surgery

Well, I made it all the way through the radiation and it took another four weeks for my skin to finally heal. I had about six weeks of red, blistered, weeping skin - but it finally did heal. I did have some fatigue with the radiation - but nothing compared to the chemo. It was just having raw, tender skin in an area that seemed to be a prime target for my kids to touch, hit, squeeze, etc. Some days it felt like it had a target painted on it...

I found out right around Christmas that the medication I was scheduled to take (tamoxifen) for the next five years to prevent recurrence - was not metabolized well by my body. The only other choice was to put my body into menopause so I could take an alternate medication (an aromatase inhibitor) or just skip the oral meds. The oral medication will reduce my already low risk of recurrence by about 45% - so I was willing to do what it took to take the meds.

I bit the bullet and friday (2 days ago) I had my ovaries removed (instant menopause!!) so I can take the AIs. The surgery went very well and I went home the same night and am just a little sore but pretty much back to most activities in just two days. The emotional part may take more than two days to heal. We just will have to wait and see.

The good news is that I planned a family adventure to Disneyland at the end of April. It will give me something to focus on for the next few months. It should also give me plenty of time to heal and get my body and emotions back in shape. I might even be able to keep up with the kids and that will be truly awesome.

I have been working out pretty regularly before the surgery and am hoping to run a 10K in May (so get ready Eric and Meri!!). I promised my surgeon I would take a few days off of exercise after the surgery but plan to work out either tonight or tomorrow to see how things go.