World Cancer Day

Today, February 4 is World Cancer Day. As part of Bloggers Unite, I am writing about Cancer today to help promote ways to raise awareness of Cancer research, preventing Cancer and raising the quality of life for Cancer patients. I'm supposed to write about how cancer has effected myself or someone in my life.

Some of you older readers already know I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in late June of 2009. By early July 2009, I had a mastectomy. By October, I stepped onto the not so merry-go-round of chemotherapy. Then, from January to mid-February 2010, I had my right side of my chest and my underarm area radiated for 6 solid weeks, Monday to Friday.

So far, it's worked. But it's not just me I write about today. It's all around us, isn't it? Cancer, that is. In the last 18 months, we have lost 2 friends to Cancer. One of my girlfriends, Anita, has Breast Cancer (again) right now. Another one of my close friends has had a Breast Cancer scare, which thankfully turned out to be nothing to worry about.

I have a cousin (who may read this) who was diagnosed with Cancer very soon after I was. We emailed each other letters and words of encouragement, support and positiveness. Unfortunately, his treatments have not worked. I am dedicating today's post to him.

Please Give to Cancer Research. It is the only way the field of medicine can continue to research and hopefully develop new treatments.

For those of us who are Cancer Survivors, we are surviving because of previous Cancer Patients. They were the ones who willingly signed up for studies so that doctors and researches could learn more about what they could do to save more lives.

Here's a picture of a couple of my friends and I having lunch this last week.

From left, Annie, Anita and Barb

When I used to live in Parksville, there were 5 of us gals who got together once a month for Margarita Night at my place. They all came over with some awesome appetizers and I supplied the Margaritas! Lots of fun to be had on those evenings. You know....out of the 5 of us, 3 of us have had Breast Cancer. And so these are my BC Sisters, good friends that share a common thread (unfortunately) with me.

If you have been recently diagnosed with Cancer, or if you want to read my story you can do so over here.

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I Am a Breast Cancer Warrior....

You do know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, right? I think we have some new readers here to our blog (and Welcome! Grab a coffee, pull up a chair and read awhile!).

In light of that, and because I am now always trying to raise awareness of Breast Cancer, I want to post about it. My struggle with it began last year...and what a year it has been! It's been painful, downright crappy and very very enlightening. Read about my journey here....have you or someone you know recently been diagnosed with Breast Cancer? Please point them to my link. Read about it and realize that you can overcome the diagnosis.

You CAN come thru the treatments and enjoy your life again. Heck, if you're like me, you may even enjoy your life MORE than you did before Cancer. What a wake up call! What a realization that every day here is a gift!

Believe me, you sure do find out who cares about you and who....well, who really doesn't. I don't mean that to sound too depressing, but over the past year it has been like layers and layers of truths and beliefs have been peeled away....

I have changed, of that there is no doubt whatsoever. I am a different person than I was before diagnosis. I am farrrrr more intolerant of people who are not supportive or encouraging of me. Go away, I think...leave me alone.

I surround myself now with only the people who are a positive influence upon me. And...I have a right to do that. I have a right to be more selfish with my feelings, time and energy. And believe me, if I think something is a waste of energy, I just won't do it.....

I want to thank all you great readers who have been following over the last year. I so appreciate your comments and encouragement, more than you could ever know.

As October comes to a close, I want to point out to you the Cancer agencies over on the right side bar. Please consider donating....it is only with donations to fund research and treatments, that we can get ahold of Cancer and kick it to the curb.

And please....for goodness sake, women....get your mammograms. Do not forget EVER to do your self breast exams, but also go for the mammogram. Changes in Health policies, both in the US and in Canada, are leaning towards delaying mammograms until women are older, OR to have them done less often.

Don't do that....please! Who cares if the "powers that be" say you are OK to delay mammograms until you are well into your 40's or even 50's. It's a load of bunk.

I KNOW women who were diagnosed in their 30's. I Myself have absolutely NO history of breast cancer in my family...and yet....well, here I am.

In closing, here's a pic of my youngest son and his gal in Vancouver on Oct 3. They both participated in the Run for the Cure....and their team raised over $1500.00 in donations. I'm a proud and happy mama....

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Ginger and I are Both Recovering!

Ginger is trying to recover from her spaying operation the other day.....doesn't she look

mad? Ha...it doesn't help that she keeps getting called "Conehead"!

