It's been one year. I found out that I had breast cancer on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. I'm not sure whether it's time to celebrate, reflect, or lament. Maybe a bit of all three.
Below are the top 10 things I've learned since then:
10. Blogging can connect people who need each other.
Beth in Colorado found my blog. She was going through a bilateral mastectomy just a few weeks before me and was a great source for learning and encouragement. I also found great insight and knowledge in other blogs. Personal stories are much more meaningful than research statistics. So, here's a big thank you to the thought leaders at HR Technology Conference and Steverunner who inspired me to stop lurking in the new media world and start contributing.
9. Just because they find cancer early does not mean it will be easy. As a top 100 fundraiser for the Race for the Cure, I'd been to many events celebrating the advances in breast cancer research. I thought I knew a lot about it. I thought getting the cancer out was easy if it was caught early. I had no idea I'd get a bilateral mastectomy with cancer that was barely stage 1 . . . and Beth was stage 0.
8. ILC is hard to find and often hides until it's big enough to spread.
Not all breast cancers are easy to detect. Luckily, my digital mammogram showed grouped calcifications which warned my doctors to do a biopsy. If I had chosen a lumpectomy, a recurrence of ILC could go undetected until it had spread beyond my breasts.
7. Healthy, active, young women can still get breast cancer.
This year, I've read about many healthy, active women in their 20's and 30's who had breast cancer. I also have a friend whose wife was diagnosed in her 30's. It's not as uncommon as you'd think. I was 43 and a runner.
6. There are different types of breast cancer and different risks for treatment options.
Breast cancer does not have one obvious treatment. Statistics are all over the internet and different doctors present them differently too. No one had a clear cut, obvious data set that I could use to make treatment decisions. I did lots of research, got a second opinion, and even stepped out of the linear process the doctors wanted me to follow in my decision-making. In the end, it came down to this: I put myself in the place of a woman who had cancer spread throughout her body. And I heard myself begging "Can't you just cut it off? Get it out of me, now!" Well, that was the opportunity I had. And I took it.
5. Deciding to lose both breasts is a tough, emotional decision.
Many said it would be a no-brainer for them. If they got breast cancer, they would cut them off. I'm a poster-child for that concept. I don't wear makeup. I'm a feminist. I spend 20 minutes getting ready in the morning and 15 of that is in the shower. So, I was unprepared for the emotion involved in this decision. Even now it brings me to tears to realize that a year ago, I still had my real breasts, with working nipples and everything. I still look very similar in clothes, but very different getting out of the shower. I wonder when my reflection in a foggy mirror will not cause me to wince.
4. We all react differently.
In my mind, surgery was by far the best treatment option, especially if I could avoid chemo, radiation, and 5 years of Tamoxifen. A friend who has cancer was fine with chemo and radiation treatments but terrified of surgery. Physically, we react differently, too. Although I was not a high risk for lymphedema and just 6 lymph nodes were removed, I developed lymphedema in my left hand about 5 months after the mastectomy. I have no idea how or why this happened.
3. I am strong and resilient.
As a comment to my first blog post, my parents wrote that they had all the confidence in the world that I have the tools needed to get though this myself -- "strength, wisdom, determination, and goodness." My brother also told me that he thinks of me as an incredibly strong woman. I was able to reach deep inside and find the strength my family knew was there. Now I know it is there, too.
2. I am blessed with incredible family, friends, and colleagues.
Thank you to all who have helped me get through these challenges. I had advisors, listeners, food preparers, care givers, pray-ers, and many people who just helped me get on with life. My boss was incredibly supportive, as were my staff and colleagues. Friends (including Lee Ann, Michelle, Jim, Eunice, Bethany, Becky, David, and many others) were instrumental in getting me though this. Family sent cards and called. Michelle, Jan, Jim, and my parents, Don and Rosemary helped care for me and my family when I most needed them. Thank you all!!!
1. I have the best husband and children in the world.
Yes, I know I'm biased. But I also know I'm right. My children are wonderful - caring, loving, supporting, strong, and helpful. My husband is beyond amazing and he loves me for who I am and finds me sexy and beautiful with each set of breasts I've had this year (real, expanders, and now implants). I thank God for my family each and every day. And, through this ordeal, I have learned that I should never wait until tomorrow to show them I care and I will never take them for granted. I love you, Val, Jason, and Ken!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Anniversary is this week
Tomorrow I'm headed to the HR Technology Conference. Last year, I was at this conference when I learned I had breast cancer. Between sessions, I called the James Cancer Center at OSU to learn the results of my biopsy. I fully expected to hear good news. I did not.
