I have found it hard to get back to blogging after the news of a friend having her breast cancer return after a couple of years; I got depressed for her. I was again feeling all the same feelings like what I experienced when I first got diagnosed, myself. My friend previously had a lumpectomy and radiation, but is now going to be having a mastectomy next week. It just feels like it is in your face again when your friends are going through it all over again. However, I know she will do well; she has a good surgeon and much prayer on her behalf.

I have been so busy with my pet service business, which is a wonderful thing! The hard thing has been struggling with fatigue which is still part of the recovery from all of last year’s treatments. It just takes a long time to recover. I still have other side effects from the chemotherapy and radiation which we pray are not permanent. Sometimes they are, but no one tells you that until you have been through it; or you just notice different problems and discover where they came from. Trying to build my business and get back into the working world, but still have the recovery to deal with is a lot to handle. People think I am past all of my cancer treatment issues, but I am not done yet. I haven’t had my reconstruction surgery yet or my Medi-port removed.

I met with my plastic surgeon at the beginning of this month, and he said my site is still very tight and the skin is still discolored and not ready for surgery yet. Gah. He didn’t even want to discuss any options or discuss what to expect for surgery yet. He said we will talk about it at my next appointment which won’t be until September. In the meantime, I am supposed to massage the area and do my stretches to heal better. I haven’t been too happy that this is a longer process than I would have liked. I really want to be on the other side of all this and be done with it! Pete was glad that surgery will be later. He was feeling that I wasn’t physically ready anyway and this will be my time to get stronger and prepare myself better for surgery.

A couple of Saturdays ago I joined with some other cancer survivors with the Central Coast SurviveOars Dragon Boat Team. We practiced paddling in Morro Bay, and boy, was it a workout! I loved it. I want to commit to doing it, although I don’t think I will do the racing competitions that they do with other teams. They do races all over California. I would need to be a lot stronger and in shape for that. I don’t think I would have the time with my business anyway to go traveling to races, but it sure would be fun. I didn’t go this last Saturday because my left shoulder has been really hurting and actually getting weaker. It seems to have started when I did the rowing that one time. I am afraid that I might not be a candidate for this fun activity. I will be bummed if it is so. I really want to continue. One of my other support friends is involved in it as well and goes as often as she can. She is younger than I am, so she probably bounces back quicker than I do; but I don’t want my age to hold me back.