Category Archives: Health

Ice Bucket Challenge (or I Guess My Floors Are Clean Now)

Posted on August 29, 2014 | Comments Off

I’ve been enjoying watching all the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos. Some of them are really creative or silly, and I think getting the awareness of any disease is awesome. Plus, the challenge has helped to raise so much money!

Even though I’ve been enjoying watching the videos, I’ve been very happy that I haven’t had to do one myself. It is really hot here in LA, but the idea of dumping a bucket of water over my head isn’t really appealing. And for all of you concerned about the drought (I’m concerned too!), I don’t have a lawn or wash my car so I think I can waste a little bit of water.

I don’t know how I made it so long without getting nominated, but the other night (as some of you might have seen on Instagram) I accidentally took the Ice Bucket Challenge.

I was getting a glass of ice water to drink from my kitchen before going to watch some TV I had recorded on my DVR. I get a glass of water plenty of times throughout the day. Nothing was different this time.

Except that my right hip decided to not work as I was walking. My hip caught and locked up so I pretty much stopped mid-step. And being off-balance like that caused me to fall and land flat on my butt.

And that glass of water that was in my hand went all over my face and down the front of my shirt. And it was a pretty large glass of water too!

After the initial shock of falling down and getting soaked with ice water, I did a quick evaluation to make sure I was ok. My hip was fine but my butt was killing me. The next morning I would wake up with a nice bruise.

Whenever I fall I’m scared that I did some serious damage to either of my hips. They both have their own issues and my hip surgeon has warned me against doing anything that might cause me to fall on a hard surface (skiing, roller skating, ice skating). So falling down on my floors is not ideal, but not the end of the world.

I’m also grateful that I almost always use a plastic glass for my water. They are bigger glasses than my fancy ones. And if this had happened with one of my fancy glasses, I probably would have had broken glass to worry about (and I was barefoot when this happened). So I’m lucky in that sense.

So all of you who were considering nominating me for the Ice Bucket Challenge don’t have to nominate me now. And since I accidentally took it, I’m not going to nominate anyone else.

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged hip issues, water

The End Of My 8 Week Challenge (or The End Is Really Just The Beginning)

Posted on August 25, 2014 | 3 comments

Last week was the end of my Orangetheory challenge. Well, it’s the end of my first Orangetheory challenge. I’m in the middle of the weight loss challenge they have going right now.

I remember the beginning of my challenge being so scared that I wouldn’t be able to finish or that I would somehow hurt myself. And I’m so happy to say that I did all 24 workouts in my challenge and I didn’t get hurt!

Monday’s workout was tough because there was a lot of lunge work. That’s a tough one for me because my hip flexors don’t always work the way that they are supposed to. Fortunately, the lunges were done while using the TRX straps, so that helps me keep my balance and takes a little pressure off of my hips when things start to hurt a lot.

Wednesday’s workout was another killer. It had to be a killer because somehow my mind has blocked out that day! But I do remember that at the end of class, I was thinking about how much flexibility I’ve gained recently (I lost a lot of flexibility after my hip surgery), so that inspired my picture for that workout.

Friday’s workout was a super awesome day. Not only was it marking the end of a challenge that I thought I’d never be able to do, my parents got into LA that day, so my dad decided to join me for the workout!

My dad has joined me for a couple of unique workouts. He came with me a couple of times to work out with Richard Simmons, he tried SoulCycle, and now he’s tried Orangetheory.

My dad works out pretty regularly, but he doesn’t really use a rowing machine. So he had been training on the rowing machine at the gym that he goes to to make sure he was ready for class. Of course, Friday’s class wasn’t a run/row day. There was a little bit of rowing, but not much.

My dad found the class really good and tough. There were several strength moves that he had never done before (including using the TRX straps) so he now has some new ideas for his own workouts.

