Saturday, January 22, 2011

Back to Reality

Sorry it has taken me so long to update, there has not been a whole lot going on to write about but that's all about to change.  I had a great trip to Steamboat and thought that I would be depressed when I got back but I really felt just the opposite.  I think I am tired of talking about what is going to happen, I am just ready to get on with it. 
Since I got back home, I have been going through fertility treatments in preparation for the egg retrieval that will happen next week, probably next Friday or Saturday.  It has been a very emotional process, the hormones have made me a little bit of a basket case, along with the reality of it all.  I have mastered the art of giving myself shots, which I never imagined I could do.  The doctor says everything looks good so far, I have eight follicles kicking - woo hoo! I have another sonogram Sunday morning and at that time we will know which day the surgery will be.  After this egg retrieval is complete it looks like this will be a 6-7 month journey.
Chemo will start Friday, Feb 4th  and will continue every 3 weeks for 6 sessions.  After chemo is done I will recover and prepare for surgery which should be around 3 weeks later.  Hopefully the chemo will melt the tumor and make the surgery easier.  They will remove the lump or what is left of it and the lymph nodes that are affected.  At this point we know that there is one lymph node that will be removed but they may have to remove others when they actually get in there.
After surgery I will have radiation to "mop up" anything that may have been missed.  Radiation is everyday Mon-Friday for 6-7 weeks.  So hopefully I will be done and cancer-free by football season :)  I am always excited about football season but this year is a whole new story. 
So I should be updating more frequently now as we get this ball rolling.  Thanks for following my journey and I hope you all have a great weekend!

3 comments:

  1. Natalie, while I'm sad that you have to deal with the inconvenience of that stupid C word, I'm so glad that you're taking it as just that - an inconvenience, one that will not keep you from living life to the fullest. This is totally beatable and I'm so glad you seem to have such a good outlook. I will follow along and pray for you as you kick some ass!

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  2. Natalie ... good luck .. will follow along as you beat cancer.
    Nanditha (on the flight from Austin to Panama City in Dec)

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