I have a TWEET for you....

I re-activated my Twitter account and added it to my sidebar on the left. I expect this summer to be a busy one, and I can tweet a quick update from my phone so you can see. I still like my Facebook WAY better, but since I keep that page pretty private, this is for my "public" readers and people who aren't on Facebook. Twitter only allows so many characters though, which is why I love my Facebook. I talk WAY too much to condense it down to 140 characters, but I'll try.

So, you can now find me on Twitter (Pinkanaroodle). When I was young, my Dad nicknamed me "Tiffanaroodle" because it was short for Tiffany....go figure.... so that's where my screen name derived from.

I also added a "share" button that you can click on to instantly stream my blog site to your own Twitter account or Facebook page.

Other than that, today is my kiddo's LAST day of school. I have my work cut out for me this summer. 2 weeks of Dance camps for the girl, VBS at our church, Reading Adventure camp for my Kindergartener going to first grade, and lots of other fun activities planned in there as well.  I've been working out 4 days a week with my trainer at the gym trying to get my stomach as flat as I can and loose as much weight as possible before my reconstruction surgery in October/November. Dr Garvey wants to know EXACTLY what he has to work with, so he wants me as small as I can get by then. So, MAJOR diet and exercise going on in my house!

So, I'll update as often as I can, and if it's been a while, log on and read my tweets every few days. I'll try to post as much as I can......

....using 140 characters or less.

Love ya!
Tiffany

The month I ran my tail off.....

Ok, I only wish it were that easy to actually run my ass off. I checked this morning.....it's still there. But I feel like I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off the past month.

So, let's update a little at a time.....

I finished radiation on April 26th!!!! YAY! Towards the end, my skin became pretty burned and very uncomfortable. But, it has since healed for the most part, and peeled like a sunburn. So, I am pleased with how my skin looks today. The stripe may fade a little bit over time, but it just looks like a tan now and not a burn.

My radiation team, Koshy and Thomas (with a broken foot)

 Chris, Kaylee and Brayden went with me to my last session to celebrate. I got to ring the bell after my session was over. Then Brayden wanted to ring it, so we rang it together.

I got expanded again on May 5. They added 250cc's I think, which took me back up to about 550cc's. I go in again this Thursday to have more saline added and they are going to go up as high as they can this time. I was at 650cc's before they deflated me, so I bet they try and add at least that much, if not more. It did not hurt this time. I was a little uncomfortable for about a day, but not NEAR as bad as the first time I was expanded. Once I am fully expanded again, I just sit and wait for my tissue, skin and everything else inside to heal and regenerate for 6 months before reconstruction! So, that surgery should be around the end of October or early November.

My fatigue is subsiding some, but not completely yet. I have been working my tail off though. I've been busy making bows, headbands and flip flops to put on my online store website. It keeps me busy, and I needed to replenish my dwindling inventory. Now I just have to take pictures of them all and list them.

Easter was great. We went to Sunday Morning Sunday school and service. Then, we went out for lunch. (Next year I will resume our tradition of a ham lunch with fixings but I was too tired this year) After lunch we all laid down and took a nap and the Easter Bunny hid eggs in the backyard. The kids got up from nap and opened their Easter baskets and then hunted eggs. We had a TON of eggs. Thankfully, the Easter bunny puts coins and change in them and not candy. We try to incorporate both the Easter bunny and also the Resurrection into Easter and this year all the kids were old enough to "get it" a little bit. Grayson said "Jesus died on the cwoss and went into the cave with the big wock and then he dustappeared into the sky". (I LOVE the way he talks)  Brayden said "Jesus died on the cross and he healed you from Cancer" and Kaylee knew the whole meaning. She's a smarty pants.

 

 

 

Finally, Mother's Day.....It was yesterday and it was awesome and marvelous all rolled into one. We had my Mom and Christopher's granny out for lunch.

Chris cooked on the pit and made some delicious Pork chops, and then he made cinnamon apples, broccoli and rice casserole, and fresh asparagus with prosciutto ham in it. My husband can COOK! I got smothered with love and kisses from my kids and they got me some beautiful things. My favorites were: a card that Brayden made at school (because he has the most adorable face in it), and Grayson made me a flower pot with his fingerprints on it colored into lady bugs, and Kaylee made me a flower with a picture of her in it. Then they bought me a beautiful necklace. I had a quiet, relaxing day with my mom and my family. I am so thankful that I was here to celebrate this Mother's Day with my 3 reasons for fighting.....Kaylee, Brayden and Grayson.



