'Cause Dr. K said so!

I hold my oncologist, Dr. K, in high regard. She's wise, she's personable enough, and she doesn't mince any words in the exam room. Love that!

In my latest follow-up with her a few weeks ago, she at some point said "Start with a dog." Who cares what the context was - really, does it matter?! - I just wrote that down verbatim on my list-o-questions sheet I always bring in with me. What she said stuck in my brain all day until Joshua got home that evening. 

We've been hemming and hawing over adopting a dog for what seems like a long time - at least the better part of a year. Something finally clicked for us, because four short days later, we adopted Daisy:

Miss Daisy.

She's 100% puppy and is a delightful (mostly!) handful. Already I can't imagine our home life without her presence. And Joshua is just as smitten as I am. She's brought joy in a challenging time stemming from various upsets in the cancer world for others. 

She loves sitting in laps after she's gotten exercise.

A puppy that plays hard, sleeps hard.

Everyone's pooped after playtime. 

She's made friends with Tater...

...and took a nap in his bed.
Which looks enormous with her in it!

Lexi is getting used to Daisy in her own time.

When they're both fuzzy-headed,
interesting photo opportunities arise! 

Last week I received a call from my oncologist's office. All looks good with my tumor markers and other blood levels that she regularly checks. The news makes flying solo for the next 6 month window (not the typical 3 months) a wee bit easier.

This picture is from the evening I received my results. What great comfort to catch this moment in time with a bunch of colored pixels. I feel content.

So all this boils down to is: 

"Feeling well, got a dog, and did it 'cause the Dr. said so!"

Update and Reflections

Since the end of treatment, I've been addressing some big issues that were easier to put off during treatment; mainly: FEAR. It's a nasty four-letter word just like the others! It's got power, but you can work on diffusing that power by acknowledging it and realizing that in the now, you're okay. 

One thing that bubbles up fear [for me] are my follow-up appointments with my oncologist, Dr. K. I had one a few weeks ago. I'm feeling well and neither of us is noticing any "signs" of recurrence, which is a relief. I had five vials of blood taken last Friday and expect to get results this week. (That said, TNBC is tricky and typically doesn't show elevated CEA and CA 27.29 tumor markers like other types of breast cancer. For example, when I was diagnosed and all through treatment, my tumor marker numbers were never out of normal range. Arrgh!) As Dr. K left the exam room she said "You graduated! See you in 6 months." This means my follow-ups with Dr. K will now be at 6 month (no longer 3 month) intervals. Wahoo! The check-up leash is extended and it's nice to be at that point.

We've come a long way since my diagnosis in June 2011. Life tossed an unkind card my way, and we dealt with it in a straightforward way. I sincerely hope that sharing my emotions, losses, wins, and life events has been entertaining - if not useful - to readers. 

I'd like to keep this blog going - although I'm beginning to realize that I may not quite have the prolific amount of posting that I did during treatment. Why? 'Cause I'm LIVING - living out loud! I'm focusing my energies on helping others and nurturing myself, and it feels good. 

I still have plenty to say by way of sharing emotions associated with this journey, revisiting experiences I had during treatment that I'm still processing or mulling over, sharing positive ways we've tweaked our household post-diagnosis that everyone can do easily, posting news about breast cancer news/events/charities, and conveying what this survivor does after being spit out of the BC machine. I invite you to continue following my life journey.

Got questions? Please ask.