Update 2016!!

Me!! August 2015

Vidal Six ~ August 2014

February 2013~ 3 rounds of Chemo of 17 total.

August 2013 

November 2014

Carla and Phil March 2015

June 2015

July 2015 - Vidal children

August 2015

Well, it's hard to believe......it’s 2016!!!! OMG!!!! I am 3.5 years post diagnoses, healthy and cancer free!! I have to have a mammogram every 6 months and I have had some little medical pop-ups here and there but I am cancer free!!! Yahoo!!!

A VERY dear friend of mine and I were talking the other day and she made a good point.  I should update my blog for anyone who stumbles across it to let them know that I am doing well.

In fact, I would say I am doing better than just well......I am doing great!!

So I will let er' rip, as they say.....Here's the scoop:

In the last four months of chemotherapy (September 2013) I made a decision to go back to school.  I have had a longtime goal of becoming a nurse (13 years) and have been working in healthcare as a hospital unit clerk for almost 7 years at that point.  My foresight was clear and I decided to forge ahead with obtaining the last of two prerequisites I needed to apply to the nursing program.  I needed Chemistry 11 and Math 11 two of my worst subjects...YUCK!  It wasn’t easy and I had chemo brain some days but I did it and I was finally able to apply to the nursing program, something I had not been able to do because I hadn’t completed the lengthy list of pre-req’s.

The college had revised the entry process to a competition entry which would include a complex interview process (5 separate interviews) as well as an essay.  All of this, after meeting the requirements, and actually getting offered an interview in the first place.

Needless to say I was selected!!  I found out in April 2014 that I would be entering the Nursing Program in the graduating class of 2018 starting September 2014!!

I am now in the second half of my second year!  I am almost ½ nurse! School is going well and I love every minute of it.  I have made so many wonderful new friendships and have learned more than I could have ever imagined.  I tell my nursing peers all the time “In this moment, we are the smartest we have ever been!!”

On the family front, everyone is doing really well.  Aside from the normal dramas of everyday life living with THREE teenage girls, life is pretty good.  Abby is graduating this year, got her driver’s license and has her own car.  Georgia has made the city volleyball team and has changed her sport focus to volleyball permanently now.  Stella is dancing and is also playing volleyball!!  Vinnie is a fun lovin guy who enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities.  My person, Phil, has taken a permanent job with a local construction company working as a site foreman (more often foreman’s confidant) and we are slowly regaining some financial stability.

If I can speak to anything outside of a person’s cancer journey, is that it is almost financially ruining.  We spent all of our savings and endured a small fortune of debt but we are starting to climb out of the hole.  If you ever have anyone close to you, especially if they are young (but that really doesn’t matter) diagnosed with any long term medical condition, if you can help them financially then do so!! They will never be able to show you how grateful they are, believe me when I say it touches them to their deepest core and they are very thankful.  We were very fortunate and had lots of supporters and I am forever grateful to them.  I pay it forward daily. Please know that my friends.

There are big things coming in my future and I plan to continue writing more blogs…so stay tuned and live your life well.

Xox C.

PS. About the hair..... I have had my hair cut several times and even though I thought it would never grow back it most definitely did!!!  I started colouring it again about 18 months after it grew back and it has been a major debacle to keep it from turning orange every time but  I have persevered and I am a blonde once again.  
It is a different texture than before but still thick and so soft!! I am grateful for my hair especially at this time of year, as I remember how cold I was when I was bald.

Dropping the LB.'S........

