Thursday, October 9, 2008

Turned the Corner and I am on the way up


Hello.


I know it has been a long time but I have been busy with finishing up my radiation treatments. They went back after a week and decided to not finish the last two treatments to the upper area. They went ahead with the area along the scare. They call that the booster area. They feel it needs treatment due to the fact that some cancer cells hide along the incision. I am finished with active treatment.


I started yesterday on meds that I will take for the next five years. It is an aromatase inhibitor which for post menopausal women should help reduce estrogen and keep cancer away. Five years out is all the know about its effectiveness. So it is still a crap shoot for time after that....hopefully, I will be among the lucky and it will never return. That is my hope anyway.


I had a 64th birthday celebration shortly after finishing my radiation. It was nice. A big surprise gift for me was that my sister, Rose, came from KC using up her frequent flyer miles.



My son and my daughter knew she was coming but Bob and I surely did not. Bobby came in first and announced someone was at the door to see me. At the same time the phone rang and I was also taking to Cathi via Internet (Skype) and talking to guests at Maura O'Neill's birthday party . ( her mother in law) It was confusion , but nice confusion.


The party I had Sunday was really to thank some folks for being there for me for the length of the treatment. My cake read ,along with Happy Birtday,....Celebrating Life....which I was doing.


I will post a photo of me with my hair slowly returning with eyebrows and eye lashes. It is a bit scary looking but I do have some cover for my head that will keep me a bit warmer than last winter. We already have cold temps here with snow predicted for tomorrow ( 1-3 inches) so winter comes early to these here parts.


I hope all of you are doing well and that you continue to pray for me along with my brother, Larry, who is also being treated for cancer (lung). He is just starting his treatment and will need all the prayers you can offer. Thank you for your support. I will continue to post from time to time as my hair comes in and things fall into a more normal pattern.


2 comments:

Margery said...

Hey, Pam - Margery here, in the UK - breast cancer survivor (grin).

I'm taking an aromatase inhibitor too. Mine's called anastrozole (Arimidex). It stops us making estrogen, yes, but also lays us open to osteoporosis. I had a bone density test, which showed I was already on the way to having brittle bones. So now I take calcium supplements, and another tablet called alendronic acid to help my bones use the calcium.

We need to keep an eye on our bone density now, especially with depleted estrogen levels.

Look after yourself -
Hugs from Margery in the UK.

mainely stitching said...

I was just asking Cathi how you were doing. It's wonderful to read an update from you in your blog - I've been thinking of you and hoping that all is well.

You take care, keep warm, and remember that your far-flung friends are thinking of you.