Although the vet's office said we should keep the cone on her so she doesn't

lick her stitches, friends are telling us not to worry about it

and just take it off. Any readers have experience with this?

What did you do? Cone or no cone??

And...I'm right alongside Ginger in recovery. Seems I have hurt my right arm.

It feels like it did several weeks post-op last year.

My nurse friend tells me I likely ripped some scar tissue....yuk!

Bottom line...I overextended my arm doing something and

I am now paying the price for it.

So is the Gman, as he is having to pick up my duties...

Good thing the Main Veggie Garden is finished!!

The rest will have to wait...or I will have to fix them up in the Spring...we'll see!

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Breast Cancer Etiquette

Worth posting here for anyone here knowing someone going thru breast cancer....

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/15/breast-cancer-etiquette/?hpt=Sbin

This week Amanda Enayati will share the milestones of a life-altering journey that began the day she learned she had late-stage breast cancer more than three years ago.



Today let’s discuss cancer etiquette. I would call it serious illness etiquette but I thought I would specialize since cancer is what I know and, who knows, maybe the rules are different from disease to disease. (And yes, every one of the following has happened to me at some point.)



Finding out someone has cancer is awful. It is a cruel disease, which will strike one out of every two Americans. Hearing the bad news is shocking and devastating but it’s probably more shocking and devastating for the cancer victim than it is for you.


So pull yourself together.



You can be authentic, show a little emotion, maybe even shed a tear but for the love of God don’t make it about you and certainly don’t put the cancer patient in the position of having to console you as you sob, beat your chest and yell “Why? Why, God?’ up at the heavens.


Rein yourself in for a minute or two, and let the sick person set the tone. Maybe she wants you to hold her hand and cry with her. Maybe she just wants you to sit and listen. Or maybe she wants you to list the 101 reasons she will survive. Her call. Not yours.


If you don’t know what to say, don’t worry. Any variation of “I’m really sorry,” “I love you,” “My prayers/thoughts are with you” is perfectly okay.



If you find out someone has cancer from someone else, do not call her, burst into tears and sob: “Why do all the good ones have to die?” Yes, it’s true that all the good ones have to die. But all the bad ones have to die too. We all die sometime.


Besides, it’s probably not okay to pronounce a living person, who is sitting there on the other end of the phone line, dead from something that they are more than likely hoping to beat (even if they don’t admit it).


Which leads me to my next point, and that is that the cancer patient may or may not die from that particular cancer. There are lots of folks who survive cancer—both early and late-stage—and never have a recurrence, even when the doctors anticipated a high probability that they would. I have read accounts of people who were given weeks and days to live—people who are still living decades later. Recovery is a function of many things and one of them is grace, something that none of us can ever begin to predict or quantify.


Next rule: Don’t look up the odds. Don’t point out the odds. Don’t confirm the cancer patient’s worst nightmares.


What’s that? You’re just being “realistic?” Well, shove the realism up your unmentionable bits and keep it there.



Don’t give anyone struggling with cancer a moniker that contains the word ‘cancer’ in it. Someone I love kept calling me Cancer Girl, like I was a superhero or something. Even in the throes of dealing with it, I didn’t want to hear the word cancer, much less have it associated with me as a nickname, and so I wanted to punch him in the nethers each and every single time he uttered the words. (But I didn’t. I didn’t say a word. I am now, though. Don’t do it.)


Say you’re an acquaintance of someone who’s dealing with cancer, make sure that every time you run into her, your face doesn’t crumple into a look of sorrow, your eyebrows knit together over a pair of puppy-dog eyes as you whine: “How are youuuuu?” in a soap opera voice. She probably was fine until the moment she laid eyes on you and now you’ve ruined the rest of her day with your faux pity.


On the other hand, when the patient is going through treatment, don’t ever tell her she looks bald, skinny, bloated, ashy, gray, red, sickly, even if it’s true. Lie if you need to. Tell her that she’s glowing, beautiful, vibrant, alive. (All of these rules apply to both men and women, by the way.)


One day when I was in the middle of chemo, my daughter’s nursery school teacher said to me: “Aren’t you supposed to be looking worse during chemo? How do you get more beautiful every day?” I swear I wanted to leave my husband right then and there, and marry this woman. I will adore her for life, not because of some compliment that more than likely wasn’t true, but because of her generosity of spirit and the gift of hope that she gave me through a few simple words uttered with pure intentions.


