Journal entry by Stacy Jurick —
I am so sorry it has been so long since an update. In a way the days have crawled by while also simultaneously flying by. It is go, go, go from the time we roll out of bed until our heads hit the pillow at night. I am sure you all can relate.
I will lead with counting my blessings. Since my surgery at the beginning of October, I have continued to have angels on earth help me and my family in many ways. One huge blessing was bestowed upon us by Beverage SuperStore of Grayson. In honor of October being breast cancer awareness month, one of their bi-weekly wine tastings featured pink wines and raffle items. All proceeds for the evening were donated to my family. I was blown away! The two amazing ladies responsible for this, Suzanne and Claire, have always been so sweet to me when I attended wine tastings with my friends over the last few years. I had not been to a wine tasting since I had been diagnosed and they reached out wanting to do something for me. I cannot begin to tell you what blessing this was to me and my family. I have missed many days of work this school year and their benefit for me was an amazing gift. If wine or beer tastings are your kind of thing, please visit them on Thursday evenings. They alternate beer and wine tastings. Here is a link to their website:
https://www.beveragesuperstoreofgrayson.com/
They have an annual holiday wine tasting coming up that is always a great event! Thank you so much Suzanne and Claire for being so good to me and my family!
Since the time Jon posted with surgery updates (thanks for the prayers - surgery and recovery at home went well), I rested at home the 14 days my surgeon wanted me to, got a thumbs up at my post-op visit, and then returned to work. I began radiation a month after surgery so my body would be rested up and ready to endure 20 treatments. I am the point where I have 3 treatments left which is exciting, but...
After about my 4th treatment the radiation techs noticed that my breast was an angry red and the tissue was extremely swollen. It turns out that this was way too soon for the amount of redness and the swelling was not supposed to happen. They called in the doctor who explained that the fluid inside the cavity created by the lumpectomy was infected. She was phoning in a strong antibiotic that she wanted me to pick up on the way home from my appointment and to try to get a dose (preferably 2) in that same day. Even during a 10 day course of antibiotics, it became the norm for the angry red discoloration and the swollen tissue as well as running a low grade fever every evening. Extreme fatigue and discomfort started early in the process and have become something I have had to just get used to. A normal daily routine for me during radiation is to sleep as late as I can but still be able to make it to work on time to get ready for a day of teaching, teach until 3:55, race out to my car after settling students and opening the door between mine and my teammate's classroom (bus call starts at 4), and driving as fast as I safely can to my 4:00 appointment (that they said I could get to by 4:10ish and still be okay), having a radiation treatment, driving home and getting in PJ's, and finally getting in bed with 2 blankets because the low grade fever has started. I take my meds and try to be asleep by 8:00 so I can start it all over again the next day. Every. Weekday. I am so grateful to my amazing colleagues who have been so helpful with this process in addition to dealing with a teammate who has been out a lot this year.
So, truth be told, even though radiation does not tax my body the same way chemo does, I am super weary of it all at this point. I saw my radiation doctor, Dr. Maxa, today (radiation patients don't see her every time they go for a treatment - she does see all her patients on Mondays). She told me several times today as she examined me that she felt bad for me with all the complications that have occurred during radiation. She said this is not the norm during radiation (basically the same thing Dr. Jay told at the beginning of chemo when I was hospitalized 3 out of the 4 initial bi-weekly treatments). Yes, my last radiation is this Thursday which is great. However, we then have to see what happens with the infection in my breast. I have already done a 10 day stint of a strong antibiotic. Dr. Maxa agrees with me when I told her I don't want to take anything I don't have to so I am not going on an antibiotic unless something other than "the norm" of what has been going on the last few weeks happens (running a low grade fever every night is now my new normal). She is going to see me again on December 17th to assess what the next step is if the infection has not cleared up. Worst case scenario is surgery to drain the fluid and fill the cavity with antibiotic. Obviously, this is not what we want to happen.
So. I try to count my blessings everyday, but if I am honest (and I always try to be), I am a pretty grumpy girl. I can usually get out in front of feeling blue but that has gotten harder and harder to do. Some days I win. A lot of days I do not. It's hard to explain. I have been super happy to check major items off the list like chemo and surgery. And I will be extremely happy when I walk out of that last radiation treatment on Thursday. What I have learned just like anyone that has been on this journey is that the euphoria can be short lived as you face the next thing on the list. And, technically, the list will go on for the rest of my life. There is maintenance (in my case a daily pill, monthly shot, and biannual IV of hormone supressing drugs all with a list of possible, undesirable side effects) and then those diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds (the first of which will be in March) every three month initially where you figuratively hold your breath to wait to see if it's clear.
Sorry to be so negative but that is where I am at these days. I have not been active on social media and find that just hanging at home is what I prefer to do these days. I know better days are ahead and I will gladly welcome 2019 (after a few choice words for 2018, lol). I am so very thankful for all the prayers and definitely need them now more than ever. Thank you for following my journey and caring about me and my family!