Although I had no idea what was ahead of me, I knew it was something I needed to journal about and share with others. I credit thought leaders at the HR Technology Conference and podcaster Steverunner as my inspiration to join the world of social media contributors. When I returned from the conference, I started this blog that very weekend.
On Thursday, I plan to post an anniversary blog post. As you can probably tell, I usually write my blog posts in one sitting, often without edits, sometimes with a spell check but usually without. For this anniversary post, though, I've already written a couple of versions. I don't know why it's important to me to mark this date, but I guess it is.
Although I had no idea what was ahead of me, I knew it was something I needed to journal about and share with others. I credit thought leaders at the HR Technology Conference and podcaster Steverunner as my inspiration to join the world of social media contributors. When I returned from the conference, I started this blog that very weekend.
On Thursday, I plan to post an anniversary blog post. As you can probably tell, I usually write my blog posts in one sitting, often without edits, sometimes with a spell check but usually without. For this anniversary post, though, I've already written a couple of versions. I don't know why it's important to me to mark this date, but I guess it is.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
5K in 31:50
I'm writing two posts on my blog today. I got home from grocery shopping and was still in such a high from my swim today (aren't endorphins great?), that I just had to get out and run. The weather was perfect: 60 degrees and dusk.
So, I ran a 5K in 31:50 and that included taking the 1 minute walk breaks after every 3 minutes of running. My miles were 10:22, 10:29, and 10:07; followed by a 5 minute walk cool down. I was pushing during the run, but it felt great. Actually, when I first started running, my lats hurt from swimming and I thought, "Hmmmm, is this such a great idea?" But I got over that pretty quickly and loosened into what is a very good pace for me. Yea!
So, I ran a 5K in 31:50 and that included taking the 1 minute walk breaks after every 3 minutes of running. My miles were 10:22, 10:29, and 10:07; followed by a 5 minute walk cool down. I was pushing during the run, but it felt great. Actually, when I first started running, my lats hurt from swimming and I thought, "Hmmmm, is this such a great idea?" But I got over that pretty quickly and loosened into what is a very good pace for me. Yea!
Hang in there, Jan!
Ken's mother had a shoulder replacement surgery on Friday, so he and his sister went to Cleveland to support her. Her surgery went well and she went home today. I guess she's in a lot of pain now, though. Jan is a retired surgical nurse, so she certainly knows the score with these things. I'm sure it doesn't make the pain any easier to handle, though. Hang in there, Jan!!! I wish we lived closer and could check in on her daily for awhile. I'm sure Jim will be a great caretaker and perhaps her brother and sister-in-law will be able to visit.
Today I took the kids to RPAC at OSU and we all put in a swimming workout. I swam about 1200 meters (about 3/4 of a mile). I did most of the workout in freestyle; however I put in some breaststroke and backstroke lengths, too. Tomorrow, I bet I won't be able to put my arms over my head. I'll be soooooooo sore. My lats are already feeling it.
Initially, I thought it would be good to put Val and Jason in a fast lane and let them do a workout together. However, Jason got very discouraged and was completely giving up and down on himself. Then, he came to swim with me and I got him back in the swing of things. We did a 200 free and he beat me by 25 meters. He's 9. I know, it's depressing. But, hey, freestyle is his favorite stroke and I'm obviously getting my money's worth because he's doing so well. I can give him a tough race in breaststroke, though. That was my favorite stroke and his least favorite. I didn't even try the fly. I couldn't do more than a terrible 25 fly before these surgeries. Now, I don't think it's wise to even try. Butterfly requires a range of motion and significant strength which I just don't have right now.
I didn't pay close attention to the time, but I think we swam for 45 minutes or so. Then I stretched a bit and loosened up my back which had been tight for a few days. The kids played for about 30 minutes in the leisure pool while I got a shower and then we got them cleaned up and headed home.
Ken got back this afternoon, he took Jason to baseball practice. Jason will be wiped out after swimming and baseball.
The kids both were mildly sick with a cold or bad allergies or something last week. They are still a bit stuffy, but getting better. I got it late this week and have been on Clariton D during the days and Benadryl and cough drops at night. I think I'm on the upswing and have lots of energy today. Ken doesn't feel well at all though. I tried to get him to let me take Jason to baseball practice, but he wanted to be there.