Listen. This is particularly important. When the person is in remission, say, one or two years out from treatment, hell, even six months out from treatment, don’t keep bringing up cancer every time you see them. Say you happen to run into the person in a social situation where everyone’s talking about the weather or politics or those crazy celebrities and their nutty antics, please please please don’t say anything like:


Your skin looks SO great, not like all the other times I’ve seen you when you looked so sick and kind of yellow, you know? Maybe even almost green. Like you weren’t doing so well. But now your skin looks like a healthy person’s skin. Even your hair. Hey, how often do you go to the oncologist? When is your next appointment? How are you feeeeeling?”


Because I promise you the person, no matter how polite she’s being, isn’t taking it well. If she wanted to bring it up, she would have. Because, with a few exceptions we can discuss at some point, she has either already moved on or is trying to move on. She’s hoping to forget the horrors she endured. She doesn’t want to relive it. She certainly doesn’t want to be reminded of it in a social situation. And so more than likely, she wants to take your smug little face and do violent things to it. Even if her face is a perfectly arranged mask of social civility.


Any questions?



Amanda Enayati’s work has appeared in Salon, the Washington Post, Detroit News, and "Let Me Tell You Where I’ve Been: New Writing by Women of the Iranian Diaspora" (University of Arkansas Press). You can follow her on Twitter @AmandaEnayati or her daily blog, practicalmagicforbeginners.com.






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When a mammogram isn't enough ....from CNN

3http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/10/14/mammogram.not.enough/index.html?hpt=T2

(CNN) -- When Hallie Leighton received the letter from her doctor with the results of her recent mammogram, she opened it tentatively, afraid of what it might say. Her mother and grandmother had both had breast cancer, and she didn't want to suffer the same fate.

She was relieved, then, when she read this sentence: "We are pleased to inform you that the results of your recent breast imaging examination on 04/16/2009 are normal."

A year later, during her annual visit to her gynecologist, Leighton's relief turned to shock.
"My doctor felt a lump, and it was so big, she asked me if I'd gotten implants," Leighton, 39, remembers. "I said no, I don't have implants, and she had me feel it. The whole top of my breast was hard."

The lump was cancer and it was large -- between 6 and 9 centimeters -- and the disease had already spread to her spine. Leighton says her breast surgeon told her the tumor was probably there when she'd had the mammogram the year before.

Leighton wondered how the mammogram might have missed a tumor so large. Months later, when she saw the report from the radiologist who'd read the mammogram, she got her answer.

Toward the end of the report, the radiologist made this note: "The breasts are extremely dense, which lowers the sensitivity of mammography." In layman's terms, this meant Leighton's breast tissue was so thick with fibrous tissue and milk ducts that it was hard to see any cancers that might be there.

"Think of the breast as the sky," explains Dr. Mark Helvie, the chief of breast imaging at the University of Michigan Health Center. "On a clear day, you can see objects in the sky. But when a breast is dense, it's like a foggy day. There are objects in the sky, but you can't see them."


One woman's breast cancer milestones


Not only is it hard to see cancers on a mammogram of a dense breast; just having dense tissue makes you more likely to get breast cancer, Helvie adds.

"I wish I had known all this before," Leighton says. "This was a very important piece of information."

Unfortunately, Leighton's story isn't unusual, says Courtney Bugler, spokeswoman for the Young Survival Coalition, a group of young breast cancer patients and survivors.

"We hear about situations like this all the time," Bugler says. "Mammograms are not a perfect screening tool -- far from it -- but for young women especially, they are often not helpful at all."

Here's how to know when a mammogram might not be enough for you.


1. If you have a strong family history of breast cancer, get an MRI.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women with a strong family history of breast cancer get an MRI and a mammogram.

The group also recommends MRIs (in addition to mammograms) for women with a BRCA gene mutation, or for women whose parent, brother, sister or child has a BRCA gene mutation. Helvie also recommends getting a digital mammogram, as they are more accurate than a film mammogram.

If your insurance company won't pay for it, you can appeal the decision, noting the recommendation to get one from your doctor and from the Cancer Society.

If you don't have insurance, contact the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, the YWCA and your local chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation for help finding free or low-cost screening.