It was super awesome to have my dad come to class with me. I wanted him to see what I had been doing for the last 8 weeks and I know that he likes checking out new and unique workouts. He’s not necessarily set in his ways with working out, but he is pretty traditional.

And of course, since my dad was in class with me, he had to be in my workout photo!

Now that my first challenge is over, I have an unlimited membership to Orangetheory. I’m planning on still going every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and sticking with my usual 4:15 class unless there is a reason that I can’t be there in the evening (like tonight when I will be live-tweeting the Emmys!).

I’m not planning on adding a 4th Orangetheory class each week yet. But I am going to start using my exercise bike at home again (I was scared to use it before I was comfortable working out so often).

I really do see this as a lifestyle change. And that’s the best thing that could have come out of this challenge.

And if any of you want to come check out Orangetheory with me in LA, let me know. People can still take a free class to check it out!

The top row of photos is 2 months ago. And the bottom is from this morning.

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Posted in Celebrations, Family, Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health

Tagged challenge, dad, fitness, hip, Orangetheory, workout

Back To School (or Getting Prepared For Another Of My Day Jobs)

Posted on August 20, 2014 | Comments Off

Somehow, even though it feels like I have 1,000 different day jobs, I really have it down to 4. I have working at the box office during shows at the theater company where I used to do telesales, I have the survey coding job (which is the graveyard shift one right now), I have a new box office job from home that will be starting next week, and I have substitute teaching. I also have babysitting and dog sitting, but since those are few and far between, I’m not quite counting them.

I’ve been a substitute teacher with a small public school district by my house since 2007. I used to work more often, but when I did telesales I really didn’t have any days that I could work.

Now that a new school year is starting up, I’m getting prepared to possibly have some sub days in the future (although right now it looks like I can only work on Mondays).

Since I’ve been with my district, they’ve never really trained the subs. We were hired and then starting working as soon as possible. But they are trying to change that and make communication better between regular employees of the schools and the subs.

So this past Monday, I attended my first substitute training class. It was a half day in the morning (and we got paid to attend!), and I’m really glad that I got to go.

I really don’t know any of the subs so it was nice to meet some new people. And they did have some really helpful hints and tips for being more effective in the classroom that I know I will use if I get a chance to sub this year.

The three hour training went by pretty quickly, and when it was done, I had a chance to speak with the woman who pretty much organizes all the subs for the district. Part of the requirements for subbing include keeping your certification up to date (I pay every year to keep things current) and having a current TB test on file (which needs to be done every 4 years).

For me, the TB test can get a little annoying. I can’t do the standard skin test. In 2001, I tested positive for exposure to TB. I never had it (or any signs of having it) and they put me on medication for a year just to be sure. But as far as I know, my skin test will always come up positive. And I don’t want to have to deal with taking the medication again as a precaution.

So I get chest x-rays to prove that I don’t have TB. Sadly, my private health insurance won’t cover those. Even though a skin test is free, the chest x-rays would be about $500 to do.

Fortunately, my district is willing to pay for me to get tested at a clinic near the schools. So as soon as my meeting was done, I got my paperwork to get my chest x-ray and headed over to the clinic.

I lucked out getting there when I did because there was only one person ahead of me. Before I knew it, I was in the x-ray room getting ready (you keep your shirt on but have to remove any metal which for me was my necklace and bra).

The x-ray was really quick and the doctor at the clinic was able to review it right away. As expected, my chest x-ray was negative so I am cleared to work for the next 4 years in my district (I do still have to turn in my paperwork from the clinic, but I have 2 months before it’s due).

School in the district I work for starts next week. I don’t expect to have any sub days for the first few weeks, but you never know. At least I feel more prepared than I ever have for the coming school year!

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Posted in Fun Stuff, Health, Work

Tagged class, job, x-ray

Stronger And Stronger (or Week 7 Is Done!)

Posted on August 18, 2014 | 3 comments

Week 7 of my Orangetheory challenge was another week where I tested myself to see how far I could go.

