MAMMOGRAM DAY

I had my mammogram today. I wore my tiara to give me luck. The whole process was pretty painless but it is a pain. Who wants their boobs shoved in to a machine that clamps them flat?  Not fun. 

Then I returned the giant cooler I bought by accident. Well I knew I was buying it but I didn't realize it would take up the entire back of my NEW car. It wouldn't have fit in my old car! 

Until tomorrow...

BREAST MRI

 I went to my breast MRI this morning. It is such an uncomfortable test. You undress, lay face down on the MRI bed with your face in a circle. Your breasts are put in a metal guard where your breasts are sticking through downward. They stick you feet first into the MRI machine. Half way through, they put some contrast in your arm.  Fun it was not. I did wear my tiara!! 

Until tomorrow....

GEARING UP

I am gearing up for this week. I have my breast MRI and my mammogram all this week. I've got my tiara (my lucky tiara) already put in my bag so I don't forget it. I've had that tiara, which was given to me by a friend, for over 20 years. It looks a little more but it still has the magic that's keeping me from having breast cancer. 

Not sure I've thanked my friend enough for getting me this tiara. If nothing else it gives me a lot of confidence when I go in for breast health exams. Plus I get called princess, Queen, and your highness. Who wouldn't want that? 

Until tomorrow...

BREAST EXAM

 I went to my annual (or multi-year in my case) breast cancer check up. The doctor examined me and gave me a slip for both a MRI and mammogram. I missed last year so I need to get the tests soon. I wore my tiara as usual, no matter the weird looks I get. That tiara has power to keep me breast cancer free! It was given to me by a close friend. 

Until tomorrow...

ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM

 Quite a busy day. The contractors showed up for what I hoped would be the final day. It was not but more of that later. When they showed up I was just out of the shower. 

I had to leave a bit later to go to my mammogram. First, I had to put on my tiara. When I got there, the receptionist referred to me as Princess. The tech who did my mammogram had no sense of humor. I find having a sense of humor helps when getting a mammogram. The results will be available in two weeks.

Next I went to acupuncture. I really needed it today. I have pain in my foot, pain in my shoulder and pain in my back. Plus, I am currently having a flare. 

I got home and the contractors put together most of my deck. The aim was to finish it today but that did not happen. They say they will finish it tomorrow. Turns out putting the deck back together was more of a challenge than they thought. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow…

BREAST MRI RESULTS

They said the results of my breast cancer MRI would take a few days but I got the results today. All good news. The Power of the Tiara worked again. 

The landscaper came again today and brought pounds and pounds of dirt. He also brought bags of rocks and the part of the water feature that goes underground. I am supposed to get another delivery on Tuesday of "good" dirt and bigger rocks. The good dirt is for planting. I need to spend this weekend looking at plants online. 

I decided to terminate a client's contract today. I    will not work with toxic, demeaning and bullying people. So I ended the agreement. I know some people will applaud this and others will think this is weak or a stupid decision. Until you have walked a mile in my shoes, you do not know the amount of time I have already spent living and working with bullies. It effected my physical and mental health and I am not going to do it anymore. Hard stop. I will find other work. 

Until tomorrow...

BREAST MRI TODAY

 Today was my breast MRI. I do not have problems with MRIs since I have been having MRIs since I was 19 or 20 years old when I hurt my back. Beck them it was the old MRI machines where the circle you went into was really little. I learned to zen out when I was in there. Never open your eyes and just try to go to sleep or a deep relaxed state. The MRI today had music so I was able to listen to rock music (my choice.) The only thing I forgot was I hate when they say "3 more minutes", "now it is going to be 2.5 minutes". I would rather they just let it run until it is over. Their talking brings me out of my zen. 

I will have the results in a few days or more since it is Christmas. You may be asking if I wore my special Tiara and yes, I did. Of course I got weird looks since the MRI department was moved during lock down to a larger building. I don't care. That Tiara has magical powers and was given to me by a friend who helped me years ago when I had my first breast cancer scare. 

Until tomorrow...

BREAST CANCER CHECK

Today I went to my breast cancer doctor to get checked. Due to Covid, I have not been in three years. I have a very sensitive spot on one breast that needs to be checked. I have an MRI scheduled for two days from now. I am sure it is nothing. 

