Looking for More Options

This morning I was looking at my lymphedema arm. The Spiderman Kinesio tape was barely hanging on to my skin and it had slowly unravelled bit by bit for the last 10 days. I started trimming with scissors at my wrist and then my shoulder ... so today off it came. At this point I’m convinced that it’s helpful and I’ll definitely have another put on. 

But my cycles keep changing the amount of swelling ....one day up and then down. So I was thinking... maybe acupuncture could help level off the symptoms a little. One hitch tho is that I should avoid those small needles in this arm.

Does anyone know or have heard of any stories of lymphedema arm being treated with acupuncture? 

tia ...

New Glove and Compression Sleeve

When I went to pick my new custom fitted glove for my lymphedema arm up, I was a very disappointed that it was not a good fit. It was loose on the top of the hand and since this was where most of the fluid collects, I needed to get a better fit. 

While I was there, they phoned the manufacturer and agreed to sew another glove for free. 

Because my existing glove is wore out, I’m going to wear one glove over the other and see how that works out.

The Friday Knitting Group

Today the facilitator asked us if cancer has changed us and whether others have noticed a change in us. Well we all had similar stories of how cancer has changed us ... we especially spoke about how we had become stronger individuals. One thing we all agreed on is that we were able to say ‘no’ more easily ... whether it was at home to family or at work. I guess you could say we all learned how to set a few more limits and boundaries.

A few gals said that people have noticed a change in them as well. I can’t say anyone has mentioned that I’ve changed ... tho I’m sure I have.

Throughout each session we admire each others knitting projects. I showed off my Moebius scarf that I knitted last weekend. There are a few different ways to do the Moebius. Here is a link on YouTube if you’re interested. And here is a picture of mine.

Just before the end of the class ... we were invited to check out some of the other yarns available. I scooped some nylon ribbon yarn. Who knows what I will create.

I tell ya ... these two hours go by so quick ...

Blood Work and Oncologist Visit

This morning I had my blood work and my Onc visit. I was scheduled for the blood draw at 10:00 but when I got to the lab ... oh boy was it lined up. I finally got in for my needle stick at 10:55 and then with my Onc visit at 11:00. 

Of course the Onc didn’t have the lab results back but he called me in and did a quick exam. The same questions always come up ... any issues with diarrhea, mouth sores or cracks in my hand or feet ... and once again I was happy to report ‘no issues’. He said he’d give me the same prescription for my Xeloda when the lab work came back and everything looked good. About 45 minutes later, I got my prescription and off to the pharmacy I went. Another 45 minute wait and I was off and running.

No time to blog....`cuz I was meeting my Second Cup coffee group at 1:00 pm. I was a couple minutes late but no troubles because C had secured our soft comfy chairs. A short while later T joined us and we all had a nice chat.

So all in all a hurry up and wait kinda day ...

More Kinesio Tape

I just got back from my Chiro appointment. He looked at my arm and said the swelling had gone down considerably from last week. I thought it had gone down too but when you look at something every day ... it’s hard to notice the subtle changes. 

At a previous appointment he mentioned we could apply some Kinesio tape to my shoulder. So today I brought in my stash to apply to my right lymphedema shoulder. Below is a picture of what he did.

He again told me how Kinesio tape works. The tape reminds the body where it should be and encourages it to return to the normal position. For example, having it on my shoulder helps my less used muscles to return to their proper position ... so when I slouch ... the tape provides a gentle tug which then reminds me to pull my shoulder back. The tape works for my wrist and hand so it should work for my shoulder. I`ll let you know how this turns out.

Cool eh!

Back at the cancer center for a few hours

Today was my follow-up visit with my oncologist. The appointment that had to be rescheduled because the other appointment was cancelled and I wasn’t aware of it.

 

A few things happened that surprised me. One, I weigh a bit more than I thought I did. So, I need to get my workout and diet game in order – and quickly. Two, life really does move on. Noticing how different some of the nurses looked from the last time that I saw them – one had longer hair, another was 8 months pregnant – sort of startled me. Three, I was in a happy place emotionally when I was in the reception area but as soon as I went back to the area where the chemo is administered, I became very overwhelmed and sad. Very, very teary. I didn’t expect to have that reaction.

 

I received my last herceptin drip in November of 2009. I finished my ACT chemotherapy in December 2008. But I still have my medi-port implanted in my chest. I had to go back to the infusion area so that the oncology nurses could access my port for the blood that had to be drawn for the necessary tests. Another thought that passed my mind – I was a serious CHAMP when I was taking those needles to my chest back in the day because OOOOH LAWD that hurt. I guess you don’t realize what strength you have or that you use until you realize that you’re out of practice with it.

 

A lot of time has passed since I stopped going to the cancer center on a regular basis. For awhile, it became a place of comfort for me. I knew everyone there, and they knew me. I had lots of giggles and hugs when I was there. But going back this morning reminded me just how far I’ve come. And just how painful that time really was. Even though I cried a lot during that time, I still hid a lot of my pain from myself and from others. Today, I realized just how painful and scary that time was for me. And how much I am really not trying to ever, ever go back there again.

 

I cannot determine whether breast cancer will creep back into my body. I don’t know whether I will be one of the fortunate ones who manages to live a long life beyond breast cancer or whether my time will be shortened by a recurrence. What I do know is that somebody has to find a cure for cancer. And soon. Too many people are losing too much of their lives because of it.

 

The Living Well Group

Today I had my final Living Well session with the group. The homework from last week was to create letters of gratitude and then read them to the appropriate person. I failed to do my homework so have nothing to offer about this experience. Sorry. 

P presented one of her Doctors with a letter of gratitude ... now isn’t that a thoughtful thing to do. I know I take my Doc’s for granted.

Even tho this was the last meeting for the group, there was still one final assignment.

So here it is:

• Consider which institution or organization promotes or enables an outcome that you value and then find out what you can do to make this institution or organization better.

• Dedicate about three hours each week for the next three to six months doing something to help make this organization better. The idea here is for you to use your strengths for this task.

• Keep a journal of how it feels to work for such an institution and then reflect on how you feel about yourself and the institution.

Wow, this one’s a biggy.