I’m sorry you found my blog.
HA! What a funny thing to say on a blog!! But seriously, if you landed here, you either know me, or know someone that has cancer. That’s why I’m sorry!
Cancer.
I hate that word.
I remember sitting in the oncologist’s office in my early 20’s listening to the Dr. tell me that while it was not likely I would get Ocular Melanoma like my Mom, 3 out of 4 people would be diagnosed with some sort of cancer in their life. Since all of my Grandparents and my Mom have died of some type of cancer, I knew my day would come. I just never thought my diagnosis would be the day after my 41st birthday and as a mother of a 10, 7 and 6 year old.
Fast forward 4 years (October 2019) and the cancer has returned in other bones. So here we are, ready to fight again…and looking to be on some sort of treatment for the rest of my life.
This blog is my journey as I fight to leave cancer behind and move on in my life.
I should probably back up and introduce myself . . . my name is Jennifer. I’m a Christ follower, married to an amazing man (who happens to be a chef turned Co-CEO of a restaurant), have 3 beautiful daughters and I’ve been diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer which originally spread to my sternum, but has now spread to quite a few other bones and one of my lungs as well.
I know it can be confusing when you stumble upon a new blog, so let me help you get started.
- I have a blog to keep track of my thoughts and to let friends and family know what’s going on.
- You can get to know our family or read my personal testimony here.
- As I’ve been going through different procedures, I’ve written down what it was like. You can find a list of those over in the side bar (or down at the bottom if you are on a mobile device).
- Click here to receive an email when I publish new posts.
- And finally, if you noticed above that I’m married to a chef and think that must be the MOST AMAZING THING EVER, click here and browse through my blog about what it’s really like to be married to a chef. (I love blogging. Can you tell?)
Here’s what’s going on with me right now . . .
Looking into the Future
Tom and I met with the oncologist today. I have been really anxious about this appointment – not sure why since it was just a checkup. I’m glad it’s over. 🙂
So looking into the future…
The pill I thought I was going to take for 10 years, I will be taking the rest of my life because the cancer has already spread once. He said we could talk about it again in 10 years, but wasn’t in favor of stopping it.
Quick update for the weekend
Quite a few people have asked how I’m feeling, so I thought I’d post a quick update.
I’ve been very consistent with exercising this week and my pain is much better. My body is throbbing a bit tonight, but it’s really the first time in a few days. I’m very thankful for that! I guess I’ll keep it up and see how it goes!
When You Don’t Like the Pill You Need to Take for 10 Years
Well, the title says a lot.
I don’t like the Arimidex I’m on.
My body hurts most of the time. 🙁
I sent a message to the Dr. and he had a few other suggestions besides what I was already doing. The main one he suggested was exercise – quite a bit more than I was planning on. He said that studies have shown it helps.
Rebranding Yourself after Cancer Treatments
I have no idea if you can technically rebrand yourself, but every time I go online and see pictures of myself, they don’t look like me.
It’s just another reminder of the hard journey I’m on.
Cancer has changed so many things. The most obvious one being my hair. Where it used to be longer than my shoulders and light brown, it’s now very short and dark brown. I look so different!
I felt like I needed to be rebranded.
It was time for some updated family photos!
I Survived the weekend
Well, I’m happy to report that I survived my one year cancerversary with no tears. There are still so many days and firsts to remember, but it is a huge relief to get that one out of the way. And just like I thought, the days leading up to it were far worse than the actual day.
My birthday was honestly, not a good day – a combination of many things. Next year, I think I will just skip it.
Moving on from that…
The Claritin seems to have helped the bone pain. Last night I was pretty sore, but other than that, it’s been much better. Now that the kids are back in school, I’m looking forward to walking on the treadmill at the gym a few mornings a week and focusing on taking care of our home and family. (Well, let’s be honest. I’m not looking forward to going to the gym it, but I’m going to do it because it’s good for me and I need to. I hate exercising. I would much rather eat dessert.)
Happy Cancerversary (and Birthday) to Me!
How lucky am I?
2 celebrations this weekend. My birthday is Saturday the 3rd and my 1 year Cancerversary is Sunday the 4th. (Another new word for you…cancerversary. You’re welcome.)
It’s really more like 1 celebration and 1 date that brings memories flooding to my mind.
Like most families, we have some back to school traditions and with each one this year, came the thought, “I had no idea this time last year that I would be fighting cancer the ENTIRE SCHOOL YEAR AND SUMMER!.”
A Pill A Day for 10 Years
Yay! I get to take a pill a day for the next 10 years.
It’s a tiny little white pill (Arimidex) but it should stop the adrenal gland from producing estrogen, which feeds the type of cancer I have.
The list of possible side effects is horrible. So I’ve decided to not think about them. This is my third day taking it and so far so good. (Although I have no idea when the side effects would kick in, if they did.) My body has responded better than expected to every single treatment so far, so I’m just going to plan it will respond the same with this pill until I have reason to think otherwise.
Meet Jennifer
Breast Cancer Patient, Chef Wife and Mom
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