The breast reconstruction part of my journey is moving along quickly! I have been having weekly fills since my April 28 surgery, except of course for when vacation came calling! lol. As you can see in the above picture, I am a big fan of "Life is Good" tops and they illustrate my life so well!
The plan is to keep the temporary spacers in for about two months. My next appointment is July 30 and we may start looking at a possible surgery date for the spacers to be exchanged for permanent implants! Everything has gone smoothly without pain or complications. My journey has allowed me to meet and talk with so many nice people of all ages during my weekly visits and some I will never forget. Every day of life is a gift that I now treasure and am much more thankful for than ever before. I thank God every day for his "journey guidance" and to all of you for your many prayers, compliments and well wishes!
As my shirt in the circle above says "Go Places, Life is Good", I agree wholeheartedly!
This picture was taken from inside of our RV at site #12 at Gamble Rogers State Park at Flagler Beach. It was a spectacular view and it was all ours while we were there! We actually parked and set up in the sand - a first for us! There was a wonderful and constant breeze which kept us outside all day long! The sounds of the ocean took the place of any kind of music! Mother Nature's sounds are way better and especially at night!
We spent lots of hours under this awning just enjoying our surroundings! Watching the ocean and constantly feeling the breezes made great companions!
It was a small gated one of a kind ocean front campground. Talk about having your toes in the sand - it doesn't get any better than this! Once we passed through that gate, we knew we would not pass through again except to leave!
This is Dwight, our fantastic camp host! He rakes each site as they become empty. He and his wife are from Georgia and are just "salt of the earth" kind of people! He sort of reminded me of Barney Fife when he made his hourly golf cart rounds! lol.
The park also has a very nice boat dock, kayak rentals and fishing areas across from the camping section!
Sunsets were not to be missed! People actually stood on top of their RVs trying to get that perfect picture!
Here is another gorgeous day ending over a beautiful chunk of God's earth!
This is Ricky doing the dirty work! lol. Living on the sand provides you with water and electricity - no sewer. As long as he doesn't mind doing it, I don't have a problem not volunteering to learn this part! lol.
This is us leaving Gamble Rogers. It has been a wonderful trip "living on the sand!" We definitely give this campground five stars and will return! This was my first trip without a wig or scarf on my head and I must say the constant breeze on my quarter inch buzz cut hair was absolutely exhilarating - almost as good as my twice a day showers!!
On to Anastasia Island and St. Augustine!
It has now been six months since my breast cancer diagnosis. We were at Cascade Lake when I found the lump in my breast and six months later we have returned. As night is falling around the campfire, I began to think and reflect on the happenings since our last visit here. Bilateral mastectomy, port placement, scans, biopsies, chemotherapy, numerous blood draws, genetic testing, Neulasta injections, six visits with my surgeon, fifteen visits with my oncologist, breast reconstruction surgery, seven visits with my plastic surgeon and two more surgeries to go and I am completely amazed and blown away with the competence, kindness and compassion of every healthcare worker who has had a part in my care. I never dreaded or feared any of my visits. From day one, I have received VIP red carpet treatment. These six months have passed so quickly!
I get to say goodbye a second time to these evil drains! How would you like to run into this in the Walmart aisle? lol. I actually loved my Home Depot apron.
My hair has returned so I can say goodbye to the scarves, wig, caps, hats and all of the hair paraphernalia that I used to adorn my head. When I look at this, I don't see an ugly bald head. I see the most wonderful memories of the most wonderful people! I am so thankful for every step of my unexpected journey!
Ricky and I can say hello again to hiking! We have never been so happy and thrilled to pay our 40.00 for our yearly parking pass at the Whitewater Center! We have certainly missed these trails!
As we leave the forest, I leave with a very grateful and thankful heart. It has been a great week of reflection and almost surreal at times. A cancer diagnosis really puts life into a whole new awareness unlike anything I have ever experienced before.
