Cat toy

I made a cancer cell cat toy so that Bunk could kill some cancer too. 

Another busy week

(There's no reason for Mr. Bunky's picture to be here except that he is patiently waiting for me to go to sleep so he can sleep, too.)

I started outpatient physical therapy this week at Novacare. I only have 11 more sessions. I aim to be walking with just a cane. PT Dan seemed very straightforward as he evaluated my range of motion and my abilities. 

I had my regular appointment with my gyno on Thursday. I really like her. She spent an hour reviewing my medical stuff from last year with me. I felt so cared for! She was concerned about my support systems and my coping with everything. She's the best! In case you were wondering, I took off my leg for the exam. I was wondering about it beforehand and thought it would be easier without it. 

Friday was chemo again. My shoulder X-ray is totally clear, but my shoulder pain has escalated to where I take painkillers a few times a day. I am getting a ct-scan, a bone scan, and an EKG (my blood pressure is pretty high). I also have the ultrasound and the mammogram the surgeon ordered. I hope we can do a few of these during the same visit.

After chemo and my nap, I went for a walk in the neighborhood. Ken met up for me and we had dinner at a restaurant. We hardly ever go on dates and it was fantastic. I realized that my shoulder hurt less after the walking.

Today, I walked to Ken's house to watch the soccer game. Then we walked to Lucky to have drinks for Rich's birthday. That's about .6 miles total. I left early because my shoulder started aching and I couldn't take deep breaths without pain. 

This breathlessness makes

Me miss the easy air flow

For years I ignored 

Jimmy says that writing haikus helps with pain because it forces you to think in rhythm and in syllable which makes it harder to focus on the uncomfortable body sensations. 

Butter cake and doctors appointments

Chemo was pretty uneventful on Friday. I found out that the sarcoma in my leg was a Synovial sarcoma. It accounts for approximately 5 -10% of sarcomas in adults; sarcoma accounts for approximately 1% of adult cancers, according to Beat Sarcoma It occurs around the knee about 50% of the time and metastasizes about 50% of the time (Your cancer today).So, I guess I had the most common forms of a pretty rare cancer. Dr. Rubin said that she wanted me to get my shoulder x-rayed, as the pain has gotten worse.

Yesterday I walked with Ken 0.6 miles (roundtrip) to Melrose Diner for brunch. I was so proud of my walk there, but I was disappointed that I needed to rest so much on the return trip. We had the butter cake for dessert to celebrate. That cake is like butter with just enough flour and sugar to hold it together. Wow! I feel compelled to practice walking because physical therapy has not started yet. (I am calling to demand it, though.)

Today, I saw my surgeon who seemed impressed with how well my breast and little leg have healed following my surgeries. He was concerned about a mole on my right breast and wants to biopsy it. I guess, once again, I will have a matched set, because the scar on the right breast will be in the same spot as the scar on my left breast. I am a little nervous because all of my biopsy results have been cancer or pre-cancer, but I could break the pattern. I feel a little confused since my breasts are examined so often that it seems a little odd that someone is just now feeling concerned about the mole. I can feel anxious about it later.

Swimming!

While visiting my folks, I went for a swim in the pool. I felt nervous about getting in and out of the pool. I just sat down on a towel on the edge of the deck and scooted onto the pool steps and into the water.

My little leg felt so many sensations in the water. It felt pretty intense. My little leg is hardly ever exposed. During the day, I wear my liner and prosthesis; at night, I wear my Shrinker. The little leg wiggled as the water pushed against it. I got used to the sensation though and had a ton of fun.

In other news

I am not going to write about trying to get my COBRA information. It should be in my hands in 7 days though. Other people  with more knowledge of these situations are helping me.

I have been visiting my parents. My 3-year old niece Victoria hung out with me today. 

She enjoyed tickling my prosthetic toes. I love that she doesn't seem to notice that I have a robot leg.