So, obviously, I have been swamped here in the land of recovering from cancer.  With the insanity of Christmas (hey, two children, what can you do?) and then the New Year, I’ve been fairly quiet.  Well, on paper at least. 🙂

I had reconstructive surgery back on November 15.  Then, I had my (let me get this absolutely correct in the most technical way) “total hysterectomy with salpingo oophorectomy” on January 12.  My results came back from the biopsies they performed for that surgery — NO MORE CANCER!  Of course, now comes recovery, which is a bit of a longer road than I ever realized.

I keep looking back at the last year.  I only discovered my lump in January of 2011 (late January), and would have had my first mammogram in November of that year.  From that moment, I have been placed on disability, PET scanned, MRI’d, BRCA tested (yep, BRCA1), had a bilateral mastectomy, chemo, reconstruction, and a hysterectomy.  Holy smoke.  Am I still standing?

There are two people I absolutely don’t know how I would have functioned without during this past year (and you know I like to rename everybody on this blog, for the purpose of their privacy and just general silliness):  my sis, whom we shall call Giselle (think of the movie Enchanted, she’s a happy soul), and my dear friend, whom we shall call Lara (as in Croft, Tombraider,  not Dr. Zhivago this time).  These two beautiful women kept my “Maddie” and my “Othello” steady, cared for me, stepped into my shoes when I was too weak to do it myself, and LAUGHED with me, even when we all wanted to cry.

Even more amazing, as I came out of chemo, Lara asked me on a date: bald head and all.  🙂  So I keep joking about “love in the time of cancer and chemo” around here, but it really isn’t a joke.  When you are as sick as I have been, there’s no alternative but to talk – endlessly: for the 3 a.m. chemo wake ups, the infusions on messenger (by the way, I cannot type or text when they put benadryl in an IV for me – looking back through my phone, even I can’t understand what on earth I was trying to write).  Needless to say, we cemented a darn solid foundation through what should have been the worst time, and kept life positive and joyful.  So, there’s my happy news –   coming out of cancer, I have an amazing beginning in my personal life.  Oddly enough, I wouldn’t have had this happiness without the cancer.

So, I am only just barely allowed to drive AGAIN.  It’s kind of exciting to be able to leave the house a little bit, even if it is just to drive the babies to school.  I can slowly feel some strength coming back to my body, but I have quite a ways to go.  I used to run five miles each day, and I have lost so much muscle mass I can manage about 5 minutes of yoga and then I am shaking.  My system is still expelling painkillers and chemicals from this fun adventure we’ve been on.  But the worst is behind us, health wise.

Through it all, I was nurtured and loved and giggling with my two caregivers.  My children were able to continue being children, thriving at home and at school.  I am so blessed.  So very Blessed!

Sending blessings to you all… xoxo