Therapy!

I want to share with you some of my therapy techniques. The "real" kind and then my kind. The real kind is the kind that is actually being facilitated by a medical professional and then my kind is what helps me carry on, on a daily basis.

The real kind:
1. Physical Therapy: I'm going twice a week to help get the range of motion back and to help with the "cording" of my lymphatic system. I have a lymphatic vessel that is so tight I can't extend my arm out all the way. It's tight b/c it's working over time to help get the flow function back to normal after surgery and the removal of the lymph nodes. It's getting a little better every day and the physical therapy is helping a lot!

2. Mental Therapy: I do see a counselor twice a month. She is great and has been a huge help and support to me! She is an oncology specialist and is very educated on breast cancer and treatment of breast cancer. It's wonderful to go there and chat about fears, ask questions, and get honest answers. She has been a great resource for me. It's also nice to talk about the things that I don't want to necessary talk about sometimes with my family and friends.

Now my kind:
1. Positive Thinking and Visualization: I'm been very positive. Thinking of the future and believing that I have one. Telling myself that I can beat this. Why not? People with stage III and IV cancer survive all the time. I going to be that person! I'm going to survive. I've also been practicing visualization...I visualize the chemo entering in my body and scooping up all the cancer cells. Hopefully this will help kill all remaining cancer cells.

2. Music Therapy: WOW! This has always been a great source of therapy for me. I love lyrics, the stories or advice that songs give us. I always have theme songs to help me through times, good and bad. It's very powerful, a simple song can make my day better! Here a few that I listen to everyday! I listen to them loud and I sing along, an amazing thing for me to do. I even use certain lines in my positive thinking technique.

Song, Artist, Line
Move Along, All American Rejects, the whole song really but "Right Back What is Wrong!"
3 Little Birds, Bob Marley, "Every thing's going to be alright" b/c of my 3 little birds.
Just Wait, Blues Travelers, "It will come" I have to believe that one day, I will be cancer free!

I'm trying to "right back what is wrong". I'm doing everything in my power to help fight this horrible, scary disease. I'm doing all the treatments advise by my doctors. I'm changing my diet. I'm increasing veggie and fruit intake, increasing whole grains, beans, and nuts, cutting out sugar, no red meat, range-free chicken, organic everything. I'm giving up foods that I love and exploring veggies. I'm cutting back on drinking if not quiting all together. I'm not a huge drinker but I do love my occasional wine or beer. But there is an association with alcohol and breast cancer, it raises your estrogen levels. And since my cancer is estrogen fed, well why feed it? Diet is a simple thing to do. It's a healthy life style and I'm willing to give it a try!

I pray and hope that 10 years from now, I'll look back at all of this and be amazed. I pray for a miracle. I'm inspired by my mother-in-law and her faith that miracles can and do happen.

Please, keep me in your prayers this week...My oncologist is adding a new chemo drug to my treatment in addition to the Taxol. I don't know all the details yet...so I'll post on Thursday. But hopefully the side effects won't be too bad. I'm already feeling the side effects from the Taxol. My toes have numbness, it's really weird. I've read about "chemo" brain and didn't really buy into it. But let me tell you...I have chemo brain. I forget everything. The other day I couldn't remember the word laundry, but maybe that's b/c I have piles of it and don't want to remember. I also have been really off balance, almost to the point of falling over. It's odd!

Well, I have to go to bed...I'm sooooooooooooo tired!!
Lots of Love!

I have more pictures to post...tune in on Thursday...can't find camera right now!