Blessings - ~Stacy
I will lead with counting my blessings. Since my surgery at the beginning of October, I have continued to have angels on earth help me and my family in many ways. One huge blessing was bestowed upon us by Beverage SuperStore of Grayson. In honor of October being breast cancer awareness month, one of their bi-weekly wine tastings featured pink wines and raffle items. All proceeds for the evening were donated to my family. I was blown away! The two amazing ladies responsible for this, Suzanne and Claire, have always been so sweet to me when I attended wine tastings with my friends over the last few years. I had not been to a wine tasting since I had been diagnosed and they reached out wanting to do something for me. I cannot begin to tell you what blessing this was to me and my family. I have missed many days of work this school year and their benefit for me was an amazing gift. If wine or beer tastings are your kind of thing, please visit them on Thursday evenings. They alternate beer and wine tastings. Here is a link to their website:
https://www.beveragesuperstoreofgrayson.com/
They have an annual holiday wine tasting coming up that is always a great event! Thank you so much Suzanne and Claire for being so good to me and my family!
Since the time Jon posted with surgery updates (thanks for the prayers - surgery and recovery at home went well), I rested at home the 14 days my surgeon wanted me to, got a thumbs up at my post-op visit, and then returned to work. I began radiation a month after surgery so my body would be rested up and ready to endure 20 treatments. I am the point where I have 3 treatments left which is exciting, but...
After about my 4th treatment the radiation techs noticed that my breast was an angry red and the tissue was extremely swollen. It turns out that this was way too soon for the amount of redness and the swelling was not supposed to happen. They called in the doctor who explained that the fluid inside the cavity created by the lumpectomy was infected. She was phoning in a strong antibiotic that she wanted me to pick up on the way home from my appointment and to try to get a dose (preferably 2) in that same day. Even during a 10 day course of antibiotics, it became the norm for the angry red discoloration and the swollen tissue as well as running a low grade fever every evening. Extreme fatigue and discomfort started early in the process and have become something I have had to just get used to. A normal daily routine for me during radiation is to sleep as late as I can but still be able to make it to work on time to get ready for a day of teaching, teach until 3:55, race out to my car after settling students and opening the door between mine and my teammate's classroom (bus call starts at 4), and driving as fast as I safely can to my 4:00 appointment (that they said I could get to by 4:10ish and still be okay), having a radiation treatment, driving home and getting in PJ's, and finally getting in bed with 2 blankets because the low grade fever has started. I take my meds and try to be asleep by 8:00 so I can start it all over again the next day. Every. Weekday. I am so grateful to my amazing colleagues who have been so helpful with this process in addition to dealing with a teammate who has been out a lot this year.
So, truth be told, even though radiation does not tax my body the same way chemo does, I am super weary of it all at this point. I saw my radiation doctor, Dr. Maxa, today (radiation patients don't see her every time they go for a treatment - she does see all her patients on Mondays). She told me several times today as she examined me that she felt bad for me with all the complications that have occurred during radiation. She said this is not the norm during radiation (basically the same thing Dr. Jay told at the beginning of chemo when I was hospitalized 3 out of the 4 initial bi-weekly treatments). Yes, my last radiation is this Thursday which is great. However, we then have to see what happens with the infection in my breast. I have already done a 10 day stint of a strong antibiotic. Dr. Maxa agrees with me when I told her I don't want to take anything I don't have to so I am not going on an antibiotic unless something other than "the norm" of what has been going on the last few weeks happens (running a low grade fever every night is now my new normal). She is going to see me again on December 17th to assess what the next step is if the infection has not cleared up. Worst case scenario is surgery to drain the fluid and fill the cavity with antibiotic. Obviously, this is not what we want to happen.
So. I try to count my blessings everyday, but if I am honest (and I always try to be), I am a pretty grumpy girl. I can usually get out in front of feeling blue but that has gotten harder and harder to do. Some days I win. A lot of days I do not. It's hard to explain. I have been super happy to check major items off the list like chemo and surgery. And I will be extremely happy when I walk out of that last radiation treatment on Thursday. What I have learned just like anyone that has been on this journey is that the euphoria can be short lived as you face the next thing on the list. And, technically, the list will go on for the rest of my life. There is maintenance (in my case a daily pill, monthly shot, and biannual IV of hormone supressing drugs all with a list of possible, undesirable side effects) and then those diagnostic mammograms and ultrasounds (the first of which will be in March) every three month initially where you figuratively hold your breath to wait to see if it's clear.
Sorry to be so negative but that is where I am at these days. I have not been active on social media and find that just hanging at home is what I prefer to do these days. I know better days are ahead and I will gladly welcome 2019 (after a few choice words for 2018, lol). I am so very thankful for all the prayers and definitely need them now more than ever. Thank you for following my journey and caring about me and my family!
Blessings - ~Stacy
Patients and caregivers love hearing from you; add a comment to show your support.
Help Stacy Stay Connected to Family and Friends
A $25 donation to CaringBridge powers a site like Stacy's for two weeks. Will you make a gift to help ensure that this site stays online for them and for you?