body is trying to recover from.  In order to "fix" some issues from my reconstruction surgery in November, I had "fat grafting", which means they take fat from other parts of your body and use it to make your "foobs" look better.  The first picture is my leg a couple of days after surgery.  The second picture is my leg today.  Thirteen days later, I'm still black and blue.  Luckily the swelling has gone down quite a bit, except it has migrated to my left ankle and foot (as evidenced by the top picture).  

The bruising, swelling and internal bleeding in my legs has aggravated my restless legs syndrome.  I have it every night, worse than ever, and sometimes during the day.  Neither of the prescriptions I have for it help much at all.  I can only hope that once my legs heal this crap will stop!

Aren't you jealous of all of the fun I'm having?

Since life isn't all about me, let's talk about my mom.  She was in the hospital last week after her latest chemo treatment knocked her way down.  She had no appetite, no energy, nausea, fatigue... all of the stuff that comes with chemo.  She is doing better (and thankfully her doctor put her next treatment off for another week), but still not near 100%.  Prayers please, for her continued healing and strength before her next one.

Since the roofers didn't make enough noise for my headache, I went to the junior high band concert today, too.  Thankfully I love listening to my boy play.  He enjoys playing the trombone in band so much, it's wonderful to see him enthusiastic about something other than a video game!  Here we are after his concert:

Now it's time to gear up for more softball.  We have a game tonight and a tournament that starts tomorrow.  Never a dull moment!

Kicking cancer's ass - day 601

I don't really have anything to say. But today is day 600 so I figured I needed to post something, because that's a lot of days to do anything - it's especially a lot of days to spend fighting cancer.

I'm feeling a little sorry for myself today. I don't have very many "woe is me" moments, but this latest surgery has knocked me down farther than I expected.  It was, in the words of my brilliant plastic surgeon, a "quick outpatient revision surgery".  Ha.  The operation itself may have been quick, but there's nothing quick about the recovery.  Since I've never had liposuction before, I started looking stuff up online to see what it says about recovery. One site says most people can return to work the next day. Obviously I am not "most people".  Taking a shower wears me out, and you want me to work? Another site says that most people describe it as looking and feeling like you've taken a severe beating.  Yep. That about sums it up.

I am bruised. The outsides of my thighs are black. Not black and blue. Just black. I have bruises down my sides and across my stomach. And liposuction doesn't make you thinner. At least not right away. It makes you swollen!  As bad as it looks now, that's how much it hurt over the weekend.  The soreness has eased up a lot, so I'm able to move around a lot better. I even shaved my legs in the shower today - go me!  However I wouldn't go so far as to say I am feeling good. I've been running a low grade temp for the last two days, and everyone knows a fever for whatever reason makes you feel like crud.  On top of that, I keep getting a nagging headache. The places where Dr T injected fat to even out my chest are sore and swollen. My poor pain pills don't know which part of me to fix first!

I have to wear a compression garment, which is basically like a girdle from my chest to my calf, and going to the bathroom is a monumental task when you have to struggle in and out of this contraption.

I feel like a wimp. This surgery, compared to some of the others I've had, is really relatively minor.  I guess the cumulative total of five surgeries in a year and a half, plus chemo and radiation, just really takes a toll.

Sometimes being a champion cancer patient is hard work.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 598

It's the day after my surgery and Dr T wasn't kidding when he said I would be sore. I feel like I went ten rounds in the ring with Rocky Balboa - and I look like it, too!

That's a picture of my side. I am bruised worse than that all the way from my waist to my knees.  I swear, anyone who chooses to do liposuction for vanity's sake is crazy!

Needless to say, I'm doing nothing but resting on the couch today. I'm really tired but I can't lay on my side and I'm not a good back sleeper. 

Who knows how long it will take for these bruisers to fade. And Dr T said day three is the peak for swelling.  Something to look forward to. Ha! I have to wear a compression garment for a week and eat a low-salt diet for two weeks. 

Are we having fun yet?

Kicking cancer's ass - day 597

I had surgery today. My plastic surgeon wanted to even things out from my reconstruction, so he did a bunch of fat grafting and lipo.

His office told me that my surgery would be at noon, but the hospital called yesterday and said we had to be there at 7:30am. Needless to say, after work we immediately packed, dropped the kids off with their Peepaw and headed east. We had a nice dinner date at Cheesecake Factory in Dallas before we checked into our hotel.  We even brought dessert back to our room - yum!

I'm glad we ended up going last night and didn't have to get up early and drive this morning before my surgery.

Things didn't start out so good when it took three tries to get an IV in. That never happens to me - usually they get it in one stick. The hospital we were at is brand new - as in only open for a week! Everything was sparkling clean and modern. I had great nurses and anesthesiologists, and of course I love Dr T.  He always draws on me with a Sharpie ( to mark the areas for surgery) and he was in hog heaven with a 20-pack of different colors to choose from!!

