Annual Follow-up with Dr. Moore

The end of the year seems to accelerate faster and faster.  It's hard to believe it's already been a year since I last saw Dr. Moore.

I had my annual follow-up today and was examined for anomalies in my breasts and arm pits.  Last month after having a very bad cold, my lymph glands were swollen and tender.  But thankfully (as I found from my internet research), they were 'doing their job' and draining.  I had noticed last week that I was no longer having those symptoms.  I did tell the doctor that my heightened awareness of my body's changes always makes me think that the cancer is returning.  Well he didn't find anything 'unusual'.  However, he asked when I last had a mammogram.  I believe that was when the lump was first discovered (a year ago March).

Doctor Moore requested that I have a mammogram and scheduled it for next week at the Breast Care Center of Holy Family in Methuen.  He wanted both breasts done so he can have a base line.  He also wants me to have one next year before my follow-up so he can compare the two for changes.

I had mentioned that there wasn't much 'meat' on my left (reconstructed) breast.  He said, "There's still tissue".  [I'm sure I'll have an interesting report following the mammogram.]

So next week will be busy with two doctor visits (Mehta and Chatson) and a mammogram.

More to come.

November - Check-in

Well the scary season is over (Halloween and the election).  Unlike costumes that are put away until next year, it will be extremely difficult for everyone to stow away our political costumes and come together for a common cause.  The coming days/months will demonstrate how well we will do.  Optimism persists despite the prevalent feelings we share.

The Fall foliage appears to be holding on (literally).  There are so many trees still with leaves.  There are some vibrant colors still to be seen, but the majority is on the muted spectrum of the color chart.  It's still a pleasant daily walk that I religiously take, but I am anxious to see what kind of weather New England will get this next season.  One day at a time!

On the health front I only have a few updates to share.  Mostly side effect changes, but I'm concerned with some developments.

Side Effects

• Neuropathy - I'm still trying to figure out why my finger/thumb numbness has cycles and what those triggers might be.  Although not debilitating, it still makes certain actions difficult: picking up small things; turning the page of the newspaper/magazine; buttoning those small collar buttons and a host of other 'things'.  The neuropathy in my feet appear to be getting worse.  Before it was always the balls of my feet.  Now my middle toes on my left foot are losing feeling.  I can still move my toes and it doesn't yet affect my walking but I don't like the fact that it's spreading.  
• Muscle cramps - Even though I'm getting in about 20-25 miles of walking per week, I'm still plagued with charlie horses while sleeping.  There's no rhyme or reason when they happen, but it's not fun.  Last August (while playing guitar outside in high humidity), I had terrible cramps in my forearm and heel of my right hand.  I attributed this to dehydration, but last week the same thing happened.  Unlike a charlie hose in the calf where you can stand up to relieve the 'knot', it took me some time to figure out which position was best for my arm/hand to alleviate the pain.  The longer you wait the more intense and crippling the pain becomes.  Very disturbing.
• Hot flashes - Although a listed possible side effect of Tamoxifen, I haven't had too many episodes, however over the last month I've seen an increase.  [I have a new appreciation of women going through the change now.]

New aches and pains

Having a heightened sense of my body's workings, I'm tuned in to any new aches/pains. The fall I took last August affected my right shoulder but that seems to be slowly improving.  My range of motion for normal things seems okay, but out of the ordinary movements sometime are associated with a sharp pain and/or weakness.  I'm still having difficulty sleeping on that side and I generally wake up in the night with some pain in that shoulder.  But, I turn over and fall back to sleep.  Unfortunately, I've been waking with numbness in my right hand, which goes away with some movement.  My chiropractor said that I may be pinching a nerve and he has given me some exercises to increase range of motion in my shoulder.

Not sure if my body is compensating for one pain and causing another.  In mid October, I caught a nasty head and chest cold that seemed to be lingering (coughing).  At the height of the cold, my entire body ached (like the flu), but slowly began to recover.  However, I've been having some errant pains in both arm pits.  But the odd part is that I can't pinpoint where the pain is.  Self examinations don't yield any results.  So I'm not sure if it's muscular or not.  [My biggest fear is lymph nodes.  Although I'm on Tamoxifen, there is a 7-9% change of cancer - again.] 

I have a follow-up appointment with Dr Moore in a few weeks and both doctors Mehta and Chatson early next month.  Let's hope that everything is OK.

More to come.

Mid-October shout out

It's almost peak foliage in my neck of the woods.  I absolutely love this time of year because it's generally nice weather in the day and cool temps at night which is conducive to good sleeping.  Of course this is also my favorite month because Halloween is the last act.  I've attended a few Halloween parties already, but I'm saving this year's creation for Halloween weekend.  I truly hope that the weather cooperates so my pilgrimage to Mecca (Salem) will be agreeable to my costume.  If it's too cold, then I may have to resort to a 'repeat' costume.  Fingers crossed!

The Muse continues to keep my creativity flowing.  I have so many songs in the works, I have to keep a spreadsheet to keep track of their progress.  [Not complaining].  I have noticed that I'm writing more about "us" and less about "me".  Given the wave of senseless acts violence and the craziness of social media, my message is changing in my music.  I suppose my compendium of work will show all sides to my story and message.