Tuesday, I'm off to a conference and will be gone until Saturday early evening. I really love this conference (HR Technology) and it's great to see many of the same people there year after year. We'll be hearing from the leaders in HR technology and seeing many software demonstrations. I've got my list of vendors to visit on the exhibition floor so I can keep up with what is going on in Talent Management (a passion of mine). Of course, I'll also be attending the parties sponsored by the vendors and various meet and greet events which run late into the night. I expect Knowledge Infusion's 5th year anniversary bash will be the primo vendor event this year. I'm really looking forward to the knowledge-tinis (martinis with green LED lights in them). Last year, I brought home a green LED plastic ice cube for each kid and put it in their milk at breakfast. It was a hoot.
Today I took the kids to RPAC at OSU and we all put in a swimming workout. I swam about 1200 meters (about 3/4 of a mile). I did most of the workout in freestyle; however I put in some breaststroke and backstroke lengths, too. Tomorrow, I bet I won't be able to put my arms over my head. I'll be soooooooo sore. My lats are already feeling it.
Initially, I thought it would be good to put Val and Jason in a fast lane and let them do a workout together. However, Jason got very discouraged and was completely giving up and down on himself. Then, he came to swim with me and I got him back in the swing of things. We did a 200 free and he beat me by 25 meters. He's 9. I know, it's depressing. But, hey, freestyle is his favorite stroke and I'm obviously getting my money's worth because he's doing so well. I can give him a tough race in breaststroke, though. That was my favorite stroke and his least favorite. I didn't even try the fly. I couldn't do more than a terrible 25 fly before these surgeries. Now, I don't think it's wise to even try. Butterfly requires a range of motion and significant strength which I just don't have right now.
I didn't pay close attention to the time, but I think we swam for 45 minutes or so. Then I stretched a bit and loosened up my back which had been tight for a few days. The kids played for about 30 minutes in the leisure pool while I got a shower and then we got them cleaned up and headed home.
Ken got back this afternoon, he took Jason to baseball practice. Jason will be wiped out after swimming and baseball.
The kids both were mildly sick with a cold or bad allergies or something last week. They are still a bit stuffy, but getting better. I got it late this week and have been on Clariton D during the days and Benadryl and cough drops at night. I think I'm on the upswing and have lots of energy today. Ken doesn't feel well at all though. I tried to get him to let me take Jason to baseball practice, but he wanted to be there.
Tuesday, I'm off to a conference and will be gone until Saturday early evening. I really love this conference (HR Technology) and it's great to see many of the same people there year after year. We'll be hearing from the leaders in HR technology and seeing many software demonstrations. I've got my list of vendors to visit on the exhibition floor so I can keep up with what is going on in Talent Management (a passion of mine). Of course, I'll also be attending the parties sponsored by the vendors and various meet and greet events which run late into the night. I expect Knowledge Infusion's 5th year anniversary bash will be the primo vendor event this year. I'm really looking forward to the knowledge-tinis (martinis with green LED lights in them). Last year, I brought home a green LED plastic ice cube for each kid and put it in their milk at breakfast. It was a hoot.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Run, vball, swim, & work
I ran a 5K this morning. It was humid, warm, and a tough run because I've been so inconsistent with exercising lately. My 5K was 33:47 and the miles were 11:01, 10:58, and 10:54. I did this run with a consistent 3 minutes run followed by 1 minute walk. I shortened the last walk to 30 seconds, though because I needed to get in quickly to get to work on time.
Valerie had a volleyball game tonight. She's on the Jr High team and plays on the second of two teams. The coach has the first team play the first game and the second team play the second game. If the match goes to three games, whichever team wins their game (usually the first team, but once the second team) gets to start the third game. Tonight the first team won and the second team lost. So the first team went out for the third game. A few points into that game we were losing and the coach substituted Valerie in for one of the players. This is the first time she's played with the top group. She didn't get much action since she only got the chance to bump the ball once the whole rest of the game, but she was always in position and was a positive influence on the others. I was proud of her, of course.
Jason is also doing well with his 5th and 6th grade volleyball team. He's an incredible server and hustles a lot. He also seems to be having fun. He has a more competitive nature than Valerie and cares more about doing really well and about winning. And I really like his coaches - his dad and our friend, Jeff. They are supportive of all the players and really know their stuff.