2. Get a copy of your mammogram report.


As Leighton learned, a letter saying your mammogram is normal isn't always enough. Ask either your gynecologist or the radiologist who performed the mammogram for a copy of the actual report, and then check it to see if there's a notation about the density of your breasts.

 3. If you have dense breasts, consider having an ultrasound or MRI


The American College of Radiology recommends that women with dense breast tissue get an MRI.

The American Cancer Society says that for women with dense breasts, getting either a mammogram and an ultrasound or getting a mammogram and an MRI can be more effective than getting a mammogram alone.

Again, if your insurance company won't pay for an ultrasound or an MRI, appeal the decision, noting your doctor's recommendation to have one plus the information above.



4. Look for your BI-RADS score.
 Your radiology report should include a BI-RADS score, which indicates how likely you are to have breast cancer. A "1" on this scale means your mammogram showed no cancer, and a "5" means the mammogram is highly suspicious for cancer.

"Often, a radiologist letter might say everything is fine, when in fact the BI-RADS score might suggest coming back sooner or being followed more closely," Bugler says.

 5. Talk to your radiologist

Usually, a woman never meets the person who reads her mammograms, but you certainly can try.

"I no longer leave my mammograms without speaking to the radiologist personally," says Bugler, whose breast cancer was diagnosed when she was 28. "I ask the doctor to come out and tell me to my face that everything is fine."

Leighton, who's being treated for her cancer, says it's still not clear to her why her doctors failed to recommend she have an MRI despite her dense breasts and her family history. She says her radiologist and her gynecologist knew that her mother, grandmother, aunt, great-aunt and cousin had had breast cancer. In addition, her other grandmother had ovarian cancer, which is genetically linked to breast cancer.

She now wishes she'd asked more questions and used another method of breast cancer detection: her hands.

"That's how my cousin found her breast cancer -- she's an advocate now and even made a video about it," Leighton says.

"In my 20s, I was vigilant about doing my breast exams, but I'd fallen out of the routine," she says. "There's a tendency to forget that we have a tool right at our disposal."






CNN's Sabriya Rice contributed to this report.










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My New Hair

Chatting with my friend from the Boston area this morning, I was mentioning how much my hair has changed. She wants to see pictures, so I thought I'd put them up on the blog....

Most of you know I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. This coming Monday will be the one year anniversary.....what a lot has happened in these last 12 months!

But I'm still here and for that I am glad.....

So here's what the hair used to look like.....mostly blonde and straight. BTW, I don't colour my hair and never have.....my roots have always been dark, then my hair lightens as it gets longer....

And....now....

It's brown and has a LOT of waves in it!

I haven't curled it at all....all I did was brush it after having my shower.

It's OK, I don't mind it....but it is just so different looking! I laugh when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror!

Apparently, this happens to a lot of people who lose their hair due to chemotherapy. I'm just glad I have hair again!

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Radiation Roundup

Finally, the very last pictures (hopefully) of the struggle I have been going thru with my enemy breast cancer.

I've had quite a few emails from women encouraging me to continue posting about my treatments. And while I did wonder whether I should put pictures like these up on this blog, readers encouragement made the decision for me.

It's only thru awareness, education and research that we can keep fighting this disease. So if you don't wanna look...well, don't look! Not that the pictures are gruesome at all, but they do outline the radiation procedure.

Two members of my radiation teaming being willing to pose for a pic they knew would go up on the blog.  I've had the most wonderful caring team - it takes special kinds of people to do the job they do!

The big bugger, ready and waiting for me.

In the foreground you can see my table. The staff assemble and change around all the parts necessary for patients to have their treatment (and they do it pretty quick too! ) You can see those farkin' stirrup looking things. Those are for me to fit my arm into. I hate them! They hurt me!

So, while they were setting things up, I was telling them about the blog. The asked me if I wanted them to take pictures while I was "in place". It didn't take long till they got right into it!

Annie and her red chest. They designed a bolus to fit onto my chest. Google it if you want to know why :)

Wasn't long till the team were thinking of different pictures to take. Hey, why don't we take one with the lights off, so everyone can see the laser lights????

Ummmm.....okay

Hey, I said. don't forget about ME. Can you come get the tape off my arm, so I can lower it down.

(It was really hurting by then!)