First of all, I did get myself signed up for a membership so that I can continue to go 3 times a week once my challenge is over after this week. My plan is to continue with the Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule. That seems to be working well for me and it will fit in with my upcoming work schedule for the new day job.

To be totally honest, this past week of workouts was a bit of a blur for me. There were some run/row days that were tough and made my legs feel like jello. I tried to go faster on the treadmill, but my body wasn’t having it most of the time (I was able to push myself for a minute here and there, but not ongoing).

I continued to see how my body could do with trying to not to the modified workouts. I did burpees the right way (jumping my legs back and forward instead of stepping back and forth). I also did jump squats for the first time. Not only were they jump squats, they were unassisted (or without the TRX straps) jump squats. Those weren’t easy, but that workout only required doing 5 at a time so I managed.

I’m also picking up heavier and heavier weights. With the exception of some of the shoulder work, I’m no longer grabbing the 8 pound weights (which is what I started with). I’m now using the 10 or 12 pound weights depending on what strength move it is and how tired I’m feeling.

I’m doing better core work as well. I did some planks without shaking and did some crunches were you moved your legs and not your shoulders (I don’t remember what those were called) without having the do the modified workout.

I know that this isn’t the most interesting update about my challenge, but the fact that it isn’t interesting is what makes it interesting to me.

In the beginning, I remembered every single detail about every workout because everything was so new and weird to me. Now, it just feels like a part of my routine. I go in 3 times a week and put in my 1 hour. And during that hour, I push myself so hard that sometimes I wonder if I can make it through the workout. But I always do and I know that I’ll be back there doing the same thing again soon.

This is starting to become my new normal. Even with SoulCycle I never got this consistent. It never felt like a usual part of my day. Then, it felt like something special and unique. But to have it feel normal is so much better and makes me optimistic that this new habit of mine is something that I will continue to do for a long time.

Even though I don’t have specific stories to say about each workout, I do have my 3 photos to share with all of you.

3 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Weight Loss

Tagged challenge, Orangetheory, routine, SoulCycle, strong, tough, workout

Getting Weighed In (or A New Orangetheory Challenge)

Posted on August 14, 2014 | 4 comments

On Sunday, after recovering from my birthday parties, I went in to Orangetheory. This time, however, I was not there to work out.

I was getting weighed in for the start of the Orangetheory Weight Loss Challenge!

I’m still in my personal 8 week Orangetheory challenge (that goes through next week), but when I found out that there was a 6 week weight loss challenge, I wanted in. And when I found out that the male and female winners get $1000, I was totally in!

Because my weight loss has been slow, I’m trying to be cautious and just lose at my 2 pounds per week usual. The goal that was set for me was 15 pounds in 6 weeks. So that’s a little more than I’ve been losing, but it gives me something to strive for.

There are about 20 other women in the challenge (and only 7 men total), so there is a lot of competition. But I’m going to try my best and hardest and maybe I’ll come out victorious!

The weigh in process on Sunday was pretty simple. I had some paperwork to fill out and then I waited my turn for the scale.

I would have totally taken a picture of the weigh in, but it was done in the bathroom so you would have seen me standing on a scale next to a toilet. Not the prettiest picture.

The scale measured our weight (obviously), our body fat percentage, and the pounds of lean muscle mass that we have. For me, I want all of those numbers to be lower. I’d like my body fat percentage to be cut in half (the trainers there think that that is a very realistic long-term goal). And I’d like to keep as much lean muscle mass as possible (right now, I have 130 pounds of lean muscle).

After weighing in, there were some before photos taken (fortunately, not in the bathroom) and a quick interview about why I signed up for the challenge.

And that was it!

The rules of the challenge are that you have to work out 3 times a week (which I already am), be a member of Orangetheory (which I will be after next week), and pay a $25 entry fee (which I was fine paying because I don’t pay for classes yet and maybe I’ll get $1000 in return). Not too tough.