Swim team started for the kids this week, but we weren't able to go at all due to Val's volleyball schedule. I contacted the coaches and they were okay with it. I'll probably take the kids to the RPAC pool at OSU on Sunday to have them put some time in the water. I don't want them to get too far behind on conditioning because the coaches took care to get the kids into the right levels based on speed and conditioning. If Val and Jason start a month later than everyone else, they are likely to get run over and discouraged. I was getting pretty stressed about the logistics of getting the kids to swimming practice, but Ken talked me down from that. It shouldn't be much different from last year and we made it work most of the time then. This year Ken will probably take them to swimming more often than I will because their swim days coincide with the days he leaves early to get them off the bus.
Work is going to be really busy for me for awhile - even more so than normal. Until I can get two new managers in place and contributing, I'll have to continue to do what amounts to almost three jobs. I'll be managing all but 2 staff members, performing business analysis and project management work, training staff in new roles, interviewing manager candidates, and doing my regular Director duties. Obviously, I won't be able to do a stellar job at any of those things. My AVP is very supportive, though, and has offered to take some of my OSU-wide Director roles while I'm putting more focus internally to my department for awhile. We'll have to figure out what I can hand off and what will just wait for me for a later focus.
Valerie had a volleyball game tonight. She's on the Jr High team and plays on the second of two teams. The coach has the first team play the first game and the second team play the second game. If the match goes to three games, whichever team wins their game (usually the first team, but once the second team) gets to start the third game. Tonight the first team won and the second team lost. So the first team went out for the third game. A few points into that game we were losing and the coach substituted Valerie in for one of the players. This is the first time she's played with the top group. She didn't get much action since she only got the chance to bump the ball once the whole rest of the game, but she was always in position and was a positive influence on the others. I was proud of her, of course.
Jason is also doing well with his 5th and 6th grade volleyball team. He's an incredible server and hustles a lot. He also seems to be having fun. He has a more competitive nature than Valerie and cares more about doing really well and about winning. And I really like his coaches - his dad and our friend, Jeff. They are supportive of all the players and really know their stuff.
Swim team started for the kids this week, but we weren't able to go at all due to Val's volleyball schedule. I contacted the coaches and they were okay with it. I'll probably take the kids to the RPAC pool at OSU on Sunday to have them put some time in the water. I don't want them to get too far behind on conditioning because the coaches took care to get the kids into the right levels based on speed and conditioning. If Val and Jason start a month later than everyone else, they are likely to get run over and discouraged. I was getting pretty stressed about the logistics of getting the kids to swimming practice, but Ken talked me down from that. It shouldn't be much different from last year and we made it work most of the time then. This year Ken will probably take them to swimming more often than I will because their swim days coincide with the days he leaves early to get them off the bus.
Work is going to be really busy for me for awhile - even more so than normal. Until I can get two new managers in place and contributing, I'll have to continue to do what amounts to almost three jobs. I'll be managing all but 2 staff members, performing business analysis and project management work, training staff in new roles, interviewing manager candidates, and doing my regular Director duties. Obviously, I won't be able to do a stellar job at any of those things. My AVP is very supportive, though, and has offered to take some of my OSU-wide Director roles while I'm putting more focus internally to my department for awhile. We'll have to figure out what I can hand off and what will just wait for me for a later focus.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Ran Saturday
Saturday I ran 4 miles with the run-walk-run method at 3 minutes running and 1 minute walking. My miles were 11:02, 10:56, 10:55, and 11:05. I wasn't nearly as fast as last week. I also walked most of a 5th mile at 15:25. My 5K was 33:40, I think.
It's been a good weekend with lots of family time and time to clean the house and read a book. I even found time to attend the swimming officials' recertification meeting today.
I didn't make time to run today, Sunday, though. I know I should have done so. I had the time, just not the desire, I guess. I know that doesn't make much sense since I was really ready to get out there - and I really enjoyed the run on Saturday.
My hand has been swelling a lot the last couple of days. I don't have the custom glove back yet, so I wrapped it in the finger/hand wrap and the ace-type bandage to run. After the run, my swelling was about at 4 out of 10 and most of the weekend it was a 3 or 4 out of 10. I wrapped it some of the weekend, used my un-custom compression glove with the bean bag in it some of the time, and some of the time I left it unwrapped. The bean bag glove seemed to make the most difference. It brought down the swelling in my hand but left my knuckles swollen. My middle finger has been worse than my pointer finger this weekend, which is unusual.