And here is what I looked at all the while treatment was going on. These panels replace the ceiling panels that you usually see in a drop ceiling. Can you guess which bird I am???? If you know much about me, you will be able to guess!

 If these don't make you wanna do a self exam, well, they should! Do your exam and do it regularly. You don't wanna have this.....

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I'M GOING HOME TODAY!!!

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee........I'm as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning!!!

As giddy as a schoolgirl.....

As happy as a pig in....well, you know...

I'm clucking like a hen who just laid a huge egg.....

And when I drive down my driveway, this is what will be waiting for me!!!!!

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It's Been a Heck of a Week - Radiation Update (and a bit of good news)

Ouch! OUCH!!!

I have 3 more treatments to go....I'll make it thru, but am losing my positive attitude.

You'll understand more when you read the posts going up today. But, let me start with the medical update....OUCH!

I am sooo burnt, and my chest is soooo red and sore. There is concern from hospital staff that my skin under my armpit is going to give way.....waaaaaa

This is not that uncommon....I just don't want it to happen to ME. Friday they told me, if it happens over the weekend, to NOT put cream on the opened area, but just all around it.

Grossed out yet? Yeah, I know I am and I'm the one looking in the mirror. Well, I try to avoid the mirror when I come out of the shower, but I am supposed to keep an eye on the burnt area. So, I try to detach myself from my body, give a cursory look, then put a shirt on.

I can't wear anything I have to pull over my head. I don't know why I didn't realize this when I packed to come to Kelowna, but I didn't. So, what did I do? Packed about 10 pullover sweaters and sweatshirts and packed 1, yes 1 button up jean shirt.

Oh and my pajama top buttons up too....I wear my pajamas a LOT these days, ha! 4pm in the afternoon....oh goodie, time to get my jammies on.

During treatment, I have to put my arm up above my head so that the machine radiates my armpit. OUCH! Fark, does that hurt!

I'm doing saline soaks 4 times a day now. I wonder if there is a limit of how many times per day I can do this. It does make the area feel better. I will have to find out tomorrow if I can do it more often.

I'm hesitant to do Anything without asking permission first. It is amazing the things you are NOT allowed to do, or use. Ask first....I feel like a kid. Actually, I'm probably going to revert to sucking my thumb if this doesn't end soon.

I may or may not end up back in my Valley Wednesday night. This is dependent on other things right now. I may stay here for a few extra days. Fine by me....at least I can say Adios to the treatments and sit here and suffer on my own.

Tomorrow evening, I am going to try and bake a whole whack (how many is a whack? I dunno, maybe 4 dozen) of cookies. Tuesday I am going to bring them in to the Volunteer Drivers, who have helped me immensely during these last 5 weeks. The attitude and compassion of these men (bar 1, who you may hear about later) is incredible. Thank God for each of you, I mean that. Hope you like cookies! And a donation cheque, too, to do my part in keeping this program going!

And now for the good news....my good friend Barb, is now a Grandmother! Baby was born yesterday Feb 6...mom and baby are doing great. I'm hoping Barb gets permission to let me put up a pic when I get it. Congrats Grandmaaaa!!! Sphere: Related Content

Hollywood Stars Slam Federal Mammogram Guidelines

I was stunned when the news first came out in November, at least some high profile women are stepping up to show their dismay.....the following was taken from Fox News.

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2010/02/02/hollywood-stars-slam-federal-mammogram-guidelines/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+foxnews%252Fentertainment+%2528Text+-+Entertainment%2529



Christina Applegate, Olivia Wilde and Rita Wilson all warn against the new guidelines for mammograms, plus Angie Harmon says she is 'overjoyed' that health care didn't get through.




Last November, a federal panel put in place “updated” mammography guidelines, recommending women delay having routine screenings until the age of 50 and counseling against the teaching of self breast examinations. But Hollywood stars are doing all they can to squash these new “recommendations.”






“I think I threw something across the room,” breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate told Tarts at the 13th Annual Unforgettable Evening benefit for the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund, when we asked about her initial reaction to the federal guidelines. “I mean, are you kidding? After me, and so many other women were out there and got [cancer] young and they had the audacity to say that. It really angered me. So much is about politics and money and it is so sad. I was 36, my mom was 38 and a lot of my girlfriends who had it are 30, 32, 28 (when diagnosed). This is not a disease of age anymore.”






But Applegate isn’t alone when it comes to warning people against this new mammography approach.