Thanks to the IV episode my surgery started a little late, but it was only supposed to last an hour or two so it was not a big deal.

While he was marking me I told Dr T to do lipo wherever he wanted LOL. I don't know if he did enough to actually make a difference, but I hope so since I've gained a ton of weight. Being surgically thrown into menopause and the estrogen blocker I'm on keep packing the pounds on. I hate it.

I am going to be bruised everywhere from the lipo. I have marks on my arm and hand from the IV and already my torso is black and blue.   The three hour ride home wasn't uncomfortable, but we did get caught in a massive hailstorm. I haven't worked up the courage to go inspect my car for damage. 

I'm incredibly sore tonight and the compression pants I'm wearing literally take my breath away. But this is just one more step in this long process.  I'll probably have another surgery identical to this in a few months and then, other than routine tests and appointments, I will hopefully be finished!

On a side note, my mom has reached double digits in chemo treatments - only three to go!  Unfortunately, because chemo effects are cumulative, it's getting harder and harder for her. She's been home from work since her treatment Tuesday and having a hard time with neuropathy, stomach upset and fatigue.  All par for the course, but no fun for her. Please keep her in your prayers. You got this Mom...I love you!

Kicking cancer's ass - day 592

This weekend K's softball team played in a tournament in Ballinger, TX (about 45 minutes away).  Our team was one of eleven or twelve in the tourney and we ended up in fourth place.  The girls fought so hard, winning four straight games after losing their first, only to come up short at the very end of their second game today.  They definitely left it all on the field and I'm so proud of them.

The Lady Diamonds aren't just about softball.  That team, the girls and their families are MY family.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends in our lives, and we enjoy hanging out on and off the field.  We shared a lot of laughs, some simple but tasty meals, good music, adult beverages at the campsite and some nailbiting moments during the games.

I'm happily exhausted and ready for the next one!

K started out the weekend staying at the campsite with her friend.

She played a new position and killed it all weekend at pitcher!  

(Defense only, her age is still coach-pitch)

The whole team took over the local Pizza Hut for a lunch break in between games.

They played hard, winning three straight to end the day Saturday.

We had a blast unwinding with our friends after a long, busy day.

The Diamonds played so hard all weekend, and never gave up.

K even hit a home run!  

I love this girl, and I love watching her play softball.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 590

It's 12:24am and I can't sleep, so I guess that makes this an Insomniac Blogging post.

Tonight my restless legs syndrome is acting up really bad.  I can't sit still, let alone lay down long enough to go to sleep, even though I'm so tired!  I've tried two different medications tonight, and just now doubled up on one of them.  Hopefully soon my muscles will chill out enough for me to fall asleep.

As a sports-loving mom, there's nothing better than watching my kids play.  I've always loved football and I'm so glad my son does, too.  It's an added bonus that I get to look forward to his school football games in addition to watching my Cowboys and our Wylie Bulldogs.  What surprises me, though, is how much I love softball.  Watching K play, coaching her team, helping out on the board of our league.... it's so time consuming and exhausting but I truly enjoy every minute of it.  Now that Hubby is coaching our team, it's a family affair.  He has a soft spot for those girls, and watching him with them melts my heart.

Kicking cancer's ass - day 587

Today was a momentous day for my little girl.
She went from this:

to this:

My little girl is not so little anymore.  She is not a fan of the dentist, and yet she did GREAT today at the orthodontist.  They put in an expander for her upper jaw to fix her cross bite, which is a cumbersome metal contraption that sits against the roof of her mouth, and braces across the top front teeth to keep them close together while the expander does its thing.

She has a mouth full of metal and sore front teeth and yet she's still smiling.

I'm so proud of her.  

Kicking cancer's ass - day 585

Christ is risen....

He is risen, indeed!

Happy Easter to all.  

I woke up today with horrible dizzy spells and a bad headache.  Add in the sore throat I started having yesterday and you have a pretty miserable lady for Easter.  We made the most of it, though, hunting eggs in the house this morning and then going to Hubby's brother's for Easter dinner.  I'm not ashamed to say that it's 4pm and I'm back in my comfies on the couch.

We have a couple of pretty exciting weeks here.  Tuesday is the big day that K gets her braces!  She's nervous but excited.  I hope it goes well.  She's not always the best patient when it comes to dental work.  I have a dentist appointment the next day, there is a softball tournament next weekend, and the week after that I'm having surgery!  So after a relatively quiet (on the health front) month or so, we're back to appointment after appointment.

My surgery is (hopefully) minor - just some revisions using lipo and fat grafting.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  It's supposed to be a day surgery, so hopefully I'll be back home Friday night.