 

So, I think I covered everything this past month. I've been spending my days being Taxi cab for the last few weeks of school and activities for my kids. I go to the gym 4 days a week and Chris got me a personal trainer for a few months to help me get back to my goal weight. She's been kicking my butt into shape. Slow process though..... We have a FULL few weeks left before summer begins. Kaylee has her Dance Recital coming up, Grayson has his end of the year program at his pre-school, Brayden and Kaylee both have end of the year awards, and I have BON JOVI!!!! I'll write again soon......



2/3 done with Radiation!!!

I know, shame on me....I haven't written an update in a few weeks. I had no idea how busy radiation was going to keep me. I knew it was every day, but come on....it only lasts about 45 minutes...

My fatigue set in again, which means I have to get in naps when I can. Most days it's all I can do to stay awake till 4pm when my kids get home. I crash on the couch until Chris walks in from work, and then he takes over so I can go lay down in my bed instead of on the couch. I get absolutely nothing accomplished. My mornings consist of me getting the kids ready for school, (they are mostly self-sufficient, but need some motivational yells sometimes) taking them to school, back home to shower, drop off Grayson at whoever's house he is going to for the day, drive to radiation an hour away, get radiation, drive back home an hour or so to pick up Grayson, and then it's time to go get the elementary kids. I basically live in my car during the day. I have the gas bill to prove it! Thank goodness we are getting a tax return this year because our gas bill for the past 30 days is almost at $1,000. I am not kidding.....I'm totally serious. My suburban has exceeded the $100 fill up mark and Chris drives a truck that is already paid for, so we can't trade it in on something smaller or we will have a car note...so we leave things the way they are.

Anyways, I have completed 20 out of my 30 radiation treatments. So far, I am not burning, it's not itchy, but I do have a brown tan stripe down the middle of my boobs and a dark line in my armpit. I'm told it's probably gonna be permanent. My radiation oncologist, Dr Ludwig, was a bit leery of telling me about the stripe I'm gonna have because she wasn't sure how I was gonna react, but I said... "I'll be cancer free.....the tan line can be blended in with makeup if I need to". I really don't care. If anything, if someone sees it and asks a question,  it gives me an opportunity to educate people on breast cancer and the importance of screenings at younger ages. Really.... I'm so over body appearance. It's so over rated anyways.

My friend Diane had the most helpful words for me.....
"YOUR BODY IS JUST A CONTAINER FOR YOUR SOUL"

Isn't that such a true statement? I know that my soul is beautiful, so that's all that matters to me. The transparency of having no hair and only one boob really helps you be able to see people for their souls because I wear my heart on my sleeve where everyone can see it. I can see right through people and see if they have a genuine heart or not. I can see how beautiful they are (or not) from their insides. Cancer really does change you....it gives you a new perspective on LIFE and on "friends" and "family". I've made SO MANY friends along the way who have allowed me to see their beautiful souls and I'm so thankful that God has brought them into my life. My family has been AMAZING. My brothers and sister and my parents have really helped me out more than I can ever thank them for. They don't wait for me to call and ask, they just do what they think I need because they love me. That's the kind of family I wish everyone had. It's the little things that mean the most.

So, now that I'm almost done with radiation, I should have more time to write. The Dr's think that the fatigue should go away again within a week or so of completing radiation. I hope they are right, like they were before. I am sooo not OK with feeling tired all the time. It makes me feel lazy and lethargic, but I don't beat myself up about it because it's not something that can be prevented. I'm just ready to be back to my normal daily habits where I stay awake all day until bedtime.  :-)

Here is a few pictures of me and my CRAZY-SEXY husband from a wedding we recently attended. (I wore my wig..that's not my hair..... and for those who know my hubs well....LOOK...HE IS SMILING IN A PICTURE!!!)

So, prayer requests to pray for me at this time...

1. We have REALLY been under attack lately from the enemy. I won't go into details here, but pray that the attacks stop. It isn't doing what it's intended to do, which is put a wedge in our relationship, if anything it brings us closer together, which means that the attacks will probably keep coming. But seriously, we've had enough. Multiple things in the past 2 weeks have happened. House stuff, kid stuff, and personal attacks.

2. Pray for my newest "pink lady" friend Stephanie. She is battling the same cancer as me right now, (with small children as well) and could use prayers of strength, hope, and that her chemo is working. She got some disheartening news at her last appointment, and was upset, but I know she can make it through and beat it!! Please keep her and her family in your prayers.

3. Fatigue to go away as soon as possible! I have missed 2 weeks of Bible study in a row because I've been too tired.

K, thanks again for reading and praying for me! I'm almost through the toughest parts!!! Love you all!!