On the health front there is no too much to report. However, there have been some developments that I'll describe below.

Head and chest cold - I guess it's going around, but I managed to catch that nasty head and chest cold. For the most of last week, I've been filling my barrel with used tissue.  Between the constant nose running, post nasal drip and death rattle chest congestion, I've been miserable. At one point, my voice was so low (from coughing) that I decided to right a song where I would be singing in that register (Johnny Cash/Barry White reference).  Not sure how I'll hit those low notes when I'm back to normal.  We'll see.

Side Effects

• Neuropathy - I still cannot figure out the cycle of my neuropathy.  I go through spells (flare-ups) where my finger/thumb numbness is off the chart.  Then slowly it dissipates.  A real mystery.  My feet seem to be getting a little worse, but luckily not (yet) debilitation.  However, if I stand too long without moving, I do sense nerve pain.  [Just something else to monitor].
• Mussel cramps/spams - Although I continue to walk about 30-35 miles a week, I still get rudely awakened from a sound sleep with a charlie horse.  I'm still looking for home remedies and am open to suggestions.  It seems everything I've been told or have researched is not working.  In addition, I've begun developing cramps/spasms in my arms and hands.  Not sure if it's because I've had long sessions playing guitar or keyboard, but this is relatively new.  And still another thing to monitor.

Something new

In mid-August I slipped and fell (hard) on my left side.  My left knee was affected as well as my shoulder and arm.  The knee worked itself out (probably because of my walking schedule).  However, my shoulder has been extremely tight and my range of motion was (initially) very limited.  I've been doing some range of motion exercises and normal movement has returned.  But, a few weeks ago (after our first drenching rain), my lawn needed mowing.  I had all I could do to pull start the mower.  No strength and quite painful.  Following that episode I attempted to 'find' the area of pain and cannot locate any specific area.  In doing my self examination, I'm still not familiar with my 'new' upper body resulting from my reconstruction.  Fat graphs feel lumpy to me (not painful) but disconcerting since I'm not sure if they are fat lumps or the beginnings of cancer.  After all, I still have a 7-9% chance of getting breast cancer again.  So my heightened awareness of my body's aches and pains always takes me to the question: Is it back?  Welcome to the new normal!

Thanks for reading.  More to come.

Happy Halloween everyone.

Mid - September update

A bit late with this month's update.  Still enjoying the weather (missing the rain), but there seems to be plenty to do. On the health front, I had a few doctor appointments and each resulted in a satisfactory prognosis.

Dermatology
On September 1st, I had a follow-up with Dr Gruber. A few months ago during a screening for skin cancer, he found a pre-cancerous 'condition' on my ear lobe.  He 'froze it' and wanted to see how that was doing.  The good news is that it appears to have healed properly. Other good news is, other than age spots (he calls them wisdom spots), my skin is good.  However there were two areas that he's watching.  He did measure and record one dark spot on my arm that will be monitored.  He wants to see me next year.

Post-cataract follow-up
On September 2nd, I had my yearly check-up with my eye doctor (outside of Mass Eye and Ear).  Good news is my eye sight is 20/20, but my right eye could use some 'cheaters' when reading - if I need them.  Fortunately, my left eye is good and I'm having no problems reading -yet. My cataract in that eye is slow growing, so eventually this will all change, but for now - I'm good.

Dental
I had my 6 month check up with the dentist and was given a clean bill of health.

It's truly liberating to be able to have these check-ups and not have an anvil of bad news be the result. I'm still taking my walks as a prevention for blood clots (side effect of Tamoxifen). I average about 35 miles a week.  When I miss a day (due to weather or scheduling) I really feel like I'm slacking off. This is a good thing.  Walking is great exercise with many benefits.  I'll have to see what Mother Nature hands us in a few months and how I'm going to get my walking in.

"When I'm 64"
Way back in 1967, the Beatles released Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Band. One whimsical tune was on that album.  It's really hard to believe that "When I'm 64" has personal relevance.  September 22nd will be my 64th birthday.

"Will you still need me. Will you still feed me,when I'm 64."

More to come!

Mid - August check-in

The summer is just zipping by.  As of late we've been in a rather hot and humid spell with some respite from time to time, but no real (significant) rainfall.  This is disconcerting and just makes everyone very leery of what type of Fall and Winter we will be having.  In the interim, I'm enjoying the weather - when and wherever it's conducive for fun and relaxation.

I ventured back to my blogs published last year at this time and found that my last chemo was administered on August 11th.  The subsequent entries chronicled the effects of this and much like other blog entries, time has softened the memories.  I completely forgot about my hiccuping episodes. I still find the recuperative powers of the human body to be amazing.  I'm still battling with some the long term effects of the chemo, but I'm hopeful these too will dissipate and become vague memories...someday

Last Friday, I had another post-op check-in with Dr. Song.  My eyes and brain are getting used to my new lens.  The floaters may still be there, but I'm not noticing them.  I'm still having some residual halo effect in certain types of overhead lighting situations.  Dr. Song said that it's possible that there is some condensation between the lens and the 'capsule'.  [I recall reading that this sometimes occurs.]  He wants to monitor this and if it worsens then he indicated that there's a 'quick' procedure with the laser to correct this.

