Enjoying the Empty Nest

It does feel kinda guilty to say that we are enjoying the empty nest. It's surprising to me. I thought I'd be missing them. But Geoff and I are connecting more and don't have as many dishes to wash. Plus, the kids are having the time of their lives and I am incredibly grateful to Brad.

So my life is all about having fun planning the Bat Mitzvah. If you didn't receive an email invitation and want one, please email me to let me know. The count is already up to 56.

I have only 5 more days of radiation and then I'm done. I haven't gotten the fatigue that they told me radiation brings on. Maybe it's the acupuncture and Chinese herbs or the Celexa or maybe I'm just lucky this time around. Instead I feel energized and excited to be almost done with treatment.

You may be wondering how I feel now, breast-less. It's really no big deal. I'm getting used to how it looks and enjoy exercising without them. I also don't worry too much about how I look and no one has seemed to stare - like I was afraid they would. In fact, I feel freer since I don't feel like I have to cover anything up and can walk around without a shirt if I want to (especially with the kids gone). Every chance I get, I ask a friend if she wants to see my bare chest!

Funny story: Before Aimee left on the trip, I brought her toward me for a hug and put her head against my chest. Both of us forgot that I no longer had anything there and clunk! went her head against hard bone. I think it hurt her more than it hurt me but we got a laugh out of it.

Next day she told me that from now on when she hugs me, she's going to wear a helmet!

So other than the numbness from surgery and the redness from radiation, I'm healing well in every way. Though, I still sometimes wonder if I caught it in time and if the radiation did it's trick and if I will survive and if I'm just fooling myself thinking I'm going to be done with this soon...

On the 22nd, I will go to the oncologist again and talk about Tamoxifen or that other drug for women who are in menopause. I'll be on one of them for at least 5 years and maybe longer. So aside from regular CT scans, my treatment is nearly done.

I've got the energy now to eat more raw and cooked veggies - so that's another thing I'm doing to try to protect myself from recurrence or spread. Kale is my friend.

Tomorrow night we've been invited out to the Shadowbrook to eat dinner with another couple. Haven't done that in ages! (Thanks Doug!) So I'm enjoying my empty nest.

Hope you have a great July 4th.