Reflecting on the past several months, I remember that losing my hair seemed like the biggest ordeal to me at the time (probably even more so than losing a breast!). As you know, I have been wearing my wig and parading a series of hats and scarves which I have sourced from across the world (which I have to admit was oodles of fun to find)....... The news is that it is taking its time but I went out for the first time without my wig on the wk end! (10 weeks post treatment)
The feeling of the breeze blowing through my hair for the first time was amazing! I still look back at photos of me with my blonde curls and do feel a sense of loss, however, I am now quite excited about having a new pixie haircut..... I'm so keen to visit my hairdresser for the first time, who I haven't seen for a year now, and I think I'm only a few weeks away from that all important visit.
My eyelashes grew back about 5 weeks post radiation and it has been lovely having them back! I've been indulging in monthly facials to help my skin to feel rejuvenated and that too has felt amazing.......
I read for many people that their hair grows back really quickly..... I have to say that I haven't experienced that. I have been waiting for the 'take off' but it seems to be growing at a very slow and steady pace to me; that said I have very fine and curly hair, so while it is thick, I am not noticing it growing quickly..... I have joked many times about the fact that the grass is growing far quicker than my hair!!! I have been tempted to throw some fertiliser on my head and stand out in the rain as it certainly helps the grass!
Instead I have been having daily head rubs to stimulate the follicles which my lovely husband in waiting has been spoiling me with (hint hint girls....... this really works) and I'm sure it has been growing faster as a result!
So while it's great to be back to having a great head of hair (almost), I have found it slower than I would have liked.... that said, I will admit to being a fairly impatient person.
So quality of life has returned for me and not a day goes by, where I don't feel extremely lucky to be alive, to be feeling well and to appreciate every little moment that I have each day. I feel lucky that I no longer take simple things for granted and I am so grateful for all of the beautiful friends and family I have in my life.......while it took this massive wake up call for me to realise how lucky I am, I feel so happy and excited about life ahead.....and I know that I will now spend my life doing things that make me happy and not waste time doing the things that don't.
On this momentous day; the royal wedding day, I wish everyone a day full of love, happiness, laughter and fulfilment!
xxxx
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Post Cancer Treatment - the fun bits!
It is almost ten weeks since I finished my chemo and radiation treatment, and it has been a time which has been full of so much joy, happiness and pride!
Having felt so terribly sick for so long, I have been cherishing every normal moment and it has felt so amazing to enjoy all of the simple things I used to take for granted each and every day!
Part of me never wants to forget how incredibly low and ill I felt throughout chemo as it now gives me strength each and every day to wake up and fully appreciate how lucky I am to be feeling well. It's a feeling that I cannot describe but one I want to hold onto forever!
I have had several appointments with my surgeon and oncologists over the past several weeks and they are all extremely happy with my progress. My chemo oncologist said to me that very few people have worse treatment (high doses) than me, so I have come out of it remarkably well. I put this down to all of the help I have had from my kinesiologist, naturopath and my newly appointed acupuncturist who have all worked wonders throughout various stages of my treatment. The experience has been so much easier thanks to the kindness and care from all of my specialists and this makes a massive difference to the recovery process!
I have gone back to work for 3 days a week and while I'm enjoying being back in a busy environment, I have been working on managing my own anxiety/stress levels on a day to day basis. I have realised throughout this experience how much time and energy I used to put into my work; I gave it absolutely everything (including many many late nights and wk ends) and now, I am striving to achieve a better balance between work and play! I am now very happy to be very committed to my job, however, I love that when I leave the office, I leave all of the worries and anxiety behind and focus on all of my personal projects and new found interests.
I had a meditation session a few weeks ago which I have found very helpful, along with weekly acupuncture which has had a resounding impact on my body and my ability to relax the mind. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a better balanced body within! The journey of self discovery is still continuing and I am so grateful in many ways for what I've been through as I feel like a much happier and fulfilled person at the other end......
I'm sure others who have been through a life changing moment like this will relate to this story but I now realise that you have nothing to lose in life and you should try everything you can!!! Having been planning our wedding and having so much fun, I have discovered the art of letterpress printing...... now I know you will think this is a bit crazy but I decided that I was going to track down an antique letterpress printer (which is one of the oldest forms of printing) and learn how to use it..... well...... the exciting news is that I found a 100 year old,1800 lb machine which I had craned into our house a couple of weeks ago..... and here it is! I think it is gorgeous and I know that once I get it working and learn how to use it, I will get so much joy from it!!!
Let me know what you think.... and I'm now on the hunt for anything letterpress!!!
Having felt so terribly sick for so long, I have been cherishing every normal moment and it has felt so amazing to enjoy all of the simple things I used to take for granted each and every day!
Part of me never wants to forget how incredibly low and ill I felt throughout chemo as it now gives me strength each and every day to wake up and fully appreciate how lucky I am to be feeling well. It's a feeling that I cannot describe but one I want to hold onto forever!
I have had several appointments with my surgeon and oncologists over the past several weeks and they are all extremely happy with my progress. My chemo oncologist said to me that very few people have worse treatment (high doses) than me, so I have come out of it remarkably well. I put this down to all of the help I have had from my kinesiologist, naturopath and my newly appointed acupuncturist who have all worked wonders throughout various stages of my treatment. The experience has been so much easier thanks to the kindness and care from all of my specialists and this makes a massive difference to the recovery process!
I have gone back to work for 3 days a week and while I'm enjoying being back in a busy environment, I have been working on managing my own anxiety/stress levels on a day to day basis. I have realised throughout this experience how much time and energy I used to put into my work; I gave it absolutely everything (including many many late nights and wk ends) and now, I am striving to achieve a better balance between work and play! I am now very happy to be very committed to my job, however, I love that when I leave the office, I leave all of the worries and anxiety behind and focus on all of my personal projects and new found interests.
I had a meditation session a few weeks ago which I have found very helpful, along with weekly acupuncture which has had a resounding impact on my body and my ability to relax the mind. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a better balanced body within! The journey of self discovery is still continuing and I am so grateful in many ways for what I've been through as I feel like a much happier and fulfilled person at the other end......
I'm sure others who have been through a life changing moment like this will relate to this story but I now realise that you have nothing to lose in life and you should try everything you can!!! Having been planning our wedding and having so much fun, I have discovered the art of letterpress printing...... now I know you will think this is a bit crazy but I decided that I was going to track down an antique letterpress printer (which is one of the oldest forms of printing) and learn how to use it..... well...... the exciting news is that I found a 100 year old,1800 lb machine which I had craned into our house a couple of weeks ago..... and here it is! I think it is gorgeous and I know that once I get it working and learn how to use it, I will get so much joy from it!!!
Let me know what you think.... and I'm now on the hunt for anything letterpress!!!
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