While I know that the weight will play a lot into who wins, I do want to see what I can do with my body fat percentage in 6 weeks. I did a little research online and it says that it’s recommended that people lose 1-2% of their body fat in a month. So I’d like to see maybe a 2-3% drop in my body fat percentage this month.

My scale at home only does weight. I used to own a fancy scale, but it died. I wanted something cheap, so I didn’t get one with a body fat measurement on it. I know that the scales with body fat and other measurements aren’t always accurate, but they are accurate against themselves. So maybe after these 6 weeks and getting weighed in on the Orangetheory scale, I’ll look into a nicer scale than the one that I own.

I’m halfway through the first week of this challenge, so I’ve got 5 1/2 weeks left. And in my original challenge, I’m coming up on the end of week 7! Holy moly! Time did really fly by!

4 Comments

Posted in Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Tough Stuff, Weight Loss

Tagged challenge, Orangetheory, scale, weight loss, workout

My Last 3 Workouts Of Being 30 (Realizing I’m Stronger Than I Thought)

Posted on August 11, 2014 | Comments Off

This past week was a week of celebrations for me at Orangetheory.

First of all, it marked the end of me being 30 years old! This past year has been one of the healthier years for me, but I know that this next year will be even better!

The second celebration I had at Orangetheory was related to my classes on Monday and Wednesday.

Both of those days were pretty tough workouts. They aren’t getting easier for me because I am continuing to push myself every time I’m there. I’m using heavier weights, trying to get more sets in, and making sure my form is improving every time.

One of the things that I haven’t been pushing myself on is the high-impact activities. Some of them, like jumping jacks, aren’t worth pushing myself on yet. They hurt so bad while I’m doing them and I can feel my hips getting worse as I try to do them. But there are some other higher impact things that I have started to push myself on.

For example, this week on Monday, I was able to properly do mountain climbers. Before this workout, I would step slowly with one leg and then the other while doing the mountain climbers. But on Monday, I pushed myself and realized that I could “run” while doing them. They were hard and I was totally out of breath after doing my set, but I did it!

I was pretty darn proud of myself after that class!

On Wednesday, I got another chance to push myself again when we had to do plank jumps (or plank hops). Again, I decided to do the move full-out (instead of stepping to do the hops) and I was able to do it! Even JZ, the trainer for Wednesdays class, noticed that I was able to do that and she acknowledged my accomplishment when we chatted quickly after class.

Since I’m running low on ideas for photos after my workouts (only 6 more to go until I’m not required to do them), JZ and I decided to take a silly selfie since all my other photos were pretty normal.

On Friday, I went to the 12:15 class for the first time. I had an appointment to get my hair done at 4pm so I couldn’t make my usual 4:15 class (more on my fun on Friday in another post). This class was taught by Bruce, who I’ve had in classes with me before but I had never taken one of his classes (he’s also made appearances in several of my post-workout photos including the one from this past Monday).

Since this was the workout closest to my birthday, I declared it my birthday class. I wanted to wear a tiara, but no matter how many pins I put in it, I couldn’t get it to stay in my hair. So I settled for a sparkly headband.

Bruce really helped to make the class awesome and special for me. When we were warming up, he pointed me out and let everyone know that I was celebrating my birthday class. He said it again during the cool down. And Bruce was so positive and encouraging during the entire workout.

It was a run/row day so I was sweating like crazy. But I loved that that is how I started my last day of being 30!

I’ve got 2 more weeks of my initial challenge with Orangetheory. But this week I will be getting my membership paperwork done because I have no plans on stopping my workouts. I’m in such a good place with my 3 workouts a week (and to think that in the beginning I thought I couldn’t do 3 workouts a week) and the 4:15 class time will work for me even when I start my new job in a few weeks (it might affect me working in the box office, but I’m not going to worry about that yet since they won’t need me until maybe September).

