I am sorry that I have been away from here for over five months. I have been dealing with some complicated things, and it has been challenging for me to come here and write about them. This is where I can release my thoughts with the hope of feeling better, but I haven’t been able to do that until now. Even now, I might not share everything with you because I feel like I can’t. I know I said that I would always be very open with my readers when I started this blog, but some things have happened that I am not comfortable with sharing just yet, and I may never be. With all of that said, here is a quick recap of my appointment with my surgeon in September and my oncologist in December of 2021.
In September, I had my annual mammogram and ultrasound followed by an appointment with my surgeon to find out the imaging results and have my yearly checkup. My imaging was clear, and my exam went well. My scars are fading; everything has healed beautifully and looks as it should, so that was excellent news! I have noticed that many women I know who have gone through breast cancer have a mammogram and ultrasound every six months, where I have them every 12 months, so I asked my surgeon about it. He said that it is unnecessary to have them more often than 12 months unless I notice an issue. As usual, my surgeon answered my questions and put my mind at ease, reminding me that I have the best doctor for me and my needs.
My appointment with my oncologist in December was both good and frustrating. Around Thanksgiving, I started having pain on the left side of my head, and at times it hurt so bad that I had to take some of the oxycodone that I had leftover from my surgeries and chemo. The pain went from just outside of my ear, up the side of my head, and over to the top of my head. My oncologist wasn’t overly concerned about me having a tumor in my brain but to be sure, I had an MRI just before Christmas. My MRI came back clear, so that was frustrating only because I had no explanation for the pain and discomfort I was in 24/7 by that time. So the pain continued until suddenly, one day in mid-January, I realized that the pain was gone, and it has not come back since. I still have no idea of what was causing me so much pain, but I am so happy that it is gone. The good parts about my appointment are that my blood panels came back normal for the first time since I started chemo in May 2019. Even more good news is that on October 3rd, the day of my final chemo treatment in 2019, I reached my first significant milestone; I made it to my second anniversary of being cancer-free! I am incredibly grateful that I have made it through the first two years, and I am hopeful that I will continue to stay healthy and cancer-free until my next milestone in another three years, at five years.
If you know me on Facebook, you know what has happened in the past two days; if you don’t, please read my next post which will be posted later tonight, where I explain what is happening with me now.