This bracelet is a gift from Chelsey and I think it sums up my life completely!
Thank you to everyone who has said a prayer for me and my family or had a kind thought. Please continue to pray as I continue on my unexpected journey.
I have always and still do feel that beauty is on the inside, not on the outside. My plan was to be flat and fabulous! lol. I struggled with the decision to reconstruct but after four months of "stuffing," I was more than ready! lol. Once I decided to go forth with breast reconstruction, it immediately fell into place. I met my wonderful and fantastic plastic surgeon on a Wednesday and surgery was scheduled for the following Tuesday!
We arrived at Novant Ballantyne Surgery Center and were immediately made to feel so comfortable and welcomed by the staff! While I was in the pre-op area, the surgery and the recovery nurses that had been assigned to my case came and introduced themselves and told me exactly what they would be doing for me. I also met my CRNA and anesthesiologist and of course my surgeon came by wearing a special surgery cap with pink ribbons on it! These "small" gestures are really a "big deal" from a patient's view. I was completely relaxed and without dread when I was rolled into the OR.
The surgery lasted two hours and then onto the recovery room. I woke up to a delicious red can of real Coke! lol. While I was in recovery, my pre-op nurses, surgery nurses, CRNA and anesthesiologist re-visited me. It was definitely a "red carpet" day for me at Novant Ballantyne and I highly recommend this location!
I left here thanking God for a successful surgery and for all the helpful people I met on my unexpected journey today!
This is my chemotherapy port that had been with me since December 11. I love that it is colored purple and in the shape of a heart! It certainly served its purpose by working well each and every time, thus avoiding arm sticks. However, it is time to bid farewell!
I signed into Dr. Turk's office at 2:15 and was taken on back to a treatment room for removal of my chemo port. As always, the staff were courteous, caring, efficient and mindful of the patient's time. Never having to "wait" is just another reason I love coming here! As I am getting undressed, I think back to my first appointment with Dr. Turk on December 2. I was immediately at ease with him and trusted him completely to do my surgery. He was so understanding and moved swiftly to get me on the OR schedule. I can't believe I am here for port removal today. The time has passed so quickly.
This is Vicki, Dr. Turk's nurse. She is always pleasant, helpful and beaming with a smile! She was also very helpful in getting my December surgery scheduled.
This is the tray once Dr. Turk finished. The port removal was quick and painless. He is such a wonderful and skilled surgeon and part of my unexpected journey.
Here I am in my lovely pink paper top taking a selfie with my favorite surgical nurse, Vicki! lol. Today was a BIG day!
My unexpected journey has led me into many different places, crossed paths with so many fantastic people and has given me so many "warm fuzzies" and fond memories! I overwhelm myself when I look back and remember the many faces along the way on my unexpected journey. I am so thankful for my blog and hope it helps others as much as it helps me!
This is me standing in front of Moore's Cove Waterfall showing off my "journey" souvenir bracelet! It was the second day of our trip when I found this at the Brevard Belk store. It was marked down to half price and screaming my name! lol. I am definitely adding this to my journey collection!
Eleven of us decided to spend Spring break at Candy and Larry's log cabin in the beautiful land of waterfalls in Transylvania County! The cabin is located high in the Pisgah Forest and the view is magnificent from start to finish!
We drove the RV and as you can see it is a long and steep driveway up to the cabin. Chicken Little here walked up as Ricky bravely drove to the cabin and also walked down the drive when it was time to leave! lol.
Here we are all set up. Ricky made maneuvering and parking look easy-peasy!
As I look out our bedroom window, I see this spectacular view! The emerald green color is so pleasing to the eye and at the same time forces one to pull up a chair and rest for awhile. Resting while enjoying nature and watching the clouds float across the sky is by no means a waste of time. This proved to be a great view for drinking our early morning cup of coffee too! There was a gentle breeze all week and I am sure the wind was longing to play in my hair! lol.