“I care very deeply about the women in my life and about preventing cancer in their lives. I’m a big proponent of early detection and early screening and I want to make sure people are educated about that,” "House" star Olivia Wilde said.






Actress Rita Wilson also admitted that she was perplexed by the whole situation.






“It’s very confusing to me, I’m up to speed on all of this and I’m confused. My theory, and this is just my opinion, is to get a mammogram starting at 40 until we have more information,” she advised. “Better to stay on the side of what tradition has been.”






However, it seems Wilson’s hubby Tom Hanks has a more progressive (or shall we say aggressive) attitude toward curing cancer.






“We're going to kick the s**t out of women’s cancer! Bleep me when I say that,” he exclaimed. “It's a big smack down between science and women’s cancers and all you need is some cash!”


______________________________________________________________
 
What do you think about this? Obviously, I'm on the side of early detection and prevention! Sphere: Related Content

Of Hair and Hat

My hair is really coming back in, finally.....this was taken in early January....pretty thin!

And the Gman took this one yesterday, getting better every day! Actually, the first thing he said when he saw me on Saturday was "Wow, is your hair ever getting thick!"

(Which caused me to immediately run to the mirror to check it out. I dunno, he says it is a lot thicker than it used to be (before I got sick) but I am still not sure.)

And...what has turned out to be my favourite hat. It's hard out there for a baldie! The head gets cold, the neck gets cold....and the poor ears get cold.  This hat takes care of ALL those pesky problems!

I can't wait for my hair to really start growing! Oh and my eyelashes? Altho they stayed in right thru the chemotherapy, they have been falling out during the radiation. Now I have an unsightly mix of long and little teeny weeny eyelashes. It looks Ridonkulus when I put mascara on...pfffft!

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Breast Cancer Update

I am now Halfway thru my Radiation Treatments - yeahhhhhhh! Physically, I feel pretty good. I am starting to get tired and I have a really deep tan on that area where my boob used to be...sigh. I have to put lots of moisturizer on that area to try to keep the skin from cracking. Over the next week or so, the tan will start turning to a burn.

Last night, I fell asleep on the couch right after Law and Order started at 8pm and didn't wake up till 10pm. Dragged myself off to bed where I slept right thru till 6am. So, yeah....I'd say I'm getting tired.

I'm still hot flashing like mad, which is kinda embarassing when I'm in public and my head starts to sweat. Of course, I also go beet red in the face, so that doesn't help either.

 I've lost a few of those pounds I piled on during chemo (which is more common than losing weight - huh!) by going out for a good walk every day. So, yippee, I have a total of 3 pairs of jeans that fit me again!

I called the plastic surgeon's office to find out when they thought I might get in for my first consultation (for eventual reconstruction)....the receptionist told me if I was lucky, I would get in this year. Unreal....so I figured I better go and get me one of those prothesis boobs, as I have only been using the softys...or fluffies...or whatever they are called.

In talking with my chemo oncologist, she let me know I will start Tamoxifen 2 weeks after finishing radiation. Oh and guess what one of the side effects of the medication is? Hot flashes! Aren't I lucky??

We also talked about estrogen supression and I may go for surgery to have my ovaries removed. That's OK, I haven't really been using them anyway. I figure as long as my voice doesn't deepen and I don't start getting a beard, I'll be OK. But damn...that means another surgery. How I am supposed to fit gardening into this equation, I have no idea!

My hair is growing back in. It's still coming in quite a bit darker than it was. And...there is just the odd gray hair in there too. It's strange, looking in the mirror and seeing all that dark hair. I was always blonde....well, darker at the roots and blonde on the ends. But now, it's dark, I am not sure if I like it. But hey, I am grateful I have hair!

And you know what's funny? Soooo many people have told me I have a nice shaped head, lol. Not just friends, but even people I don't EVEN Know! The other day, a Cancer Centre volunteer was driving me home, and just dropped it into the conversation. "You sure have a nice looking head". Hahahahahah, well thank you! I may be kinda chubby and only have one boob, but hey, I have a good looking bean! As the Eman would say...."Mama, that ain't just a hat rack on top of your shoulders!"