It was an interesting twenty-four hours. I found out two people passed away. A relative's ex-husband and a relative's good friend. All so sad. 

It is so cold here. The dog walker said Lucky should have worn her coat today on her walk because it was that cold. The dog walker is gone now for two weeks. I am the new dog walker. 

 

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-SIX OF COOKING COURSE

 The chair is together and it looks great. It reclines, heats and massages. The guy showed up early to put it together. I think he was a taskrabbit kind of person because he was reading the directions. He wasn't like a tech who puts these chairs together for a living. 

I have been sitting in it all day. It is really comfy. 

My landscaper came today for his final day for a couple of weeks. He dug out an ivy root that weighs about 70 pounds. It has probably been growing for at least 30-40 years. It had grown into the back fence and he had to cut a piece out of the fence to remove the root. I have a large rock that covers it nicely. 

Next comes the fencing people. I am happy to have some peace and quiet for a few days. I need to get some work done. It is hard to work and try to project manage all this stuff. 

Vegan Chickun Burritos made with Seitan. 

The seitan is in the wrapped packages where it is steaming. Then once it is done, it gets broken up and fried.  Seitan is essentially a dough made with vital wheat gluten, a high-protein wheat flour, and liquid. Here I used it to make chickun to put on the burritos. 

Update: I got my mammogram results and the Power of the Tiara worked again. My mammogram is clear. For those of you who don't know, I had a scary mammogram years ago and a dear friend bought me a tiara to keep me safe. I wear it to all my breast screenings. The Power of the Tiara we call it. That tiara keeps me safe and the women at the breast health center who have worked there a long time know me when they see me because of it.

Until tomorrow.

I'M GOING TO HAVE TO FIRE THE LANDSCAPER

The landscaper did not show up for work today. No phone call, no text, just didn't show up. I had texted him yesterday reminding him to show up at 10:00 this morning, no response, no show. So that was strike one. I then called the Trex company to find out about finding a Trex contractor.  I found out that the landscaper had not read the directions on how to put up the Trex fencing. He had gone and bought a bunch of wood posts and Trex fence cannot use wood posts. Strikes two. 

After the fence is installed maybe he can come back and finish the landscaping part but at this point he needs to go. 

So I spoke to this Trex representative who in less than 2 hours found me a guy in my area, a contractor in the area who said he'll do this very small project and will come within a week to give me an estimate and possibly could do the whole project in two to three weeks. 

I went for my mammogram this morning. It was a very early appointment. The woman was very nice considering I have inflammation in my chest and back. I was in and out in 20 minutes and then I went to run to some errands including picking up my mail from the post office. I hurried home because the landscaper was supposed to be there and waited for an hour for him to show up.

I got a notification that my heated massage chair is going to show up on Sunday and the person who's putting it together comes on Tuesday. I need to spend the weekend figure out where this chair is going to go in my living room.

I went online today and bought new cushions for my deck bench and a new bistro table and chairs for my lower deck and a new little teeny tiny table for my upper deck. I decided that if I'm going to have a nice backyard the rest of my stuff is all going to look shabby since it is all 15 years old. I still need to buy a new umbrella to go with my table. I'm trying to decide whether I want yellow (which I am partial to) or teal (which would be a new color). Decisions. 

I made vegan beer mac and cheese again. It came out better this time around but still not the way I wanted to be.

I'm going to go rest now.

Until tomorrow...

REAL BRCA RESULTS

The postman came to get my mail today.  He was so sweet, he asked me if I was feeling better as he was wearing a gas mask.  This world has gotten so crazy. 

Another pouring rainy day.  Lucky went with the dog walker but only for a short time.  The rain started to come down and he brought her back home.  I wish I had taken a photo of Lucky wrapped in a towel, soaking wet looking so little.  She was smiling but not so happy she was so wet.  She wanted (in typical dog fashion) to jump up on the couch and the bed.  I had corral her and keep her on her own bed covered with a towel.

I got the report from the doctor from my BRCA test.  Now I have the actual results and not my horrible memory.

