Kira's Stupid Breast Cancer

Wednesday evening....First night home from surgery....needless to say the dogs were quite happy to see Nathan and I when we got home. He got them all into the garage so I could get into the house without being bulldozed. I made my way to the kitchen table and sat down. Our kitchen table is bar height, so the dogs can't jump up and cause issues. We thought this would be the best way for them to greet me. It worked out just fine. We chatted with Hannah, made sure things were ok. He got the truck unloaded, took my stuff upstairs and we got my bed pillow set up. I maneuvered the stairs without an issue, I just took it slow and used the handrails. The bed pillow was definitely a good purchase. Highly Recommend.  Bed Wedge Pillow We decided Dominos would be the best option for supper since we had no way of planning ahead of time. It was quite yummy. Nathan was running around trying to get the critters fed, pick up our food, take his phone calls, etc. I ate my supper and headed up to the ...

October 20, 2025 is the date of surgery. I have to arrive by 8am. Reminder that my surgery and all treatment is being handled by the team at VCU, which is a 3 hour drive from where I live. My "niece", Hannah (Tracey's daughter), came up Sunday to "critter sit" for us while we were away. God bless her is all I can say.  4am Monday morning Nathan and I get ready to head to Richmond. Unfortunately emotions were raging the weekend before and he and I were not exactly getting along. The drive to VCU was quiet. I don't know what was going thru his mind on the way there, but mine was all over the place. I couldn't help but ask the "why me" type of questions in my head... what'd I do to deserve this.... and yes, tears were streaming most of the ride. Not sobbing, but quietly streaming. Fear of surgery not going well, something bad happening, fear they'll find more cancer, the fact that I'm gonna look even uglier... the inability to take car...

Have I mentioned that I love the drive to Richmond? Honestly, it's not really a bad drive.. my knee just hates it. Pretty sure Nathan does too. My appointments tend to be first thing in the morning since they know how far I drive. That way I'm home before supper time. That means 3-3:30am wake up times to hit the road by 4-4:30am at the latest. It's get up, get dressed, start the coffee, let the dogs out, let the dogs back in, feed the dogs, make my cup of coffee, fill my water jug, pack a bag of snacks..... it's a process so VCU days tend to be somewhat stressful but mostly exhausting. I'll say this... without being able to rely on my GPS to get there and back, I've gone back to the old days of picking out landmarks and such to learn the way there and back. "At the gas station, make a left. When you pass the antique looking car on the right, take the next right." I have found it to be kinda amusing at this point.  So, today was my pre-op appointment wi...

 Pre-op Appt #1 Today Nathan and I traveled to VCU to meet with my breast surgeon to go over my upcoming surgery.  Dr. Louie explained the procedure, how long I'd be there, etc. I did review my notes and books the night before and had a list of questions prepared for this visit. Here are some things I asked: Do I need to self donate blood ahead of time?       Answer was No. There shouldn't be that much blood loss. How many days in the hospital after surgery?         Answer was 1, 2 if there were issues with bleeding, hematomas or anything like that.  Approximately how long will it take Pathology to determine if there's need for further treatment?     Answer was typically 2-3 weeks. Approximately how long will the drain tubes be in?     Answer was 2 weeks on average, depending on the volume of drainage. How long is the typical recovery time? Is working from home an option?     Answer was 4-6 weeks, but t...

Infusion day. Let's back up a little. The infusion on the 15th of September was a partial dose.. 25% reduction of the new chemo cocktail without the follow up Neulasta shot. I did not experience the "I wanna die" reaction, but for a week following there were body aches and pains... not nearly as bad as before but still not nice. I also had some skin rashes appear over the last couple of months. In July, my PCP looked at one, prescribed me a cream for it and after a couple of weeks without improvement, she referred me to a dermatologist. I'd visited the dermatologist and she prescribed a stronger ointment/cream to put on. That worked and got rid of them, but when I had the infusion on the 15th, they came back. My assumption is they are from the chemo.  I also started seeing a counselor. Not that I'm having any major issues like suicidal thoughts or anything like that, but these drugs are certainly bringing to the surface some things I need to address, the guilt ove...