My hair is short short short....but I do have to smile in the morning when I see that ole familiar bedhead in the mirror. It's short bedhead, but it's bedhead...and it's MY bedhead, so I have a laugh about that. And the mess is to the point where I have to tuck the hairs behind my ears, or it just looks stupid , which makes me laugh too. My hair is probably not even an inch long, but I have to tuck it behind my ears. Go figure!

My radiation oncologist has ordered 3 extra treatments for me. I'm not sure why, but she must have seen something on my chart that caused her to do so. I'll find out next Tuesday when I see her next. That brings my end date to Feb 10. And I am telling ya, the evening of Feb 10, I will be sleeping in my own bed up there in the Valley....with my husband and my Wolf by my side! I will be so glad and grateful to be back home. I'll be so grateful I may even kiss my chickens....but probably not :) Sphere: Related Content

Phase 2 - Radiation

A quick update - I am now in Kelowna. We arrived Sunday and I had my first radiation treatment yesterday.

I'd rather be on a beach in Mexico...or at home in my Valley. But...c'est la vie...this is life.

I'll be here for 5 weeks. I'll be back to blogging about gardens in a day or two...I just need a bit of time to settle in.

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I Have Hair!

Remember this?

This was from one of my ole' high school friends....Ei and I share a somewhat....well....shall we say a weird sense of humour?

I LOVE that card she sent me...it still sits close to my computer. It serves as a reminder to me to be...tough. Be tough in the face of cancer.

(This pic was taken about 6 weeks ago, shortly after the head shaving incident.)

Fast forward.....a couple of days before Christmas, the Gman brings me a parcel from the Post Office. It's from Ei....oh what could it be?????

Inside there's a note....it says

I saw the picture of you on your blog in your auburn wig. I thought it looked lovely on you, BUT you'll always be blonde to me....so I made you this:

(Are you sure you want to look?)

(Are you Reallllllly sure?????)

Gman and I were almost on the floor rolling with laughter....yup, that's my friend! Thanks Ei! You even gave me barrettes!!! And...highlights!!! What more could I ask for?

Thanks Ei, you made my day!!!!

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It's All About the Hair (Uhhh...No, It's Not!)

Ree's posting about changing out her hair colour....meh.....she's gone from auburn to dark...it looks nice on her!

But...this fascination that many women have with....hair...I wonder, was I like that? Did I used to think like that before I got cancer? I don't really remember ever being all hung up on my hair, either the colour or the cut....maybe I'm not girly enuf?

It's JUST HAIR! Of course, it does keep the top of your head a lot warmer, I can attest to that!

Now that I'm wearing caps all day long, I'm realizing one of the benefits....having a hot flash? Yank that cap off my head...within 15 seconds I'm as cool as a cucumber again....bald, but cool!

The chemo has jammed me full on into menopause...oh lucky lucky me! So I'm flashing all over the place....yuk!

I survived the weekend and the onslaught of chemo effects. And...I'm done, as in stick a fork in me, I am DONE!

No more chemo...now all I have to do is to get lots of extra rest and start building myself up for the radiation. But damn, I am Glad the Chemo is finished with! Weeeeeeeeee.....

And....hair? Check this out...so far, it looks like it's coming back in darker than it was. I'm curious to see how this is going to work out....

I even have some Bedhead happening in this pic! (See my lil Alfalfa sprout sticking up there)

Now, THAT'S hair, Baby!!!

(Remember, you are more than your hair....)

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'I want my mammograms!' (CNN)

This is simply unbelievable to me....by the way, I am 48

(The links probably won't work, so head on over to www.cnn.com so you can see them)

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(CNN) -- A government task force says women in their 40s don't need annual mammograms, but Sara Fought would beg to differ: She says she's alive today because a routine mammogram found cancer when she was 42.

"I had to read the guidelines twice because I really couldn't believe women in the 40-49 age bracket were being discouraged from having mammograms," says Fought, who lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland. "That's foolhardy. They're playing with people's lives."

Fought is one of many breast cancer survivors and doctors who are outraged over the guidelines released Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force advising against routine mammograms for women in their 40s.

The task force doesn't argue that mammograms have saved the lives of many women like Sara Fought. In fact, the task force mentions in its statement that for every 1,000 women in their 40s who receive routine mammograms, two cases of cancer are detected. However, it also notes that 98 women will have "false positives." In other words, the mammogram will pick up something that looks like cancer, but that further testing shows actually is not.