I’ve also got some more exciting news about my journey with Orangetheory. Some of you who follow me on social media might have seen something about it. But I’m going to save that information until later this week!

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Posted in Celebrations, Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Weight Loss

Tagged birthday, challenge, fitness, Orangetheory, workout

My Hips Ruined Part Of My Weekend (or Maybe I Should Pay Attention To The Weather)

Posted on August 6, 2014 | 1 comment

This past weekend I had a lot of things that I wanted to get done.

On Saturday, I had my friend’s party and right before that I had an audition for a commercial. As I wrote yesterday, the party was awesome. My audition wasn’t great, but I did the best I could.

The entire day I was in a lot of pain. I didn’t realize that it was going to rain over the weekend. I’ve been working a lot of graveyard shifts and I realized this past weekend that by working those hours, I haven’t really seen the news in a while. The evening news is on while I’m at work and the morning news is on while I’m still sleeping (when you get home at 3am, you don’t wake up that early).

I figured that the pain was due to all of my workouts and it was just getting worse because of all the use (and all the rowing I’m doing which really uses my hip flexors).

There’s not much I could have done if I had known it was going to rain except maybe start scheduling my pain meds so that I always have some pain medicine in my system (this is how I had to live prior to my hip surgery).

What frustrates me about this is because of all the pain I was in Saturday evening and then again on Sunday, I didn’t get all the things done on Sunday that I wanted to.

Some things I had to do because I had appointments, but things that were flexible were flaked on.

I hate that the weather and the pain that I feel still affects my life all the time. If I wasn’t hurting, I probably wouldn’t have flaked on any plans I had. And even though I know that knowing it was going to rain wouldn’t change the fact that it did rain, it still made me realize that I need to make more of an effort to stay on top of the news (or at least the weather).

Even though this week has been dry so far, the pain is still pretty bad. I know that I haven’t gotten to the point where I need my first surgery on my left hip, because when that happens a very specific type of pain occurs (I have what feels like little electric shocks going through my body every single step that I take when it gets to that point). But pain stinks no matter what.

I’m trying my hardest to medicate myself so that it’s not affecting me as much, but right now at Orangetheory, I’m struggling a lot with the treadmill. Probably at least 5 or 6 times in the 30 minutes on the treadmill I have to stop and try to pop my hip back to where it feels normal and comfortable. There is also a bike that you can use at Orangetheory during the cardio section, but I want to keep pushing myself.

I need to push myself for 2 very specific reasons. First of all, I need to push myself because I need to be ok with walking more. It’s something that hurts, but the more I do it the more I can do it. And I want to not have to feel like I have to drive everywhere because walking hurts. And second, I do need to keep damaging my left hip. That surgery is going to happen no matter what, and the sooner the damage happens, the sooner it will have a temporary fix. I don’t want to have a surgery, but I remember how much better I felt after my right hip was operated on.

I technically can have my first surgery on my left hip before it gets too bad, and I might do that. My surgeon might be leaving in about a year, and I think I still want him to operate on me. I’m going to make an appointment with him soon to discuss this and to set up meetings with other surgeons. If I find another surgeon that I feel comfortable with, I won’t have my surgery early.

There are a lot of other factors to think about with the next surgery. I do want to lose weight before it happens. That’s very important. Also, I know that recovery takes about 2 months and I want to make sure that I can take the time to do that.

There’s a lot to think about, but every time the weather affects me this way, I realize that I need to start making decisions sooner rather than later.

1 Comment

Posted in Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged hip issues, pain, rain

Checking In With My Progress (or Past The Half Way Mark)

Posted on August 4, 2014 | 3 comments

Last week marked the beginning of the second half of my Orangetheory challenge. I’ve talked about my frustration with my weight loss in the past, and it still bugs me that the weight is coming off slowly (although I know that that is much better than how I did things in the past).

Of course, after being half way done, I had to do a new set of photos to compare them to how I looked when I started.