1. I have an elevated hereditary cancer result.  
2. I tested negative for any clinically significant mutations in the genes on the hereditary cancer panel.    My risk for hereditary cancer syndrome is lower but not ruled out.  I am still at an elevated risk of cancer based on my breast cancer score or my clinical history analysis.
3. My Breast Cancer score for my remaining lifetime is a 32.2%.  Anything over a 20% is to be considered for modified medical management.  I am in the above average risk category.  The general population is a 10.3%. 
4. Based on my History Analysis modified medical management is identified.
5. My 5 year risk for breast cancer is a 4.9%.   

So that is the report.  Nothing I can do except keep on doing what I am doing.

Until tomorrow...

DNA TEST RESULTS

Today was an interesting day.  I had to wake up early, be showered and ready to go early.  I had my clients package and an Amazon package delivered by 9:30am.  Yes, my toothpaste was delivered.  I am not out of toothpaste yet but I am anticipating outages of certain items and it is better to buy before I run out.  I have one tube left.  I am waiting for antiperspirant to arrive in a few days.  Who knows how long I will be staying in my house?

The I had a tele-doctor appointment with my Ob-Gyn.  Months ago I had a BRCA test done.  If you remember I could not do the spitting in the tube because I do not have enough spit.  They had to do a blood test instead.  Today I got the results.  They were what I have always said it would be; that I am high risk.  But it was really scary to hear it as actual results from a test.  I don't have the actual numbers, they are being sent to me.  I can only write what I remember. 

The test provides women with their remaining lifetime and 5-year risk for developing breast cancer. It confirmed that I am high risk for breast cancer.  It is no longer speculative.  It is confirmed.  The threshold is 20 on the lifetime test.  I am either a 32 or 36.  That means I have a 32% or 36% remaining lifetime risk for having breast cancer. 

Then there is a 5-year risk for breast cancer.  I have a 4% 5-year risk for breast cancer.  That is considered high-risk. 

Then my friend M came to visit.  It was a distance visit approved by my doctor.  My friend stood on the sidewalk at the bottom of my stairs and I sat on the top stair with a mask on.  We visited for an hour.  We talked about current events, work, movies, and, of course, coronavirus.  We made a date to watch a movie together with Netflix Party.

I had a new client sign a contract for work and another client sign a contract for more work.

In all it was a pretty interesting day.

Until tomorrow...

BACK PAIN DAY #7

Today I went to do my genetic testing for hereditary cancer today.  I was supposed to spit in the tube and get 1/2 inch of saliva.  I drank a ton of water before I got there.  I brought my water with me.  I filled out the forms and told the nurse that I had a problem with Sjogren's and she said the directions said I can't drink water.  Since I can't drink water I can't do the saliva test.  She did some problem solving and she found a blood test that I can do instead.  So I went down to the lab and gave some blood.  I should get the results in about a month.  The test checks for BRCA1, BRCA2 and gene mutations.  It checks for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) syndrome.  So we wait and see.

Then I went to see my therapist for the last time with insurance.  My insurance from The-insurance-company-who-will-not-be-named has decided they will not pay for my therapy anymore.  I guess having RA, a foster child I don't have in my home and the regular stresses of every day life are not enough going on for therapy. 

I stopped by my primary doctor to see about the outstanding bill from 2018 that has gone to collections to see if that has been resolved yet.  I can't imagine what is taking so long. 

While I was there I checked in on my physical therapy forms.  They were not ready yet but I was assured they would be walked down personally by the front desk person.

That was pretty much my day.

Until tomorrow...

NEW GENETIC TEST

Today I went to get a new genetic breast cancer test. It checks more genes to see if I carry the genes that make me more apt to get breast cancer. I took the Brca test years ago and I was negative. My new doctor wants me to take this new test that checks more things.

I went today to take the test. No one told what the test entails except that I would have to spit. The nurse gave me this giant tube that needed to fill up to a line with spit.

Now it was 8:30 am. I really had not had much to drink yet since I had to rush out to get to the appointment.  I also have Sjogren’s and that gives me dry eye and dry mouth. My mouth was so dry there was no way I could fill the tube. The more I sat there stressing the drier my mouth got. I finally got up and left. I asked for my co-pay back and left. I need to reschedule and plan for this appointment. It can not be first thing in the morning when I haven’t had much to drink yet and my mouth is dry. Probably the middle of the day is the best. After I have been hydrating for hours.

