Skip to main content

Good-bye 2014

CV - She ran down the forest slope


Time to celebrate the end of my very long month of December Doctor Madness. It was time for my final appointment of the year!



look who's celebrating with me... 



My final appointment was also my final appointment. It was my last OT visit until I need them again. Basically, I was finished until my arm decided to flare up more than normal or in a way that I could not manage myself. Fingers crossed it won't!!!


While I do not want to need the treatment, I will miss my OT therapist like crazy. She has become such a great friend and supporter. Not only has she provided me with hour long boobie massages (or manual lymphatic massages for those technical people), she has really spent that time encouraging and pushing me onward. I really will miss our hour long visits. I miss her already!!!

While I could have continued on with my OT treatments I needed a financial break. With the new year only a day away, so was my new deductible. Very little makes me worry, but the costs of living... that scares me!!

Knowing that my prescription costs would increase soon, I attempted to get everything refilled before the end of the month. When I picked up one of my prescription... it dawned on me... I realized how much I will be hating January. I am really going to be hating January!!!


Wow! These tiny pills are expensive.


Yep, that is an actual copy of my receipt for one medicine... and only for one month. I will be spending close to $400-$500 next month for just this prescription. Of course, I also have five to six others I will be paying for as well. And as a bonus, one of my other prescription is only slightly less than this one. So, I will be spending almost $900-$1000 a month for prescriptions for the first few months of the year until my deductible or out of pocket has been met. I could really have a nicer house or even a second house with just my prescription bills each month?!?!?


drugs are expensive... even legal ones!!!


I do not think I ever realized the continued costs that are associated with the after affects of cancer. I never imagined that all of my aggressive treatment for aggressive cancer would leave me with chronic medical conditions. Cancer is destructive in so many ways, and continues to cause havoc even after treatment... for some!

Blah. Blah. Boring cancer, fibromyalgia, arthritis costs rant. Blah. Blah.




I could go on forever about costs and cancer and chronic pain and all those daily annoyances. But like anything, lingering on the negative too long is unhealthy. Acknowledging it is healthy. Lingering on it is unhealthy. So, I move on. I move on until I need to rant again... and again...and again..

Finding positives in the midst of negatives is one of my strongest assets! And something I have found very handy in life. Within the chaos of this month, I was still able to visit with my amazing family and celebrate the holiday with them.


sometimes the positives are easy to find...


Not only did we visit and climb trees. Each holiday we draw names for gift giving. I was lucky enough to get a fancy new Lymphediva's sleeve and some make up from my sister-in-law. She really spoiled me this year! Plus, it is about time I started to look alive again!!!


modeling my new sleeve...


My mom even got me some special massacre which is seriously working. I am getting longer eyelashes. I have had such great results with the Grande LashMD products. Not only have my eyelashes started to come back so have my eyebrows. I think I need to actually pluck!?!?!


it is official... some lashes have grown back!


Side note: I do not get any special free products or money from them, I do not even think the company knows I exist. However, I want to share that the product has worked for me... and I am just glad to have some eyelashes again!!

I am ending this year as busy as I started... but at least I am celebrating the new year with some hair...



a lot has changed & it has been busy 
from January to December...

In My Head...


I am so glad that this year is over!


how I felt this year!


It has been a very long year...

A year of radiation. A year of cancer hormone therapy. A year of occupational therapy. A year of new doctor specialists. A year of new diagnoses. A year of fighting to live with joy, happiness, and laughter!!!


“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.” 
- Brad Paisley


Episode Reference: Dirty Paws, Of Monsters and Men song
- amazing video -
plus, I felt like I was that running beast all year
so long 2014
hoping next year has slightly less running

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

my longest hardest day yet

Get ready boys and girls... today is a doozy. And a long post too! But before we begin on one of the toughest days I've ever done, let's recap. Mon: Irritating Onc day where I was not told about suspicious fluid around lung/heart in time to get a biopsy & I got contradicting info from his NP the week before.  Tues: Spending the morning getting Immunotherapy and 2 Chemotherapies before going straight to the airport to fly to Houston and enduring long rental car lines and afternoon heavy traffic. A few more checks off this weeks list... a few more to go: Now back to my Wednesday... the Humpday I would like to forget! So, after 8 hours of cancer treatment, flying, and travel in congested Houston the day before, I didn't have much rest because we had to start Wednesday early. My husband and I decided to walk to the medical center since our hotel was close. However, it was not necessarily the easiest or closest walk - tons of traffic, intersections, and some strange indivi...

happy birthday to me... almost

  Let's rewind a bit and start a few days before my birthday... I had my first cancer treatment day on October 3rd - check it out if you haven't read that blog post yet. Let's just think of it as an early birthday gift since my birthday is October 7th. Great gift, right?!? If I have to hear "Happy Early" or "Late Birthday" from another medical person, I might have to smack someone. Especially, since I have spent most of the weeks leading up to and after my birthday at a medical appointment regarding cancer. Not really loving my birthday this year. Let's just say, on my birthday, I woke up with a special chemo-side-effect-surprise at 2am. That fun surprise I will share later... Rewind a Few Days... Update But first, let's go to October 4th, the day after my grueling 8 hours of immunotherapy and two chemotherapies on the 3rd. I woke up swollen, red faced, and fevering, as well as feeling pretty crummy. I didn't have time to dwell on it since I...

from chemo to pee to future rad things

Another week of doctor's appointments and my 2nd week of chemo is complete. I spent about 5-6 hours getting 2 chemotherapies (check me on picture to right, headed into treatment on a very early Tuesday morning). I am super proud of myself. It was a long day, and I have some issues with nausea so they have to push the chemotherapies a bit slower to help me out. And despite feeling pretty tired, right after chemo, I went to the Urologist... well actually his NP. I am not sure if the appointment was successful or not. Mainly, she just prescribed me medicine.  Why? Who doesn't want to hear about my pee issues?!? Not that I hold back from the insanity that revolves around my life and cancer. Plus, I think it is good to share that cancer causes crazy side effects - so others know they are not alone. For me, this cancer go-round, I happen to have bladder issues. My ability to hold pee is going haywire... mainly at night. Because why not? It's not like I don't already have enou...