In efforts to get this chemo weight and then some off I went to Jazzercise for the first time on Tuesday night with my supporter and sister-in-law Kristy. I want to say that I am desperately trying to get some weight off, I'm really not desperate I'm just well.....desperate I guess you could say.  I know it's going to take time and I have got my head wrapped around that.  I have tried all the gimmicks and fast losing diets out there and they have worked for me....the problem, the weight never completely stays off.  I have struggled for almost 14 years with my weight now, longer than I ever imagined I would.
Don't get me wrong I'm not that girl who hates her body blah blah blah.......I just feel like I'm a skinny chick stuck in a big girls body.  All I need to do now is break out of this shell!
Breaking free is the hard part, thus, I started back to Jazzercise.  I haven't been able to exercise regularly or want to for that matter for almost 5 months due to the way my treatments have left me feeling. I was completely de-conditioned and need to slowly reintegrate exercise back into my life. My hope is that this will jumpstart my metabolism again and maybe some pounds will come off, along with some clean eating and portion control this sounds like a perfect remedy!
When I first started going for walks during my chemo, usually once or twice a week, I could only do about 10-15mins with lots of rest stops. Some days I couldn't even entertain the thought of lifting my feet off the ground.  I was up to walking about 45 mins without feeling exhausted and completely spent.  So I decided I would head back to Jazzercise, with my favourite instructor Laura! I also thought it would be good motivation to have a buddy so I invited Kristy to join me and she said she would!
So Tuesday night was the day, I almost bailed on going, hence having a buddy to hold me accountable to show up! I thoroughly enjoyed the class, the music and seeing some of my buddies from when I went two years ago.  I couldn't believe I made it through the whole class, it is an hour long and pretty intense at times, I persevered and did what I could and finished.
The after effects, I am stiff as a board!!  My hips are almost in lock down and are revolting against any movement what's so ever! That's ok though, it will get easier and recovery will get less and less!  I read some quote somewhere that said something like "The pain your feeling today, means a good gain today." I don't know it was close to that, so I'm going with it!
So herein lies the official start of my weight loss journey......I'll post about it and my friend Diane has said she'll even take progress photos!! I gotta have something to talk about!
PS. My booby is still really sore and quite raw, I'm managing and it is getting better.
x0x

The Nipple Dilemma........

This is a post that should be titled "The things they don't tell you when undergoing breast radiation."  As of today I am 11 days post radiation therapy.  I had my last radiation followed by a doctors appointment on that last day.  The doctor reminded me that radiation has a cumulative effect, which means it continues to work even after you have finished the radiation treatment.  This also means that your skin will also have cumulative effects that may or may not occur for approximately the next 2-3 weeks post radiation.  What they don't tell you is how BAD those skin effects can really get.  So falling short of posting a picture of my poor booby, because it is really that bad, I spared those with a queasy stomach of my nightmare.
On Friday, 4 days ago, while having a visit with my friend Diane, we were wrapping up and I asked her if she wanted to see my boob.  I show everyone my boob, because frankly, I have not had one person say no!
So I began to take off my bra the same way we all take off our bras, and as I took the shoulder strap off my left shoulder and removed the bra cup from my boob it ripped about 10 layers of skin from my areola (the round part around the nipple) and oh ya, 3/4 of my nipple became detached from my body!!!!! HOLY SHIZAS!!!  YES IT HURT! Diane and I were both in shock and really didn't know how to respond to what just happened.  I had NO IDEA this was even a possibility of the extreme effects that could be!! I guess they don't tell you this could be a possibility as most women would run screaming from the doctors office and probably reject radiation therapy all together!
Thankfully Diane is a nurse and she got it all dressed in gauze and what ever I had on hand and tucked me back into another bra for the night. 
I called the radiation oncologist first thing in the morning and told her my problemo! It was at least promising that she didn't seem phased by my description and ordered cold compresses and air dry the breast wearing a cotton shirt, as much as possible for the rest of the weekend.  She reassured me that she was going to be on call all weekend and if I really needed to see her I could go into RJH Emergency and she would see me. 
I made it through the rest of the weekend, I spent most of it at the swimming pool doing the photography for Georgia's swim meet and had a nice Mother's Day with the family on Sunday hanging out together. 
I managed to make it until Monday when the doctor had told me to call BCCA first thing and get into see a wound care nurse so she could assess it and get me sorted out.  I got in right away and the nurse did a saline soak and cleaned me up really well, yes that hurt too.  She said the wound was still very open and decided that a antibacterial skin healing cream would be a good option for me.  She creamed me up and dressed the wound with anti-stick gauze and sent me on my way. 
It is looking better today, still very stingy and sore, I do think the cream is working and it is going to heal.  Hopefully sooner than later.
So there you have it.....another tidbit of information you may or may not have known about breast cancer treatment! It can only go up from here......I hope.
x0x

Radiation FINISHED!!!!!!!

