Journey with Mary D

August 2, 2022 was the day my life changed forever.   I heard the words too many people hear, "I'm sorry your biopsy came back positive for cancer.” I immediately joined a club no one ever thinks they will be a part of.  In that instant, and in the days and weeks that followed, I didn't know exactly what was going to happen. All of the doctors told me it was small, and we caught it early.  And all of this brings me to today: my cancerversary. You may be wondering, what is that? Am I supposed to do something specific? The first thing you need to know is there are no rules. There are many possible cancer anniversaries, and this is just one of them (stay tuned I may celebrate just this one or all of them). Since I can't change anything of the past year, I am deciding to not be depressed today. I will not ignore the day that changed my life. I will continue to find the good in everything. I appreciate every single person in my life. I appreciate each day in a way I never

Today has been a busy but GREAT day!  We started the morning off early with a drive to Nashville to get my immunotherapy.  There is just one more immunotherapy  treatment to go, which will be in 6 weeks.   Next, we headed back to Cookeville for my  LAST radiation treatment.   YAY!   I’m so glad I was able to have my radiation treatments  locally at Cookeville Regional Cancer Center, because I had to go every weekday for 21  treatments and they took such great care of me.   We ended our day with a celebration  dinner out with my favorite people.   I have had such great support through this  especially my husband who has been my rock through it all.   I am truly blessed.

I have not posted an update in a while because I have been in a holding pattern.  First off, I have been doing great and am back working in person. Yay, life is starting to get back to normal.  I have been feeling pretty good, but I am still battling with neuropathy in my feet. My hair has also started growing back so I am sporting my new do which is gray and bit wavy. Not sure what my plan is with it yet, just letting it do what it wants for now. So now to explain what the holdup has been. I had one spot from surgery that just wouldn't heal. We finally had to go back for an in-office procedure. There were a few stitches that my body couldn't/wouldn't dissolve so they removed the affected area which was about a pea size. Finally, the area has healed up, and I started radiation this morning (June 12).  I am only 6 weeks behind schedule but who is counting. The plan is 21 sessions (days) which means going every weekday for my treatment. Luckily, I am getting to do these treat

Surgery took place on March 22 nd .  It was an early morning, with our first stop at a hotel near the Nashville airport to pick up my sister who flew in to be here for me. Then we headed to the hospital. We knew it would be a long day with three procedures. First up was the needle localization. This procedure helps guide the surgeon to exactly where the cancer originated. Next, we visited with my surgeons, nurses and anesthesia team. We were ready to get this cancer out of me and they were taking me early yay. During surgery they removed the cancer, removed one lymph node to be tested (procedure 2) and the plastic surgeon did the reduction to make sure that everything was symmetrical (procedure 3). I have been doing good with recovery, just taking it easy.  I have been to the plastic surgeon, and he says I am healing nicely. The general surgeon let us know that the lymph node came back clear, and the cancer has been removed and all margins are clear. Praise God. I go to the oncolog

Sorry for the delayed update, but we hit a few bumps in the road.  So, I had my MRI February 16th as planned.   I then went to my oncologist on the 20th and the surgeon on the 21st.   Those appointments were a little tough since the MRI had not been read.   The oncologist explained I would see her every 6 weeks until August to check in and have my immunotherapy.   I couldn’t have the immunotherapy that day since it is a new year we had to wait until the insurance approved.    Next, we had the appointment with surgeon which was informative as he gave us the options for surgery.   It was decided that a lumpectomy and reconstruction followed by radiation was my best option.    We quickly had it scheduled (for the next week) pending the MRI results.   Well, you guessed it, here is where we hit the bump in the road.   The MRI report was in, and they could see a new spot on the other side.   A biopsy was scheduled for the next week and surgery was canceled.   We needed to find out what t

January 30th was my last round of chemotherapy.  I got a certificate and rang the bell and everything.  I am not done with treatments, but I am done with CHEMO, especially the dang red devil, so that is something to be very happy about.   I just need to feel good enough so I can celebrate.   I will go for immunotherapy until July or August. But that is not as hard on me.   So now what: Fe bruary 16 th an MRI. February 20 th an appointment with the oncologist and immunotherapy. February 21 st an appointment with the surgeon to see what my options are. Hopefully by the end of the month we will have the next plan of action. 

Finally, someone recognized me in public!  I received my wig back in November and put it on right away.  It was my hair but not my style, no bangs. I have had bangs for 14+ years.  So, the plan was for my niece to style it in December when we went to visit mom in Florida.  Well guess what, I didn’t get to go since I was feeling crummy.  Such is life, so my sister quickly scheduled flights for her and Ashley to come to TN for the long MLK holiday weekend.  My kitchen turned into a beauty shop, and everyone agreed that the wig needed bangs.  Ashley prepped the wig for the cut.  The plan was to go slow and steady and not cut too much, because there is no turning back once THE cut happens.  With a plan of action, we were ready to go, and we all held our breath during the first cut of the scissors.  It was crazy!  After that first snip to add bangs, I looked in the mirror and wow what a difference.  She made a few adjustments and now the wig is perfect.  I’m me again!! The story of my

Happy New Year! I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday season. We took it easy this year, as you can imagine, but it was nice.  We spent Christmas Day at my mother-in-law Helen's with all the local family. It was fun to see everyone, but it took me days to recover from being around people, since I don't get out much. I know I've been quiet lately, but it's because this second round of chemo has really been kicking my butt. The red devil, as they like to call it, is not my BFF.  It takes me down for several days. Lyle continues to be my rock through this. He has talked to the nurses and pharmacists to make sure we could control the nausea.   Thankfully he has us a good system. I had my 15th treatment on Tuesday, January 4th.  Treatment had a few bumps, but I managed to push through.  There was only one loud talker this time, but I slept through most of her time there.  I will say that the red devil is consistent, and it knocks me down for several days again. And no, i