The top photos are from when I started and the bottom ones were from the beginning of last week.

I don’t really see a difference, but I know that I am my harshest critic. Several of my friends did tell me that they do see a changes, especially in the middle photo.

I’m trying to focus on the non-scale victories right now, because if I just rely on my scale I will be mad at myself.

As much as I would like to say that I’m in less pain now, but that’s actually the opposite. I’m in a lot of pain every day now. But that might actually be a good thing. My hip surgeon told me that the less I use my body/hips, the longer I will be able to go without needing my next surgery. So by being in more pain now, that is showing that I am working out hard and using my body way more than I used to. All 3 surgeries that I still have ahead will happen no matter what and while I do want to put them off as long as possible, I can’t avoid moving just to put off my surgeries a little longer.

Another non-scale victory comes from the people who work and train at Orangetheory. Last week, I was told how I’m looking more nimble, agile, and how all my movements are getting smoother and look easier. This proves that while my scale might not be changing my body is.

I’m still struggling with the run/row segments because the transitions are tough for me (and the step down from the treadmill is a big step), but it’s getting better. I was able to do more run/row transitions this week than last week.

I’m also getting so much better at rowing, which is something I never did before Orangetheory. I was able to row for 600 meters without stopping several times last week. That’s a lot!

My parents will be in town in a few weeks and I can’t wait to share this workout with my dad (and hopefully my mom will decide to join us too). While I know that my dad will be better at most of the workouts than I am, I still am so happy with my progress.

And being happy with my progress is one of the biggest accomplishments so far. I’m so used to feeling like the weakest and slowest in any workout scenario. And while that might still be true, I don’t care anymore. I’ve made a lot of progress and that is awesome. And while people who are new to class might not see it, there are plenty of people who are at every class with me and they see it and they have told me how awesome it is.

I am slowly no longer comparing myself to others. It still happens, but it’s way less often than even 2 weeks ago.

I’ve got 3 more weeks left in my challenge, but I already know that I will be signing up for a membership the day that my challenge is over. This is something that I’m really loving every time I’m there and I can’t image not having my 3 workouts a week at Orangetheory (maybe I can bump that up to 4 soon).

3 Comments

Posted in Celebrations, Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Weight Loss

Tagged challenge, hip issues, Orangetheory, pain, transformation, weight loss, workout

Orangetheory Week 4 (or I Can’t Believe I’m Halfway Done!)

Posted on July 28, 2014 | Comments Off

I’ve completed half of my Orangetheory challenge! I can’t believe it! I remember before I started the challenge I wondered how I could manage to do this. Now, I’m to the point where I’m starting to miss my workouts on days I’m not there (but I know my body probably can’t handle more than 3 Orangetheory workouts a week yet). I’m also starting to think long-term about this. Right now, I’m thinking about getting the top-level of membership at Orangetheory after my challenge is done so I can continue my Monday, Wednesday, Friday workouts.

I’m starting to feel much stronger and powerful and even one of the managers at Orangetheory said that he’s noticed me looking more agile. While my weight loss is slow, it’s going the direction it needs to go. And I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse. But losing 2 pounds a week is good and maintainable.

Last Monday, I had a friend join me for my class. It was the first time I had a friend there, and it was pretty awesome! I’m still hoping that more people will join me (if you are in LA and want to come please let me know!), but having a friend there this past week really helped give me a boost after feeling a little frustrated.

On Wednesday, I was having a bad hip day (technically all week last week was a bad hip week). I wasn’t too happy to be on the treadmill, but I pushed through it the best I could. I had to take a lot of breaks, but I always got back on the treadmill.

I think the highlight for me on that workout was that we did a little rowing race. The group that started on the rowers (I started on the treadmills) did a race and the person who rowed the farthest in 1 minute rowed about 330 meters. So the challenge was set for my group to have someone beat that. Prior to Friday, I was averaging 250 meters in about 75 seconds. But I wanted to see how hard I could push myself.

