Amy's Health Blog

Happy Birthday Double Digits

Amy — Mon, 14 May 2012 01:32:58 +0000

May 12, 2012 — Happy Birthday Little Blessing! My Mother’s Day gift ten years ago turned out to be the biggest surprise of all. While I expected my daughter to be more sugar than spice, she turned into the opposite. She’s a pistol of a character, with a personality bigger than her petite frame. Smart and sassy, beautiful and kind, our Sara is a joy and a challenge. Today, she turned double digits and we celebrated in style.

Some People Need to Learn “Don’t Drink and Speak”

Amy — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:08:21 +0000

May 11, 2012 — Last night I organized a Happy Hour for the parents of first graders. It was a great turn-out and we all had a fun time…until the end. One woman, whom I don’t know very well but has the reputation of saying inappropriate things, turned to another woman there and said, “your breasts look great. You must have had a boob job. Are your boobs fake?” We were all shocked by this. I was sitting next to this inappropriate woman and said something along the lines of, “well, my boobs are fake since breast cancer,” trying to diffuse the awkward situation. The woman accused of having fake breasts says, “well..this is what happens after you have breast cancer,” outed since no one had known she had had cancer years ago. The inappropriate woman turns to me, grabs and squeezes my breasts and says, “Amy, her breasts are better than yours. She had a better surgeon!” I was so shocked and appalled. We all were. I immediately started crying. I couldn’t help it. It brought up all my cancer-related body image issues anyway. I wasn’t shopping plastic surgeons in April 2009 trying to get the prettiest fake boobs out there…I was fighting for my life. And my breasts look pretty darn good…considering. But, they aren’t as nice as real ones, I know. The inappropriate woman kept saying she was just trying to be funny as way of apology once she realized she had upset me. She picked the wrong woman to insult and physical grope. Several friends told me that this inappropriate woman gets away with her behavior because no one calls her out on it and just assumes it’s her nature. In what universe is it ever appropriate to comment on another woman’s body? In what world do people grope and compare breast cancer survivors’ breasts? My seven and nine year old children have better manners than that grown woman. A friend of mine whose children attend a different school said that she hopes someone gives that woman a good tongue lashing. I’d do it but I guess I’d have to stop crying first.

Photo Shoot

Amy — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:55:16 +0000

April 18, 2012 — Today Greg and I drove to a beautiful home with gorgeous gardens for a Texas Oncology photo shoot. My oncologist, Dr. K, had recommended me as a patient to be in some print ads their ad agency was creating. Having worked at an ad agency in my past, I was familiar with photo shoots but had forgotten how fancy and complicated it can be. Lots of sit around and wait. There was a professional caterer who prepared food the entire time — from fresh fruit smoothies to coffee drinks, snacks, and then lunch with grilled Reuben sandwiches, salad with homemade dressing and freshly made pasta salad. He asked the women who owned the home to fire up her wood burning oven so I’m sure was making pizzas later this afternoon. We had the wardrobe stylist, the make-up and hair person, the producer and the agency art director and account executive. The photographer had four assistants to run around and change the lighting and hold giant shiny boards to reflect the sun and rearrange the scenery. Texas Oncology had someone there and then the homeowner and her son helped out. Everyone was nice and helpful and understanding that we aren’t professional models. The agency picked 14 patients the physicians recommended for the shoot and they needed to represent various ages, genders, ethnicities and cancer types. The producer arranged to have me “gardening” in this beautiful back yard so Greg teased me that they would need to show me how to properly hold the shovel since I’m not really the gardening type! After the gardening action shot, the photographer had me change clothes and then I got to pose with Greg, my support and hero during my cancer ordeal. I’ll let you know when and where the ads run. Maybe someone famous will see my beautiful pic in Texas Monthly and I’ll begin my next career as a post-cancer breast cancer model! Since the lovely backyard included a great pool and palm trees, I laughed that we should have been in the bikini shots lounging by the pool to show off my plastic surgeon’s fine work. I guess the afternoon models got those poses…

Turtle Returns!

Amy — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:12:36 +0000

April 3, 2011 — About six months ago, before hibernation season for our box turtles, someone left our turtle garden gate open and our two female turtles wandered away. We found one of them in our front yard but the second turtle was gone. Yesterday, our next-door neighbor knocked on our door with the missing turtle! She hadn’t wandered far. Welcome home Bobbi the Turtle.

Happy Cancerversary!

Amy — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:56:30 +0000

March 27, 2012 — Happy Cancerversary to me! Happy Cancerversary to me! Happy Cancerversary dear Amy! Happy Cancerversary to me!