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In its statement, the task force wrote that on balance, routine mammograms for women in their 40s aren't worth the downsides, such as false positives and the exposure to a small amount of radiation.

Watch Dr. Gupta answer your questions

The task force recommendations are not government policy, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says.

Sebelius says the doctors and scientists on the task force "do not set federal policy, and they don't determine what services are covered by the federal government."

Lucy Marion, Ph.D., a nurse practitioner and member of the task force, says she chose not to get regular mammograms when she was in her 40s.

"The benefit is small," Marion says, adding that groups like the American Cancer Society have been overzealous in recommending mammograms to women in their 40s.

Watch an interview between Dr. Gupta and Lucy Marion

Marion, dean of the school of nursing at the Medical College of Georgia, says that while there are women like Fought, there are also women who had bad experiences with mammograms.

"A woman called me today and said, 'Thank goodness for the new guidelines because I've had so many unnecessary biopsies and they have been painful and they've been costly, and I have had to pay for some of them out of pocket, and every time it was benign,' " she says.

"I want to scream, 'No! No!' "

Andrea Evans says she hopes women in their 40s and their doctors will ignore the task force's recommendations.

Watch how other survivors react to the guideline changes

"I want to scream, 'No! No! Don't listen!' " says Evans, whose cancer was detected by a routine mammogram eight years ago when she was 46. "If I hadn't had that mammogram, I wouldn't be here today.

Dr. Rachel Brem, director of breast imaging and intervention at the George Washington University Medical Center, says she's already concerned that women may be canceling their mammograms because of the task force's recommendations.

"Usually we see 26 women in a morning for mammograms, but today we only saw 17. That's a significant decrease," says Brem, adding that she can't be sure the lower number was because of the new guidelines.

She added that while mammograms do sometimes cause needless worry over a false positive, she thinks women are willing to put up with that. "Every single one of my patients would trade a minimal amount of anxiety for an early breast cancer diagnosis any day," she says.

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Will insurance still pay?

Dawn Marie Jones, whose cancer was detected by a routine mammogram last year when she was 40, also is "horrified" by the new guidelines.

"I wept when I watched the news last night. I couldn't believe this was real," Jones says.

She says she worries that insurance companies, which pay close attention to the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, might start refusing to pay for mammograms for women in their 40s based on the new guidelines.

What is the Preventive Services Task force?

"I worry about my little sister. This year she'll be the age that I was when I was diagnosed. It concerns me she might be denied the access I had," she says.

In 20 states, insurance companies are required to pay for mammograms for women over age 40, according to the National Women's Law Center. However, these laws don't apply to women who work for companies that self-insure their policies. Slightly more than half of all Americans who receive insurance through their employer work for a company that self-insures, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Susan Pisano, a spokeswoman for America's Health Insurance Plans, an insurance industry group, says insurance companies will continue to pay for mammograms for women in their 40s. "If your insurance company won't pay, I think you should go back and challenge them on that," Pisano says.

But Nancy Davenport-Ennis, co-founder of the Patient Advocate Foundation, says she thinks insurance companies will use the guidelines as an opportunity to deny coverage to women in their 40s.

Sebelious disagrees. "I would be very surprised if any private insurance company changed its mammography coverage decisions as a result of this action."

It costs "$640 and up" to get a mammogram when you don't have insurance, according to Paul Keckley, executive director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

Keckley and other observers think insurance companies will continue to cover mammograms for women in their 40s despite the new recommendations.

"It would be a PR disaster for them to pull back on coverage of breast cancer prevention screening," says Art Caplan, a bioethicist at the University of Pennsylvania. "They're not going to do it. It would be a nightmare."

"Make sure your physician raises hell"

If your insurance company starts refusing to pay for mammograms, Keckley says to get your doctor on your side.

"You should make sure your physician raises hell about it," Keckley advises.

You can also seek a free or reduced price mammogram offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program. The American Cancer Society has a list of free mammogram services by ZIP code, and the American Breast Cancer Foundation provides financial assistance for mammograms.

Fought, who had a mastectomy and chemotherapy after her breast cancer diagnosis, says she hopes women will listen to the American Cancer Society and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, both of which still recommend routine annual mammograms starting at age 40.

"Discouraging women in their 40s is the wrong message to be giving women," she says.

CNN's John Bonifield, Danielle Dellorto, Miriam Falco and Sabriya Rice contributed to this report.

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