The Lifespan of a Breast Cancer Blog
One benefit when I am recovering from surgery is that Mike lets me break the "no dogs on the bed" rule.
My final surgical drain came out today (2 weeks after surgery and drain free! Last time I had Gus who decided to stay with me for 4 1/2 weeks – yeesh). I am excited that I finally go back to work after a surgery without carting a drain under my clothes around. The plastic surgeon asked that I stay on the antibiotics for another 48 hours after the final drain came out and then we cross our fingers (here’s to hoping it was a lung issue!). It is bad that I am a bit of a pessimist, but every time I thought things would be ok I would get a surprise, so now I just go with the flow and accept that something could happen.
I am still laying low and keeping my activity down. I get about 2-3 hours of out of the house activity and then I am beat (which over the last couple of days has consisted of running to one appointment or another).
There comes a point in time in which those that blog about their breast cancer treatment are stuck with the question on whether or not they should retire their blog or continue blogging. I have now checked off everything on my treatment page. Part of me says “scrap it” and part of me wants to continue bits and pieces of my life in the coming years. I have made many friends along my journey and I know I like to keep up with where they are and how they are doing (it just comes with the territory of the blog world and why we continue to read something, we want to know what comes next). I guess how much I post will be driven by where my time and energy goes in the coming months.
This blog has been pretty personal in some ways and I worry if I should be more private. I guess that is one of the reasons blogs are read though, impersonal ones don’t have the flare that someone’s actual thoughts, opinions and emotions bring to what they write. Some of my favorite blogs are the no-holds-barred-anything-goes-blog where the blogger says exactly what they are thinking – now those bloggers usually make a living blogging and I am just blogging about living.
This blog been about my life in cancer treatment. My cancer treatment from here on out is my check ups and Tamoxifen. There are only so many ways to spin taking a pill everyday before it becomes very unexciting, unless it turns me blue and makes me blow up into a blueberry or something ridiculous. Life has to go on right?
I have a million little cancer related projects swimming around in my brain, but realistically I need to get back to my career with the hope that it and I have a future together (of course I learned this year that there is very possible to overdo it and I have to find that right career/life balance which is much easier to do when you aren’t having chemo every other week, surgery every few weeks or radiation every day). Projects can come when I find time and energy.
I now must begin the focus on me and my physical and emotional health. Exercise and eating healthy have been proven time and time again to help you during and after cancer treatment. Once I am cleared for normal activity I intend to go back to the elliptical at least 5 days a week. Eating healthier is much easier when you are actively cooking meals. I had started to focus on cooking as a hobby before I was diagnosed with cancer and I imagine I will fall back into it once I am able to go grocery shopping regularly again (has anyone noticed that cool recipes always require every ingredient you don’t already have in your house).
My healthy eating is a little more focused on getting fruit and vegetables in my daily diet (you can’t convince me to stop cooking with butter, cancer or no cancer). My body isn’t agreeable with fast food or deep fried anything anymore. I just feel like I have run into a brick wall when I eat that stuff, Mike could live on junk food if I would let him (he can eat anything fatty and lose weight, it is ridiculous).
I imagine I will post about my appointments (at least I know my dad is reading and gets those updates 😉 ) and hopefully some progress on the “Healthier Mandi in 2012” campaign.
Also, did you know Utah has one of the lowest mammogram rates? Go get your mammogram if you are overdue. NOW! Also, ladies, don’t forget your pap. Ladies and gentleman over 50, get that colonoscopy. Rant, rave, test, test, test….