As I have each time I'm at his office, I was given a complete eye examination.  My left (non-procedure) eye is 20/20 and my right (with new lens) is 20/20 for distance but not as good for close up.  I recall his saying that this would happen.  But luckily for me, my left eye is still good enough for reading so there's no issue.  However, as the cataract grows in my left eye, I will need reading glasses.  Dr. Song mentioned that when the time comes for cataract surgery on the left eye, a new lens can be inserted, but it would be for close up.  The brain takes these images and makes them work.  Something he called 'mono vision'.

I was provided with a prescription for reading glasses, but he mentioned that I may want to try some over the counter 'cheaters' since the magnification was about 2%.  I have an appointment with my regular ophthalmologist in September, so I'll see how that turns out.  Dr. Song wants to see me next May.

More to come.

Mid-July check-in

No medical news to report.  It's vacation mode where ever you look.  Prior to these last few days, the weather has been gorgeous:  Not too hot and not humid. Well in true New England form, we are now dealing with tropical humidity - but no rain.  This is concerning.

I've been re-reading my blogs from last year at this time.  Those memories are still fresh in my mind, but I'm so glad they are all behind me.  Last summer, I was content (well forced) to remain inside while I did my four sessions of chemo.  This summer, I'm making an effort to get out and enjoy - when situations arise or of my own making.  It's mind boggling to think that it's already the middle of July and the virtual middle of summer.  Time goes so fast.

Just a few updates on my condition and dealings with side effects;

• Neuropathy - I'm still dealing with that weirdness in my finger and thumb.  Sometimes it appears to dissipate, but comes back again.  There's no pain, but there's a strange sensation when I play guitar.  I've joined a card group (we play 45's on Mondays) and I noticed a real problem with shuffling and dealing the cards.  I've been having so many mis-deals due to giving too many cards that it was suggested that I deal one card at a time.  So far so good, but the shuffling is still a challenge.  I still have neuropathy on the balls of my feet and it appears to be spreading to my big toe.  This doesn't prevent my standing or ability to take my daily walks.  But it does feel weird when my feet are under the sheets and I can't feel the material. 
• Charlie Horse(s) - I'm still plagued with these horrendous muscle spasms despite my walking some 20-25 miles a week.  I'm always trying to vary my sitting, standing and walking periods hoping this will help.  Bananas seem to ripen too fast (or not fast enough), so I'm leaning more to dark green vegetables.Last week I had a spasm in my back and had to lie on the floor.  Not sure if that was related.  Like everything I'll have to monitor.
• Cataract - I'm finally adjusting to my new lens.  As the doctor said, the brain is adjusting.  So my vision seems to be fine.  I am still seeing some anomalies when it gets dark, but my brains seems to be getting used to those too.  I have noticed that my new lens (which is great for distance) is not that great for reading.  Luckily, my left eye is still good, so I may wait until reading is more difficult before getting cheaters or real reading glasses.
• Chemo Brain - Still dealing with the occasional grasping of the right word or trying to recall certain information.  For example, I came across a picture of some co-workers at a regional meeting.  Picture was taken in 1994.  I could name everyone, but I had trouble remembering the last names of two.  Luckily one name came to me within a few hours, but the other alluded me for a few days.  It wasn't until I was telling someone about this lapse when all of a sudden the name came to me.  I know for most people, they may not even remember most of the names, not to mention the last names, but for me - it's a big deal.  I'm fortunate that these are minor lapses and not important things like, finding my way home or various account passwords.  Not THAT would be concerning.

Other than age related things, I'm doing well.  Enjoy the summer!

More to come.

Summer Solstice Scoop

Happy Summer!

As my literary alliteration suggests, I had a 6 month follow-up with Dr. Pare, my vascular surgeon who has been monitoring my Abdominal Aeortic Aneurysm (Triple A). I have to be honest, I was a bit nervous and anxious to hear the results of today's ultrasound.

It was very busy in the office, but I hardly waited 5 minutes before being called.  I was instructed to follow the medical professional to an all too familiar room with the ultrasound 'thing'.  I was told, "Dr. Pare will be right with you."

Shortly after, Dr. Pare arrived and greeted me with an handshake and an inquiry on 'how I was doing'.  I had mentioned that since our last visit, I had had cataract surgery.   He asked how that went, and I responded, "It went well." Apparently my multiple reconstruction surgeries seemed to be missing from my report, but as I lay down, he noticed  my "Cesarean scars" and asked, "What happened here?" I then brought him up to speed.

Dr. Pare 'fired up' the ultrasound and began 'looking around'.  Each time he stopped to spend more time in an area I was waiting for a verbal queue or tell-tale utterance that would indicate an unwanted report.  It seemed to last an eternity.  Finally, he said, "I have good news.  No change.  Let's take another look in December.  Have a great summer."

Fantastic news!