This is a picture of the llama farm down the street. Llamas must be fairly social animals because they would always come "galloping" to the fence when we were out walking. As you can see, the cabin is surrounded by all of this beautiful green color!
The girls enjoyed their daily visits to the goat farm across the street from the cabin. Ava is holding "Whitley" who always insisted on nibbling on her hair! lol. Rubber boots are a "must" on a goat farm! The owners, Cindy and Eddie, even let them help feed the goats!
This is Claire holding one of the eight baby goats. They loved spending time with the goats and learning how to care for them.
The cabin also has a creek out front. BooBoo enjoyed roaming the banks and getting his feet wet.
Ricky and the boys enjoyed spending time fishing from the creek bank. They look pretty serious in this picture though! lol.
Cole's "catch of the day" was a tiny rainbow trout! lol.
This is a picture of the goat farm across the street. Just cross the bridge over the creek! The farmers appear to know the secret of being happy and relaxed! Could it be living the simple life and knowing that being "rich" is having what money can't buy??
This is one of the waterfalls at Moore's Cove - beautiful!
BooBoo enjoyed the hikes with Claire to the different waterfalls too!
Photographer Candy caught me "adjusting" my wig! lol. Thank God for wigs and head covers!
This picture was taken on a covered bridge enroute to Bridal Veil Falls. They were a group of about eight or nine riders. Pretty horses!
This is another picture of the covered bridge. I found myself remembering Clint Eastwood and "The Bridges of Madison County" movie. Of course, as always the book was better.
As I am looking through the trees at Bridal Veil Falls, I remind myself that all waterfalls are God's beautiful artwork!
This is another picture of Bridal Veil Falls. Water is so easy on the eyes and the ears!
Candy and Larry were able to finish remodeling the cabin kitchen this trip! They started by putting in a new hand scraped hickory hardwood floor that has a pretty "rippled" effect. After realizing a cabin can be a little tricky to remodel and decorate, they decided to mix their colors of wood and replace the fixtures with a more rustic look. Oh no, I am beginning to realize that I have watched way too much HGTV! lol.
Larry made the bar top from a slab of black walnut that he finished by hand. He bought it from Kyle at "The Sawmill" in Iron Station. They both highly recommend Kyle and The Sawmill! He put two pieces of metal on the front for the finishing touch!
I feel all eleven of us had a great time together and made a lot of priceless memories! I highly recommend visiting Brevard and "the land of waterfalls" to everyone!
Next up - removal of chemo port!
It has been three weeks since completing chemotherapy and I am scheduled to see Dr. Mitchell today at 11am. I sign in and almost immediately am called back to a room. The efficiency here has certainly spoiled me for any other office. lol.
My visit went extremely well today with lots of "hands on" teaching and instructions for doing self chest and lymph node exams for possible signs of recurrence. His plans are to see me every three months and prn if needed. As I sat there listening, I began to realize that I never dreaded coming in for chemo, coming in for a Neulasta injection, coming in for lab draws or coming to see him for a visit. I always enjoyed interacting with the staff and the other patients. I never saw the surgery and the chemotherapy in a negative or fearful light, but as what I "needed" to treat my condition. My next appointment will be on July 2. Gee.... I hope I don't get separation anxiety! lol.
As I leave today, I am 100% filled with thankfulness and gratitude as I think back to that dark radiology room on November 19 (breast biopsy results day). Later that day was when God gave me that "peace that passeth all understanding" by assuring and reminding me that He would go with me through this. Today, my chest exam is negative and my tumor markers are within normal limits. I have no evidence of disease in my body. I plan to continue to be 100% compliant with all doctors' orders, be very diligent with self exams, and stay alert for any reportable symptoms. I also plan to continue to live and travel positively knowing that the "Great Physician" is on this unexpected journey with me!
Once again, thank you to everyone who has followed along and whispered a prayer or had a kind thought for me. I felt and appreciated all of them!
Next up - Spring break with family!!