I hope my compression glove arrives tomorrow. I hoped I'd see it in the mail on Friday, but no such luck. I think I'm having swelling problems because of cyclical reasons and now would be the most important time to have some effective compression defense. I expect it to be a problem throughout the week and into the next. I guess I'll keep using whatever I have handy to keep on top of the swelling. From a fitness standpoint, I should have run today. However, not running was probably wise from the Lymphedema point of view.
It's been a good weekend with lots of family time and time to clean the house and read a book. I even found time to attend the swimming officials' recertification meeting today.
I didn't make time to run today, Sunday, though. I know I should have done so. I had the time, just not the desire, I guess. I know that doesn't make much sense since I was really ready to get out there - and I really enjoyed the run on Saturday.
My hand has been swelling a lot the last couple of days. I don't have the custom glove back yet, so I wrapped it in the finger/hand wrap and the ace-type bandage to run. After the run, my swelling was about at 4 out of 10 and most of the weekend it was a 3 or 4 out of 10. I wrapped it some of the weekend, used my un-custom compression glove with the bean bag in it some of the time, and some of the time I left it unwrapped. The bean bag glove seemed to make the most difference. It brought down the swelling in my hand but left my knuckles swollen. My middle finger has been worse than my pointer finger this weekend, which is unusual.
I hope my compression glove arrives tomorrow. I hoped I'd see it in the mail on Friday, but no such luck. I think I'm having swelling problems because of cyclical reasons and now would be the most important time to have some effective compression defense. I expect it to be a problem throughout the week and into the next. I guess I'll keep using whatever I have handy to keep on top of the swelling. From a fitness standpoint, I should have run today. However, not running was probably wise from the Lymphedema point of view.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Priceless
Pretty much nothing positive is happening in the realm of exercise, fitness, and weight control this week. Well, almost nothing. We've equipped our office with exercise balls so we can switch out our chairs for a few hours at a time to get some mostly passive core work in during the day. I tried it for an hour two different times today. I found that it was easy to slouch and defeat the purpose, so I had to consciously straighten my back and roll back my shoulders to keep good posture while sitting on the ball and typing away on my keyboard. I'll keep trying it off and on to see if I notice a difference. I'm still very wimpy in the core and upper body compared to what I was prior to the surgeries.
On Sept 29, we start a Hit the Road with the Buckeyes event for which I have to track each step I take and log my miles weekly. I'm on a team with four other colleagues and we are competing against hundreds of other teams at OSU. I always get a head-start on this event because I spend the first few days at a conference in Chicago and walk everywhere.
I haven't exercised much this week, unfortunately. Things have been incredibly busy at work, but I'm not complaining because they have been good-busy. We had a breakthrough on a reorganization project my boss, a colleague, and I have been working on for many months. We finally figured out funding for a new position in my area which will allow us to hire some knowledge and skill for which we have been deficient for years. We also realigned some staff to make better use of peoples' skills across the organization. Today we unveiled our plan to some of the staff who are affected and they shared our enthusiasm about the opportunities this new structure will allow. We still have some specifics to work out and have LOTS of work in training and work distribution after the changes are made, but it's all worth it. I really feel like I made a positive impact on OSU today. What a great day.
And to top it all off, Valerie sent me a text today in which she sent a picture of hearts and a recording of herself singing the prose from the card she gave me on my birthday. It was very touching. What a great kid.
We just got back from pizza and beer (the kids had soda pop, of course) at Kingy's. Jason has a friend spending the night - Kemper is a great kid and fun to have around. On the way home from the pizza joint, we turned up the radio to an insane volume and everyone rocked out.
Days like this . . . priceless.
On Sept 29, we start a Hit the Road with the Buckeyes event for which I have to track each step I take and log my miles weekly. I'm on a team with four other colleagues and we are competing against hundreds of other teams at OSU. I always get a head-start on this event because I spend the first few days at a conference in Chicago and walk everywhere.
I haven't exercised much this week, unfortunately. Things have been incredibly busy at work, but I'm not complaining because they have been good-busy. We had a breakthrough on a reorganization project my boss, a colleague, and I have been working on for many months. We finally figured out funding for a new position in my area which will allow us to hire some knowledge and skill for which we have been deficient for years. We also realigned some staff to make better use of peoples' skills across the organization. Today we unveiled our plan to some of the staff who are affected and they shared our enthusiasm about the opportunities this new structure will allow. We still have some specifics to work out and have LOTS of work in training and work distribution after the changes are made, but it's all worth it. I really feel like I made a positive impact on OSU today. What a great day.