Weird Reaction

Amy — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:30:06 +0000

March 11, 2012 — Will cancer forever be my yardstick by which I measure a bad day? A few weeks ago a dear friend of mine called me with bad news. We don’t talk by phone often, but like other old friends, grew closer during my cancer ordeal. When I heard his serious voice on the phone, I immediately knew it was bad news and thought, “don’t let him have cancer, don’t let his wife have cancer, don’t let his kids be sick.” My heart sank into my stomach as I waited for the bad news. It turns out he and his wife of nearly 20 years are divorcing. Instead of a normal reaction, I was flooded with relief, which is the wrong reaction to a sad situation. Later, I had a delayed reaction and was heartbroken for both of them and their kids. I realized for the rest of my life, I will judge all instances of bad news against the reality of cancer. What is wrong with me? There are many many situations in this crazy world of ours that are as bad or as heartbreaking or as difficult as Stage III triple positive bilateral breast cancer.

Sara’s Science Project

Amy — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 15:09:34 +0000

March 16, 2012 — A few weeks ago I posted about Sara’s interesting Barbie doll food dye hair coloring experiment being picked as one of 15 from her school to go to the City Wide Science Fair. That was held the weekend following our surprise trip to DisneyWorld and on the heels of the nasty intestinal bug that wiped out our household for about two weeks prior. Sara and I took her display (with Barbie heads stapled to the display board) to the Parmer Event Center and got a lot of attention from various officials at the event when we were setting it up. It was a very interesting looking project and quite different from some of the other projects. However, that evening Sara ran a fever and woke up the next morning with a sore throat. She had strep throat! She couldn’t go down to the Science Fair to describe her project to the judges, which was a necessary part of the competition. I guess her immune system was just too worn out from the stomach bug and exhausting trip to Florida. It was disappointing because Sara’s project scored a 3rd when I suspect she would have scored a 1st or 2nd if she had been there. The elementary school judges really liked Sara’s oral interpretation of the project so that was a strong point in her favor. Sara put a good face on it when she received her white third place ribbon from a friend who brought it to her from the Event Center. She told me she liked the third place ribbon because white was such a pretty color. You’re always a first in my book sweet Sara!

Operation Rodent Surprise

Amy — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 19:34:07 +0000

February 22, 2012 — Over the President’s Day long weekend, we snuck off to Disney World and Harry Potter World/Universal in Florida. We managed to keep it a surprise from the kids. In fact, Greg and I were amazed at how trusting the kids were. They didn’t seem to suspect a thing, even when we boarded our puppy at a great Dog Ranch for our trip to “Houston,” which was unusual. We got the kids up at 5 a.m. for our “long drive.” We never get up that early for a three hour road trip. So it was a great moment telling the kids on the road as we turned into the airport drive. Nana met us in Florida and we went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Animal Kingdom as well as Harry Potter/Universal. I rode the scariest, most intense ride of my life at Universal — the Hogwart’s Magical ride. In the midst of that terrifying experience, all the adults were worried how our least adventurous Valentine (Daniel) would be handling the ride. He loved it although has since decided he doesn’t ever want to ride it again! Mom on the other hand got off the ride shaking and stayed that way for an hour or so. Be prepared for intensity if you go! I’ve said I would ride it again so I could keep my eyes open for more than 25 or 30 percent of it.

Something’s Worse Than Chemo?

Amy — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:46:50 +0000

February 14, 2012 — Happy Valentine’s Day! Yes, it’s our own special holiday and the Valentine family is celebrating … by not throwing up. The rotavirus intestinal bug hit every member of our household over the last week and a half bringing with it vomiting, severe intestinal cramping, explosive diarrhea and fever. I didn’t think anything would compare to the first 24 hours after a chemo infusion, but the stabbing pains associated with this virus did. Daniel got off easiest with a 24 hour bout which was mainly a one-time vomiting at school, which was cool because he is in First Grade after all and had eaten strawberries for breakfast. The throw up looked “like blood” and freaked everyone out. Then, he had some diarrhea and after that was fine. Sara went down next and was sick for six days. The doc we took her to on Saturday after 48 hours of not eating advised rest and lots of fluids. Have to let it run its course. Really? My internist friend gave me better medical advice and it was free. Greg got the bug for about 48 hours too and was a trooper. Then, I got sick. I was a complete and total wimp, moaning and complaining from my bed. Sara’s fever finally broke after six days of barely eating anything. I’m pumping into her any food she can keep down right now. At one point in my intestinal misery witty Greg said, “well, you’d pay good money for this in a fancy spa — call it a colon cleanse.” Ha ha. I’m so glad I can laugh about it all now. Don’t come near our house without a haz-mat suit and Clorox wipes.

Science Fair Photos

Amy — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:57:54 +0000

Due to widespread demand, here are some pics from Sara’s Barbie Doll hair dying science fair project. We haven’t stapled the end result heads to the experiment board yet since Sara’s been sick and the heads are still at school. I think this project is a riot!