It has been a long couple of years and I have not realized just how long it has been. I am now back in remission and things are looking very good; however, there are always a lot of things to do and to be aware of. Since my last posting, I have left CCO and have gone out of county to go to church. I have chosen not to share my cancer journey with anyone else because of the events of CCO.
But, let me tell you what has been going on. It has been nearly two years since my re-diagnosis and I have been taking the anti-cancer meds, or oral chemo, and it has been hitting me hard, but I have been doing very well on it. The first med was a weird one. I was at physical therapy (PT) and collapsed. Oh, boy. I had to take the ambulance in and the ER docs had no idea what had happened. So, funny, the doc said that if I were coming back, they would be keeping me. Oh! Well, promises promises! So, from that point onward, my med was changed and all has been good. The side effects are minimal and the pain of the meds manageable. Yea, sometimes the cancer does not kill us, but the side effects do. So, I have a huge amount of supplements that I take and very little Rx. I am glad about that. I have developed a great insensitivity to many meds and it has been a long, long couple of years of finding them. No matter the med, it seems to really hit me hard. So ...
During this time, I have shared this with my girl. She did not handle it well and she has been in emotional crisis for a very long time. She unfriended me on Facebook--yes, that is a sad event when your child does not want to see your posts or information. So, she moved to another state, Arizona, and kept on asking for money. Ok. I have none. That was very hard. So, she moved back "home", and after that things just worsened. She brought her boyfriend with her, which ended up in a domestic violence situation. She continued to smoke and was in a horrible way. She has been having difficulties with emotional imbalances and has not communicated with me for some time.
Cancer has a way of not just destroying the body, but the social networks around. I no longer attend CCO because of just that. What I had been profoundly frustrated at was how I was told and treated as though I was looking for some time of free product or something or other. While it is very important to always help those who are ill in the church and to provide emotional, physical and other supportive services, it should not be made to feel as though it is a burden on someone else. I was keeping to myself more and more and was very careful about what I was going to be doing--this is wrong. We should never be making a reason as to why we needed or how to get a need met. This should be something that automatically part of any church relationship. However, I am learning more and more that it is the nature to the topic: cancer.
So, I have seen many doctors. Of course, because my cancer had spread to my lung, I get a quarterly CT. This is such a drag. Every three months, I get a CT which we monitor the growth and size(s) of my tumors--which they have all gone away. Some cancers can be cured. But, the most important thing is to remember that there is hope. The meds that I take have given me hope.
So, 28 May 2015, I was told that I was in complete remission and that the tumors had all gone. So, because of my experience, I have started a Facebook group called Breast Cancer Warriors. I am very proud of that because I can put my experience, education and my cancer journey to good use. I hope to do more and hope that as things move along more, I will do more.
I have also become a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. I have been accepted in May of this year and am in the process of trying to learn more and make my voice heard. I want to advocate and educate!
Rock on my lovelies! I will be returning for more updates. Sorry I have been gone so long.
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