And to top it all off, Valerie sent me a text today in which she sent a picture of hearts and a recording of herself singing the prose from the card she gave me on my birthday. It was very touching. What a great kid.
We just got back from pizza and beer (the kids had soda pop, of course) at Kingy's. Jason has a friend spending the night - Kemper is a great kid and fun to have around. On the way home from the pizza joint, we turned up the radio to an insane volume and everyone rocked out.
Days like this . . . priceless.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Morning run
I did the walk/run/walk thing this morning before work. With the 3 minute run to 1 minute walk ratio, I did a 5K in 32:35. My miles were 10:41, 10:48, and 10:14. I followed with at 10 minute walk to cool down. My allergies were really acting up this morning. Drainage mostly, but was somewhat annoying during the run.
On Monday, the PT agreed to send back the custom glove and ordered one with a REALLY loose wrist band. I hope this idea works. The wrist part will be a full inch larger than before. Since I didn't have the glove this morning, I ran with the full manual wrap on this morning. It's a two layer process that involves wrapping my hand and each finger separately with a thin cloth strip and then wrapping an ace-type bandage over my hand and up my arm to my elbow. It worked well. My swelling today is between a 2 and 3 out of 10, even right after the run. I didn't wear a glove all day after that. The back of my hand is a little swollen. My fingers are actually very good today.
We've been busy with the kids' volleyball games, homework, and our school year flex work schedules these days. One of us is home when Jason gets off the bus at 3:45. To accomplish that, our work schedules have been adjusted from the summer schedule to the school year schedule. I really value that flexibility!
On Monday, the PT agreed to send back the custom glove and ordered one with a REALLY loose wrist band. I hope this idea works. The wrist part will be a full inch larger than before. Since I didn't have the glove this morning, I ran with the full manual wrap on this morning. It's a two layer process that involves wrapping my hand and each finger separately with a thin cloth strip and then wrapping an ace-type bandage over my hand and up my arm to my elbow. It worked well. My swelling today is between a 2 and 3 out of 10, even right after the run. I didn't wear a glove all day after that. The back of my hand is a little swollen. My fingers are actually very good today.
We've been busy with the kids' volleyball games, homework, and our school year flex work schedules these days. One of us is home when Jason gets off the bus at 3:45. To accomplish that, our work schedules have been adjusted from the summer schedule to the school year schedule. I really value that flexibility!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Swell weekend (pun intended)
After doing two 5 milers this week, I thought I'd better take it a little light this weekend. I don't want to get injured. And my hand is swelling more now. Saturday, I did a quick run before Jason's volleyball game. I put in 2 miles, 10:13 and 10:03. Because I knew I was short on time, and because I planned to run a short distance, I decided to run the whole time. I didn't take the 1 minute walk break after every 3 minutes as I've been doing on longer runs. Interestingly, my miles weren't any faster without the walk breaks. After running the two miles, I walked another .33 home to cool down.
Jason's volleyball game was fun. He is playing with the 5th and 6th graders (he's a young 4th grader). Ken is coaching the team with a friend of ours, Jeff, who has a 5th grade daughter. We decided to have Jason play up so Jeff and Ken could coach together and Jason wouldn't have to play on teams with his 4th grade girl classmates. Besides, he filled in for Val's 5th and 6th grade team last year when we had two injured players. We knew he could hang with the group. And he did.
He had a great first game. His serve is wicked when it is in bounds. He has a bit of trouble with control, but it's a strong overhand serve that kids at that level can rarely handle. At one time up, he served 5 times over in a row and then they make them rotate so the games don't get stalled with just one kid serving the whole game. Another girl on our time had the same success.
Jason's team won all three sets and then he and Ken went to the OSU game while I took Val and a friend to a movie at Easton. Actually, I dropped them off at the front door and they bought their own tickets, refreshments, and went to the movie (Flipped).
While they were at the movie, I went to Starbucks and had iced black tea and read my book. I also went to Victoria Secret to look at bras. I finally had enough courage to let someone measure me and she pegged me for a solid 36B. That's what I was before the cancer and surgeries, so that's good. The 36B bras at Kohls didn't really work. However, the wireless ones at Victoria Secret were fine. I bought two. They aren't the fancy ones you think of when you hear "Victoria Secret," though. These are the bras at the back of the store by the dressing rooms. The ones in drawers and without much marketing or style fanfare. No wires or push-up padding. I can't use those things anymore. I don't squish that way. Although 90% of the bras in the store were off-limits to me, I left feeling much more positive about my plight than I have in a long time. I'm a 36B and I have two bras that pretty much fit.