Well there is some cause for celebration!!!  I have finished radiation!  Yay! 20 rounds completed.  It was so nice to walk out of the cancer agency on Friday knowing I don't have to go back next week.  It has been a long haul, everyday back and forth is exhausting in itself.  The treatments were okay they were only 4minutes long were tolerable.  Radiation has a cumulative effect which means I will still have effects for the next couple of weeks.  The fatigue and some more skin breakdown possibly on the booby that was being attacked!  It is bright red, and there is just no explanation that can tell you how sore and raw the nipple is.  It will all heal in time, it's only a temporary reaction.
I have had a fairly good last couple of weeks, besides trying to get rid of this cold things have been relatively normal.
The weather is outstanding and yesterday we spent some time at Esquimalt Lagoon.  We had an impromptu BBQ dinner with friends at our house and it was great. 
I was very careful to sunscreen the area of my chest that is exposed to the sun that had radiation.  In fact I did such a good job I left finger markings on my shoulder that were covered with sunscreen and forgot to do the rest of my arms! So needless to say I was a lobster last night.  Good thing for aloe vera plants.
Life has been pretty good.

So now the rest of my treatment is every 21 days of Herceptin which is given through my portacath at the cancer agency until January 2014.  I will not return to work until I have completed all this treatment as it is advised to keep stress away and my job is quite stressful in itself, let alone organizing my life to enable me to get to work!
I am also going on June 6, 2013 to have my hereditary testing done which will determine if I am the genetic carrier of this breast cancer.  They are looking to see if I am BRCA1 or BRCA2 positive. What that means is if I am determined to be the carrier that my children are at a much higher risk of having breast cancer.  The testing is very straight forward it is just a blood test, the results however take months to get as they watch the sample and follow the chain of DNA. It is a piece of this that of course makes me uneasy, at this point I'm not losing sleep over it as there is not much I can do about it.  No sense worrying twice about it!

So that's that I will still keep writing and post on FB when I have done a new post.  I hope to write about some heartwarming stories that I have experienced through out this journey so far.  I think they are the best kind to share.
Have a great week and thank you for your support!
x0x

My first cold in six months......

Well I made it 6 months without getting any kind of cold or flu bug!  I definitely have one now, sniffles, cough, sore throat....you know the works!  I guess I did really well getting through all my early treatment fairly unscathed from an outside infection.  I'm onto the Advil Plus cold & sinus remedy so I can get through this week. I think that's where my headaches came from last week, it was the brewing of this virus that I have.
I am starting my third week (11/20) of radiation today and hopefully it doesn't knock the life outta me having this cold.   I'm taking my cousin Jennifer with me today so she can see what the radiation treatment looks like.  The people at the radiation clinic are so nice they always encourage you to include your family and friends.  It makes it a whole lot nicer for me to share what I'm going through.
The weekend was pretty good, we didn't really get up to too much, I wasn't feeling great so I had little motivation to do anything. I did go for a girls night on Saturday with Monique to dinner at My-Chosen café and then we watched a couple of movies at her house.  She spent the entire duration of one movie giving me a head and neck massage.  It was so relaxing. 
The girls swim tournaments went well Saturday and Sunday.  I ended up sending Phil to be the tournament photographer on Sunday because I was so sick on Sunday morning that I couldn't get out of bed. :-(  I was really looking forward to that. Next time I guess.
The weather was pretty crappy so no gardening got done, Phil did cut the lawn, that always makes everything look so nice.  We are getting ready to plant some baskets and planters as soon as it warms up a wee bit.  I really want to do a small veggie garden this year, Phil is not really on board with it cause he will have to construct some sort of area for that to happen!  I always have a long list of things for Phil too do.  It is more like a wish list which is really starting to get longer and longer.  I even have a board on my Pinterest site called Phil's to do list! I also have another one called gardening 101 if you are interested in really cool ideas for your garden.
Other than that, it's Monday again and we are back to the routine.  I hope you all have a great week! I'll write again soon.
x0x

Radiation 1/2 way done!!!!!

