Run for the Cure, for Chantel

Loni here. If you know me at all, you know I generally abhor fundraising efforts completely. I would rather just pay up front and not suffer through the hassle of shaking down friends and thereby getting shaken down by them in ten-fold return in the future. However, this isn't a cause that you can just "pay up front" for like some sort of league fees or play structure.

People have to get engaged with the breast cancer cause and realize it is growing at an aggressive rate.

CIBC and Run for the Cure have done a fantastic job of getting the run and the fundraising effort in our faces at every turn. It can be a bit much, I know. But through all the emails, facebook statuses, tweets and requests for donations, at the very least I hope a few people take the time to gain a better understanding of breast cancer. Its hitting closer and closer to home for everyone, daily, and we have to take some sort of action to figure out what's going on and how we can stop it. Kudos to CIBC for "owning the cause" and rallying people's support. Hopefully the funds go towards finding the root cause of this disease and stopping it in its tracks.

Ultimately, my participation is for my amazing wife Chantel who is closer and closer to being a breast cancer alumni. I look at this event as just another step away from breast cancer and towards a normal life for her again. Its been cute watching her get all excited about the amount of people joining her team and how well everyone is doing in gathering support. Normally I wouldn't have anything to do with an event with "Run" in the title, but for her...I'll do it.

I hope you choose to participate or support Chantel, myself, or any one of the many teammates on her Team Ratherbshopping. Here is the link, if you choose to donate: Team Ratherbshopping

Thanks for reading. Later.
LK

Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. ~James Matthew Barrie

Into week two of radiation - so far so good. Side effects aren't expected to start happening until week three. As the radiation gets deeper, I may have some redness, itching, peeling of the skin and fatigue. I've met a lot of ladies who got through radiation with very little side effects so I'm hoping for the same. 

I'm making a real effort to eat healthy and  regularly as well as get regular exercise to help combat any fatigue coming my way. Hopefully that will help get me through this stage smoothly. My energy level is not at full capacity but I'm definitely seeing improvement. 

My days are regularly  filled with rehab, physiotherapy, and radiation - often all three in the day. I go from one to the other and then head home for a nap before the boys get home from school.  Our evenings are filling with martial arts, gymnastics, and hockey. It is nice to feel well enough to be able to be a part of these things. I'm grateful for my slow but steady recovery. 

“The punishment of every disordered mind is its own disorder.” ― Augustine of Hippo

Thinking of all my friends and colleagues today meeting their new students. There's nothing more exciting than meeting your new class and messing up that nice clean classroom. I'm very sad to be missing out on that but my focus for this start of the year is on my own son. I'm going to cherish the opportunity to be able to take him to his first day of grade 1 which would never have happened if I wasn't at home. 

My eagerness to start radiation caused me to misunderstand my appointment date. I will begin this Friday- for real. ;)

It took me a long time, but I don't feel as anxious about stupid things anymore - or perhaps they've just been replaced by more complicated stupid things." - Neil Finn

I finally have the green light for radiation!! I'm all tattooed up and ready for lazering to begin! Tomorrow will be my first treatment of radiation. I'm a little anxious about what it's going to be like. How it's going to affect my skin, and how it's going to affect the fluid in my arm where lymph nodes were taken out. These are the areas of concern but not much we can do about it. It'll be what it'll be. My awesome team of physiotherapists at the Pasqua are ready to help me through it. What wonderful ladies I've met there. Tracey and Alissa take such good care of me. They often have to peel me off the roof after my tissue massage but they are making great progress. With radiation, their focus changes a bit from deep tissue massage to lymphatic draining. (Ill explain that more when I actually know what I'm talking about. ;) 

I got back to Level 10 this week to work with Jenna and continue mostly stretching exercises but some strength training and cardio. My body is in a bit of shock after 10 weeks of very little exercise. But, a very very necessary evil. It's quite scary and frustrating how much my physical strength and endurance have been affected but I'm determined to get to an even better level than I was before all this drama started ten months ago. I want to know that my diet, weight, and energy are at my personal best so that I'm ready for work and family life and all its responsibilities. From the way I feel after week one, I can only get stronger:). 

I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end. - Margaret Thatcher

There are many things I've learned in the last nine months....one thing is that there is nothing more frustrating to a cancer patient than her schedule being thrown out of whack. All of my countdowns and calendar dates have been completely messed!! 

I still am not completely healed enough to begin radiation. I am having weekly check ups but no green light yet. "My glass is half full" attitude appreciates that I got much more of a summer than I expected, however, one does get slightly anxious when your body is not responding the way you hoped it would. The drs do see improvement every week but it is not enough to safely begin. If we start to early, I'll lose the implant which will create a much bigger problem than waiting it out a few extra weeks. 

So, swimming lessons, hockey school, business trip to Las Vegas, scrapbooking date, Rider games, barbecues, and play dates as if we were a  regular ordinary family. It's been fun and exhausting but rewarding to know I am bouncing back from the biggest challenge of my life. 

Schedules shmedules. One day at time. Smile on my face and take each day as it comes. My body is responding well and I'm getting through what I need to - even if it is a little slower than expected. 

If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you'll never enjoy the sunshine. -Morris West

Lots of work at physio and following through with my stretches at home has my arm physically ready for radiation. Physio continues to work on the chording that is happening. The tendons on my underarm have "gummed" together making actually chords stick out in my arms. Lots of massage and stretching will take care of that over time. 

Unfortuantely, my incisions arent fully healed enough to start radiation. But a check up in the 14th will hopefully result in the green light to begin. 

So far we haven't noticed alot of excess swelling in my arm, which could indicate early stages of lymphadema. But I did get my very fashionable arm sleeve to compress my arm and keep the excess fluid at bay. 

I'm feeling pretty good overall. Very little pain other than when I go through physio. But even that is getting less. 

A few days of some sunshine really helps a persons mental state, well at least mine. Hoping for a bit more before daily radiation ends my summer. 

The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably come. James Whitcomb Riley

Heading into 5 weeks after surgery.... Things are getting better day by day. Thankfully pain is minimal and I'm starting to move around more easily. It's taking a while to get my left arm moving as well as I'd like. I'm going to physio twice a week which is helping. I'm not completely healed yet so my exercises are not pushing a full range yet. I need to be able to raise my arm over my head for radiation so I really have to get at it. Unfortunately I got an infection this past week which delayed me at pushing my exercises. But hopefully this will be the only infection an I can get at it!

I've met my new radiation oncologist, Dr.McClennan. He will start my treatment as soon as I can raise my arm above my head and the infection is gone. I'm hoping within 2 weeks we can get treatment started so I can complete another part of the "to do" list. I'm frustrated that there will be a delay but not much I can do about it. 

Pathology has shown that the chemo did a very good job. I only had a very small mass left and a tiny spot in one lymph node. The surgeon feels very confident she got everything. Now radiation will hopefully get any cells that may be leftover hiding out. I am very anxious to get phase III into action! Disappointed its cutting into summer fun, but the terrible weather is making it easier to take!;)