Cancer Free and heading back to Crossfit

OMGoodness what a whirl wind life has been.  After I was told I'd have to be on chemo for another year or so I really started digging into other options.  I found a local Mohs surgeon who was able to do my surgery in July and I was able to quit chemo for good.  It's been 2 1/2 months since then and my incision still hasn't completely closed up.  My body is VERY slow at healing itself due to the chemo.  I was told it could easily take a year for my body to heal itself from all the chemo side effects. 

I went up 3 sizes while on the meds but am down 2 so far.  I still get tired very easily, and also am struggling with migraines to bad they make my physically ill.  I'm anxious for life to get back to "normal".  I contacted my crossfit and will start back up on Monday Oct. 13th.  I'm super freaked out to be going back.  I feel like I've lost all the gains I made while there.  They keep telling me it shouldn't take more than 2-3 months to get back to where I was......I hope they're right! 

Cancer update and small rant.

Since being diagnosed at the end of January my life has been thrown upside down.  I started chemo on Valentines day and since then I've broken out in a dangerous rash twice.  My oncologist had me start taking 1/8th of a dose for a week, then off for a week, then would I would move up an 1/8th of a dose every other week.  I'm currently on my off week and on Monday I'll be back up to a full dose.  I'm anxious to be back on a full dose because that's when I saw significant shrinkage of the tumors. 

I miss crossfit so bad.  I can't even put into words how frustrating it was to have finally gotten almost a year of crossfit under my belt and then be told I have to quit while I deal with chemo and surgery and then healing.  From the way things look at this point I'll be on chemo for several months before surgery is scheduled.  Which means between chemo, surgery, and healing, I could be away from any sort of intense exercise for 1-2 more years. 

When I got weighed at the oncologist's office a couple weeks ago I had gained 4.6 pounds from when I first saw them in February.  So that's less than 5 lbs and that sounds pretty decent.....but I've gone up 2 dress sizes.  I have literally had to go up two entire pant and shirt sizes.  How is that even possible?  I can only guess that I'm losing muscle and gaining fat/water weight.  I feel so freakishly large.  I hate it!  My face is puffy, my tummy is puffy, I feel and look terrible. 

I'm sorry for turning this post into a bitch fest, but I want to be honest with how I feel and what I'm going through. 

Everyone and their mother has been hounding me with cancer cures.  I've been told to ingest baking soda , rub cannabis (marijuana) oil on the tumors, rub frankincense on the tumors, eat raw ginger, stop eating sugar, stop drinking milk, etc etc etc.....I can't even think of everything I've been bombarded with.  I can't stress enough that if there were alternative cancer treatments that worked as good as all these people are saying, then everyone and I mean EVERYONE would know about it.  It'd be on every tv/news station.  It'd be in every magazine......but it's not.  Now can some alternative methods cure some cancers sometimes?  Sure.  But there are SOOO many types of cancer caused by all sorts of things and we all react differently to treatment.  Please don't blast a friend or family member with cures you read online.  It's a confusing enough time as it is for the person....please don't make things more confusing and stressful for them. 

$300 breakfast

So yesterday was my 1st day on chemo. 

 

 

It wasn't too bad, but the nurses did say it can take a few weeks for the full brunt of the side effects to set in.  I felt a little nauseas a couple times, but that was about it.  I know as my red and white blood cells start to diminish I'll be feeling a lot worse.  In the mean time I'm going to just enjoy feeling good. 

 

I was able to get this 90 day supply of chemo pills for free.  Hurray!  My case worker at the oncologist was able to pull some strings.  I'm super thankful because this little bottle of 90 pills would have cost me $30,000.  Yep  30K!!!    Or almost $300 per pill.  I've never held anything worth that much in my hot little hands before.....seemed odd to have to be pills that make you feel crappy.  I had my breakfast followed by my expensive little pill and smiled.  I'm super thankful that I even have the opportunity to get this awesome medication and get the chance to kick this cancer's ass. 

 

 

We had a nice enjoyable Valentine's day.  My husband and I don't really exchange gifts, but he did surprise me with a small package of my very favorite candies in the whole wide world. 

 

 

It just doesn't get any better than these.  I ended up making a cheese fondue for dinner and then cut up various breads, veggies, and a green apple to dip.  For dessert I made a chocolate fondue and we dipped oreo crusted marshmallows, brownie and pound cake bites, strawberries, and bananas.  It was delicious!  I was able to eat about one bite of each dessert option before my tummy said NO MORE!  My eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach.  Then we all settled around the tv and watched a movie together.  I thoroughly enjoyed my evening with the loves of my life.♥