Lost four toenails tonight while trying to give myself a pedicure! Ick! They were a

This evening I told my friend Jeff some of the things I learned when I met with the Radiation Oncologist. These things surprised, scared and shocked him. I decided to share these things with you. The Radiation Oncologist

Everyone has a Pet Peeve. I seem to have a lot of them. Here's one that became clarified for me today.

Camping with Chemo

David and I went to a mountain bike festival this past weekend called "Dirt Fest". The event was held on the Allegrippis trails at Raystown Lake in western PA. We camped for two nights and biked in the woods. We had a little rain on the second night and the next morning but overall the weather, the event and the company, was great! I was a little concerned before we went as to how I'd do on a campimg trip, much less one that included mountain biking. But, it was SO much fun and so great to be out in the woods again. A couple of observations:
 - Take lots of friends with you. That way, more than one person can wait on you! Plus, the campfire is a lot more fun with friends. We had Al, Ray, Richard K, Richard B, and Brian.
 - Find a friendly dog to keep you company while everyone else is out on a five hour mountain bike ride. This time, it was easy to find a dog since Al brought along his dog, Abbie. And a fine friend she was! She listened when I asked her to stay and brought the tennis ball all the way back to me when we played fetch.
 - Bring along a chaise lounge for, well, lounging. Just because you are in the woods doesn't mean that you can't lay around.
 - Ask your tent mate to set up the bed and arrange the covers before you get in the tent. Just crawling into the tent is enough of a workout without having to fluff out the blankets or sleeping bag from a lying down position. Talk about sore abs!
 - Speaking of the bed, use an air-filled mattress in the tent. No Thermarest or egg-crate is adequate on its own. Must have comfort! I was really comfortable on my air mattress and slept well.
 - Take a really good shower before you leave home. Try to resisit the temptation to shower daily in camp. Even the nicest shower/bathroom buildings require that you pack your own toiletries in and out. Too much trouble and if you start to smell - it's the chemo!

So, those are my hints for anyone going camping during their chemo regimen. Actually, I'm going to start incorporating as many of them as I can for all my future camping!

PS - The mountain biking at Allegrippis is really nice! The trails are well built and so fun. Lots of whoop-de-dos! It was good to be back in the woods on two wheels.

A Little Perspective, Please

I found out something about a friend of mine last night that shocked me. Then, it completely awed me because this person revealed to me that she suffered abuse as a child. I won't go into any details but suffice it to say that she went through years of an ongoing nightmare that no child should have to endure. And yet, I never suspected anything like that had happened to her. She is warm and funny and smart and really has made a great life for hereself. She is successful on a number of planes. I am inspired by her example. Something horrible- far more horrible than cancer and for far longer than any cancer treatment- came into her life and she survived and thrives! What a strong woman! How deep her heart is that she is able to give to others! It gives me a new perspective on what I am experiencing with breast cancer.

Overloaded

I gained 6 pounds in one week! Yikes! At this rate I'll be another 12 pounds heavier by the time chemotherapy is over. My darling nurse Diana tells me the weight gain is due to the massive amount of Decadron (steroid) that I am given each week to mitigate the side effects from the chemo. I have seen people gain weight on steroids, lots of weight.  But in my secret heart I know that my getting larger is also due to my attitude. The attitude that says "Hey, I have Cancer! I'll eat whatever I want!" So, it's time now to drop that attitude. Time to rein myself in and eat much, much better. David will like the change. He's been trying to lose a few pounds. Having an eating machine around the house is definitely not helpful for David. Besides, not even the 'comfy for chemo' clothes I bought on the cheap a few months ago still fit!

But, hey, the really important thing isn't my increasing weight. The important thing is that the cancer is no longer in evidence! Those darn tumors are on the run! I will win whether fat or thin!

Boring...

Sometimes I go awhile between blog posts. I think about writing something then I talk myself out of it. I tell myself that no one really wants to read my every thought and experience when the truth is that it's a blog, which by it's nature is all about whatever subject and content the writer wants to post. No one has the time or energy to post every minute, boring detail. Certainly not me! So, on with the posts. Hopefully, they are the interesting highlights and lowlights of this whole cancer thing.