My Journey With Cancer- We Did It!

For those that have been following my ups and downs as I battled with cancer, I have some good news. I am cancer-free! I really hoped for more fanfare from my doctors when I reached this amazing milestone. I practically had to pull the news from them. This left me feeling hesitant to celebrate. They were very nonchalant in letting me know that I was cancer-free. But they were quick in offering more treatments even though the cancer is gone. I guess they were just doing their jobs, but it made me frightened that they already expect the cancer to return. I know that's where their training takes them.

But, I'm not claiming that one bit!

I still have 6 weeks of radiation to face, but I am taking the time until I start those treatments to enjoy being free from hospitals and doctors for a few weeks. My surgery was a little more extensive than I had hoped. They ended up removing 12 lymph nodes from under my arm. This has left me with nerve and muscle pain and also very tight ligaments. They will get better with time and exercise to loosen up those ligaments. I am also at a high-risk to develop lymphedema, now. I was really panicked about that before, but I've released all of that worry. I will deal with that if and when I need to.

I told my doctor the other day that even though the cancer is gone, I still feel so bad. You see, in my mind when the chemo was over, my energy would return, the neuropathy would be gone and all would be like it was pre-cancer. That is definitely not the case. She informed me that the effects of chemo can take at least a year to subside and somethings like neuropathy, the "chemo brain" and these darn hot flashes can take up to 5 years or more to resolve, if ever. I have to admit this was something else I was getting sad about, but I can't let these obstacles keep me from moving forward. I'm thankful to be alive and I am believing that my body will totally heal. My focus now is on eating healthy, building up my strength and staying cancer-free.

I'm sending love and healing thoughts to my friends that are still fighting. And I am thinking about my high school classmate, Alfreda Bass who sadly passed away a few days ago after a very long fight. We last spoke in October. She told me then that there was no cure for her. I still prayed that somehow she would survive. She was such a calm and gentle spirit. I wish that I had gotten to know her better.

"When the world pushes you to your knees, you are in the perfect position to pray."
~Rumi