Until tomorrow...

EATING SOLID BUT BLAND FOOD

The anti-nausea medicine is working.  I took some last night and two today.  I have not felt nauseous today despite not eating much food.  I think the antibiotics are working.  Last night I slept really good.  I have three days of antibiotics to take.

The only thing that is not getting better and I have emailed my doctor, is my throat.  I think the curry burned my throat very bad.  Everything hurts my throat when I swallow.  I tried to eat rice and it felt like glass going down.  I am going to try broth tonight. 

I went to my ob/gyn today.  It was my first time with this doctor since my doctor moved to a rural area to work with low-income and undocumented people who need health care.  My new doctor was super nice and we got along great.  I convinced her to keep me on the medicine I have been on despite my age.  I do not want to change medicine.  I said what difference is one year?  She said she would not take me off the medicine I liked.  She is sending me for a newer BRCA panel.  I got a BRCA test many years ago when it came out.  I was targeted for the test since my mom had breast cancer twice.  Now that more people in my family have had it, she wants me to have this panel.  I have to schedule it soon. 

Until tomorrow...

WHERE IS THE HUMANITY

Today I was sitting in my car at a stop light and a woman was crossing the street in front of me.  She was about 60 years old and was carrying two bags.  In a flick of an eye she tripped and landed on one knee.  The reason I am telling you this story is that standing on the corner not 7 feet from her was a 25-30 year old guy watching her.  He didn't move to help her.  He didn't say a word.  He just stood there as this woman hit the ground.

I could not have gotten out of the car fast enough to help her plus I was in a turn lane and the light was about the turn green, otherwise I would have gotten out to help her.

What has happened to humanity?  That a woman falls on the ground and a person (not to mention a man) doesn't go over to see if she is okay and at the very least help her up and help her pick up her bags.  I guess I am very lucky that when I fell I had four people come running and help me up and assist me.  I even had people walk me to the seats in the pharmacy to sit down and get ice.  Then get me home and check in on me.  I feel charmed.

I hope she is okay.  She walked off so I assume she is okay.

I had my yearly breast check with the breast doctor.  No lumps found.  Good news!

Until tomorrow...

PHOTO CHALLENGE DAY 27

Photo Challenge picture of the day.

Happi is feeling much better today.  Like her old self!  The antibiotic shot the doctor gave her is working.  The doctor called and said it will only last about 5-7 days so she may need another shot on Sunday or Monday.  It can't wait until her surgery on Thursday.

I had my mammogram today. Always such a pleasure.  Someone needs to find a better way to get this accomplished.  The tech was joking that you always here about who invented the Slinky or the Monopoly game but no one has come forward to say they invented the mammogram machine.  I don't think they would be so popular.  Yes it finds breast cancer but, gosh, it is not the most pleasant experience!

Until tomorrow...

PHOTO CHALLENGE DAY 8

My Photo Challenge picture is

It made me think of Thanksgiving.

I went to see my Breast Cancer doctor today.  I had an ultra sound of my breast and everything looks good.  I have to get my yearly mammogram in a few weeks.  There was a discussion about taking Tamoxifen in one year.  I need to do some research and see if I want to do that.  There have been studies that show that in cases like mine where multiple family members have had breast cancer, taking Tamoxifen can reduce the rate of breast cancer by 96%.  I would have to stop taking hormones so that is something to research. 

Until tomorrow...

MRI RESULTS

I got the call today that my MRI was clear. No abnormalities in my breasts. Woo hoo!!

Always good news!  The Power of the Tiara worked again.

Until tomorrow...

MRI

This morning I went for my annual breast MRI.  I have to get checked every year to make sure I do not have breast cancer.

I got to the hospital and the tech put in my IV. Seconds later my vein blew. The tech put in another IV. I went to get the MRI and when I laid down the IV kinked. IV number 2 shot. While I was face down in the MRI machine they put another IV in my other arm.  They started the test. About 4/5 of the way through I started to get sick.  I think all that time with the IVs and the lack of fresh air made me sick.  I could not finish.

Until tomorrow...