December--1 year cancer free

As I sit down to do a little Blogging after being confined to the house for the third time this winter due to wild wind and snow drifts. I would say all would agree that we are having a true white winter. I might be the only crazy one that really enjoys it. I love looking out across the countryside and seeing everything covered in the white fluffy stuff. I can't help but think how clean and sparkle things are with the sun shining. Ahhhhhh. Then a gust of Arctic wind reminds me of how miserable the cold weather is for all that have to be out in it. Enough about this weather.

With the hustle and bustle that only the Christmas holiday brings, I add one more appointment to my list of things to do. Going back to see my Oncologist the middle of the month rates as high on my to do list as getting Tim's Christmas Present. The good thing about having my appointment in Kansas City gives me a valid excuse to stop at Legends for a little shopping. My check up went without any riddle. I also received my 3rd of six Zometa infusions. The drug Zometa is used to prevent bone loss during breast cancer treatment and substantially they did a study that found it also cut the risk that the cancer would return. To get both benefits from one drug I call that a bonus. There are no big or serious side effects, though minor ones like fever and bone and joint pain are more common. That might explain why I feel like a 80 year old every morning when I go to get out of bed. With doctor fees the infusion can run more than $1,200. Thank goodness we have insurance! My mom and Aunt Rosalyn accompanied me to this appointment. Here is a photo of the 3 of us. A year ago last December 18, 2008 I was told that I could say I was CANCER FREE! This year I'm celebrating my one year anniversary. God continues to be present and alive in my heart.

As someone who has gone through a cancer diagnosis, I know that once treatment is finished, you may find yourself at loose ends. Family and friends, relieved that “it’s over,” are usually more than ready to get back to whatever normal was before your diagnosis. But like all heroines who are forced to fight battles in unknown lands, you have returned from your journey changed. While the physical geography of your outside world hasn’t changed, your interior landscape has. Because of your cancer experience, you now know as never before how precious life is. And it begs the question: How do you want to spend the rest of your life? A cancer diagnosis, or any life threatening illness, is often reorienting and can bring about a significant change in priorities. It raises questions about what really matters to survivors, which may or may not be different from what they were before cancer. A cancer diagnosis, or any life threatening illness can: Raise questions about the meaning of life; Test the bonds of relationships; Bring an end to a phase of life; Provide an opportunity to learn what really matters; Serve as a wake-up call to examine what has been resisted; and Give permission to shift priorities.

At this most exciting time of Jesus birth, may you all be blessed with some form of survivor ship.

The next time I'm scheduled for anything is June 2010. I'm so happy to share this with those of you who have been supporting me and praying for me. At that time I will have two days of testing like chest x-rays, lab work, bone scans, doctor appointments and etc.