I often find myself wondering what to write about.  I have lots to say, just not sure if it comes across as preaching or just telling my side. 
I am not a religious person by any means, I can honestly say I do feel blessed for the support and love that I have received over these last 6 months of this journey.  I still have a long road ahead of me and for me I can't celebrate until that final Herceptin treatment happens......trust me that will be a celebration! 
I still can't believe how popular this blog has been and how much people are enjoying reading it, and all the great stories I have heard about people sharing it with others who they thought would like it.  Maybe I'll write a book one day!

Written Wednesday April 17, 2013:
So here's an update, I am headed to day 8/20 of radiation.  It is going well, it is more of a pain to get there everyday and find a parking spot than any side effect of the treatment.  My boob is really starting to get sore and look quite sunburned, last Friday Dr. Sally Smith saw me and has decided she is going to keep an eye on it for the duration of the treatment so she will see me every week.  It has not progressed into anything ugly yet, apparently it can start to blister and be extremely painful.  I hope it does not go that route with me!
My day to day life is normal, yesterday was Georgia's birthday, so we had a family celebration.  She chose to have Indian food for dinner, so I made butter chicken and Tikka Masala and went and picked up Naan bread to go with it.  It was delicious.  I made a batch of red velvet cupcakes and a chocolate cake to serve for tea and cake with the family.  She was spoiled of course and had a pretty wonderful day.  It's hard to watch them grow up so fast.  Age 0-8 takes forever then it just goes so fast from there.
Written today, Friday April 19, 2013:
I'm half way done radiation. Today I completed day 10/20 rounds.  I also saw Dr. Smith (Radiation Oncologist)  today and she had a look at my sore booby.  It is slowly getting more sunburned and is quite sore.  I cream it regularly and take good care of the skin there is not much more I can do.  The worst is my nipple feels like I started breastfeeding again!! OMG if you know that feeling of sore cracked aching nipples that's what radiation feels like on your nipple!  I also started getting some pretty wicked headaches this week, they started on Monday after radiation and have not stopped.  Wednesday was particularly bad and carried right through until Thursday.  Dr. Smith does not have a physiological explanation as headaches are not a side effect of radiation at all, she is going to keep an eye on things.  I hate headaches so much!
We have a busy weekend planned with 2 of our girls swimming in tournaments this weekend and lots of yard work to do as well.  I'm taking the official tournament photos on Sunday for the first time so it should be fun.
I'm on the countdown now as the gal at radiation said to me today!  10,9,8,7.......Oh I can't wait until it's done. 
Hopefully my energy level doesn't decrease too much in the next couple of weeks, I have been getting out and walking regularly and doing some little workouts at home too. 
My next big adventure is losing all this complimentary chemo weight!
x0x

Radiation day 4.....

I went for my fourth round of radiation today. All is going fine, other than a tender boob it is so much better than throwing up! I have to do some regimented skin care to avoid a nasty kind of sun burn reaction that people get with radiation.  I just have to use a water based cream 2-3 times a day.
I have to go the cancer agency every day Monday to Friday for the next 20 days.  I am relieved that Dr. Smith was able to reduce my radiation treatment period, as almost 7 weeks of going there every day was going to be a bit much! I'll take a month, that'll do.  There are 4 radiation machines that run everyday.  They are all named after trees, I am on the Birch machine.  Today my Auntie came in with me to get set-up on the machine.  She could watch them getting me lined up with the red alignment beams and then they showed her all about the actual radiation that they were doing while I was in the machine.  The techs were all very nice and spent the time explaining to her what they were doing and what the images were that she was looking at.  My actual radiation only takes 4mins the time to get me set-up and changed and unchanged takes longer than that!

All in all it is going fine. I hit a wall of fatigue everyday around 15:30 and it passes after about an hour or so. 

I'm looking forward to the weekend and not driving over to the jubilee!

 x0x