Journal entry by Misty Barnes-Pigg —
It has been 551 days since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts and lymph node. To say my body has been through a lot during that time would be an understatement. I am thankful to say that I have officially completed my full treatment plan and currently show no signs of cancer. I still have 1 more minor surgery (1 to 2 week recovery) to make some tweaks to the reconstruction surgery as well as have the chemo port removed. I will also continue to see the Oncologist every 3 months for follow up. If all continues to go well, I will have nothing to update. 😀
I have hit a couple milestones since the last post. On January 2nd I had the final targeted chemo treatment. They gave me a certificate of completion that was signed by everyone in the office and everyone came back to support me when I rang the bell one last time. The side effects that I had from the targeted chemo (dry mouth and muscle cramps) are gone now. It has been over a year since I had the last heavy duty chemo and my hair and nails are slowly recovering. My fingernails are still brittle but have been improving. 1 of the 3 toenails I lost grew back quickly. The other two (big toe's) have mostly grown out but are not in the best condition. They will take awhile to get back to normal. My hair is 4 inches long now. I used to use mousse and a brush to try to control it but now I just finger comb it when it is wet and let it air dry and do what it wants. I occasionally need to wear a compression sleeve on my right arm when it gets achy and have recently had issues with my right leg bothering me when I try to sleep (I think from sitting around so much) and have found that it feels better if I put a compression sock on.
I was supposed to have reconstruction surgery on February 3rd but Katie came down with the flu so we were all put on Tamiflu and the surgery was rescheduled to February 24th. The surgery took 6 1/2 hours and I stayed in the hospital for 3 days. The surgery I had was Diep Flap surgery where they remove the skin and fat from the lower abdomen (like they do in a tummy tuck) and used that to reconstruct the breasts. My breasts are back to the size they were before and I get the added bonus of a flatter stomach! Most of my pain and discomfort from the surgery was in the abdomen. I had one spot that the nerves were flaring up and would occasionally feel like I was getting stabbed by a hot poker. That sensation finally went away about a week ago. I have been home on medical leave for the past 7 weeks and will return to work tomorrow. The office where I work has been working from home for 3 weeks now due to Covid19 so I will have to run in and get my computer and will be working from home until they tell us we can come back to the office.
A big thank-you to all the well wishers and prayer warriors! You all helped me maintain the positive attitude I needed to get through this. Also, a big thank-you to Robin who has been my care taker through all this. He managed to keep me healthy with a weakened immune system through 2 flu seasons.
I am looking forward to switching from fight mode to recover mode. Both of my Grandma's and a Great Grandma lived into their 90's so I still have a lot of life left to live!
Kicking cancer's butt 1 day at a time. Misty 551, Cancer 0.
I have hit a couple milestones since the last post. On January 2nd I had the final targeted chemo treatment. They gave me a certificate of completion that was signed by everyone in the office and everyone came back to support me when I rang the bell one last time. The side effects that I had from the targeted chemo (dry mouth and muscle cramps) are gone now. It has been over a year since I had the last heavy duty chemo and my hair and nails are slowly recovering. My fingernails are still brittle but have been improving. 1 of the 3 toenails I lost grew back quickly. The other two (big toe's) have mostly grown out but are not in the best condition. They will take awhile to get back to normal. My hair is 4 inches long now. I used to use mousse and a brush to try to control it but now I just finger comb it when it is wet and let it air dry and do what it wants. I occasionally need to wear a compression sleeve on my right arm when it gets achy and have recently had issues with my right leg bothering me when I try to sleep (I think from sitting around so much) and have found that it feels better if I put a compression sock on.
I was supposed to have reconstruction surgery on February 3rd but Katie came down with the flu so we were all put on Tamiflu and the surgery was rescheduled to February 24th. The surgery took 6 1/2 hours and I stayed in the hospital for 3 days. The surgery I had was Diep Flap surgery where they remove the skin and fat from the lower abdomen (like they do in a tummy tuck) and used that to reconstruct the breasts. My breasts are back to the size they were before and I get the added bonus of a flatter stomach! Most of my pain and discomfort from the surgery was in the abdomen. I had one spot that the nerves were flaring up and would occasionally feel like I was getting stabbed by a hot poker. That sensation finally went away about a week ago. I have been home on medical leave for the past 7 weeks and will return to work tomorrow. The office where I work has been working from home for 3 weeks now due to Covid19 so I will have to run in and get my computer and will be working from home until they tell us we can come back to the office.
A big thank-you to all the well wishers and prayer warriors! You all helped me maintain the positive attitude I needed to get through this. Also, a big thank-you to Robin who has been my care taker through all this. He managed to keep me healthy with a weakened immune system through 2 flu seasons.
I am looking forward to switching from fight mode to recover mode. Both of my Grandma's and a Great Grandma lived into their 90's so I still have a lot of life left to live!
Kicking cancer's butt 1 day at a time. Misty 551, Cancer 0.
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