I didn’t win the challenge, but I did manage to row 313 meters in 1 minute! It was really hard and I thought I might pass out for a second, but I did it! I did have some time before we starting rowing to rest, so that helped. But I now have a new benchmark for the next rowing challenge.

Friday marked the end of my first month of my challenge. It was an exceptionally bad hip day and I had also worked the graveyard shift the night before. It was a recipe for disaster and in the past, I would have tried to find a way to get out of the workout.

But I still showed up and I did as much as I could. It wasn’t my best workout and it wasn’t pretty, but I was there. And that’s what counts.

To celebrate the end of my first month of my challenge, my trainer for that day Ashley wanted to take a photo that proves how tough I’m getting. So she decided to have me plank and then she would balance her plank on me (so I was supporting her as well). I used to be great at planks when I was skinny, but I’ve lost a lot of core strength and I’m working on getting it back. And I think this picture proves that I’m getting my core strength back.

My hip issues are still bothering me now and I’m taking more painkillers than I used to. I’m not doing anything bad for my hips, but technically almost anything I do is potentially bad for me. Part of the annoying part of my problem is I have to allow things to get back so they can be fixed (there’s no reason to fix things before they hurt).

I’m trying to remember that fact and I’m going to do the best I can in week 5. Even if that means taking breaks on the treadmill again.

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Posted in Celebrations, Fitness, Fun Stuff, Health, Weight Loss

Tagged challenge, fitness, Orangetheory, strength, weight loss, workout

Another Mom Update (or Almost All Done)

Posted on July 25, 2014 | 1 comment

While my mom has already finished all of her prescribed treatments for breast cancer, there are still a few things that still need to be done.

First of all, my mom is still getting chemo every 3 weeks. This is not something that was part of her original treatment plan. But once my mom was diagnosed, she applied for a drug trial and got accepted. The drug trial is for this other chemo. She has 3 more treatments of it, so it feels like it’s almost done.

Since my mom tested negative for the BRCA mutation, that also eliminates a lot of things that we were prepared to have to go through. My mom is done working with the geneticist now and I only have a few things that the geneticist recommended for me to do. Mainly, I need to go get a mammogram this year, which I will do in the next month or two (I was waiting to see what potential job schedules could be like before scheduling a doctor’s appointment). But that’s pretty minimal. The reason for me to get a mammogram is to have a baseline one to compare future mammograms to, not to necessarily look for cancer (although I’m sure they will do that too).

Finally, my mom had to go through some medical tests to make sure that her body is free of cancer (or at least as far as they can tell it’s free of cancer).

First, a few weeks ago she had a CT where they checked her pelvis, chest, and abdomen. My mom told me that it might take a day or two to get the results from the test, but about an hour after the test my mom got a phone call saying that there are no signs of cancer in any area that they looked in. So that’s pretty awesome news!

And then last week my mom had a mammogram and MRI and both of those came back clean as well!

So besides the 3 remaining chemo treatments (and me getting a mammogram), the cancer journey is almost over. It’s been over a year since my mom was diagnosed and it feels like it flew by in an instant and has been going on for years at the same time.

I’m excited for my mom to be done with everything. For almost the entire time during this journey my mom has pretty much been able to do everything that she has always been able to do (she’s a rockstar that way). One of the last things to get her back to her “old” self is that she will be dyeing her hair back to blonde next week (when it grew back it came in brown). Once that’s done, even when she choses not to wear the wig, people who didn’t know what had happened will have no idea.

I’ll still blog occasional updates on things (and you all know that I’ll totally be blogging about my first mammogram), but it really feels like the journey is coming to an end. I’m so grateful that my mom has really kicked butt through all of this and that it looks like the end of this journey will really be the end.

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Posted in Celebrations, Family, Health, Tough Stuff

Tagged breast cancer, chemo, journey, mammogram, mom

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