I'm not feeling great about my hand, though. It is swelling this weekend. After my run on Saturday, I wore the cotton glove with the bean bag on the back to press down my swelling. It kind of works. The swelling overall goes down, but some places stay puffy so it looks strange when the glove comes off. Tonight I'm trying my compression glove again - with the folded up pieces of cardboard that serve to loosen the wrist band. We'll see if that helps or not. I've got another PT appointment at 9am tomorrow morning. I hope they will listen to me this time and request the wrist band be made significantly looser, like maybe a 1/2 inch or more. Last time they disagreed with my assessment and were reluctant to change it. They only requested it to be 1/8 larger and ordered a wider wrist band thinking that might make it more comfortable. Nope. Didn't work. Let's try it again. I hope the third time is a charm and not a strike.
Jason's volleyball game was fun. He is playing with the 5th and 6th graders (he's a young 4th grader). Ken is coaching the team with a friend of ours, Jeff, who has a 5th grade daughter. We decided to have Jason play up so Jeff and Ken could coach together and Jason wouldn't have to play on teams with his 4th grade girl classmates. Besides, he filled in for Val's 5th and 6th grade team last year when we had two injured players. We knew he could hang with the group. And he did.
He had a great first game. His serve is wicked when it is in bounds. He has a bit of trouble with control, but it's a strong overhand serve that kids at that level can rarely handle. At one time up, he served 5 times over in a row and then they make them rotate so the games don't get stalled with just one kid serving the whole game. Another girl on our time had the same success.
Jason's team won all three sets and then he and Ken went to the OSU game while I took Val and a friend to a movie at Easton. Actually, I dropped them off at the front door and they bought their own tickets, refreshments, and went to the movie (Flipped).
While they were at the movie, I went to Starbucks and had iced black tea and read my book. I also went to Victoria Secret to look at bras. I finally had enough courage to let someone measure me and she pegged me for a solid 36B. That's what I was before the cancer and surgeries, so that's good. The 36B bras at Kohls didn't really work. However, the wireless ones at Victoria Secret were fine. I bought two. They aren't the fancy ones you think of when you hear "Victoria Secret," though. These are the bras at the back of the store by the dressing rooms. The ones in drawers and without much marketing or style fanfare. No wires or push-up padding. I can't use those things anymore. I don't squish that way. Although 90% of the bras in the store were off-limits to me, I left feeling much more positive about my plight than I have in a long time. I'm a 36B and I have two bras that pretty much fit.
I'm not feeling great about my hand, though. It is swelling this weekend. After my run on Saturday, I wore the cotton glove with the bean bag on the back to press down my swelling. It kind of works. The swelling overall goes down, but some places stay puffy so it looks strange when the glove comes off. Tonight I'm trying my compression glove again - with the folded up pieces of cardboard that serve to loosen the wrist band. We'll see if that helps or not. I've got another PT appointment at 9am tomorrow morning. I hope they will listen to me this time and request the wrist band be made significantly looser, like maybe a 1/2 inch or more. Last time they disagreed with my assessment and were reluctant to change it. They only requested it to be 1/8 larger and ordered a wider wrist band thinking that might make it more comfortable. Nope. Didn't work. Let's try it again. I hope the third time is a charm and not a strike.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Work stress, but great run
It's been a tough few weeks at work. We are behind on planning for the fiscal and performance year which began July 1 and my group has some pretty serious staffing issues. We just hired some student employees, which will help, but we still have technical and managerial roles that need both funded and filled. I rarely lose sleep over anything, but I've been tossing and turning over these issues. Once we get the funding figured out (not my decision), I'll make decisions on the reorganization of the group, write position descriptions, and figure out when and how to fill open positions. My team is really counting on a plan to move us out of this time of uncertainty and to focus their efforts. I hope we can get some answers from leadership so we can move on this soon. It's affecting everyone's morale and productivity, including mine.
To try to help manage stress and deal with my sleeping issues, I got out to walk last night (2 miles in 31 minutes) and I ran 5 miles today in 53:28. My 5K was 32:20. My miles were 10:42, 10:45, 10:05, 10:35, and 11:21. Check out all those 10's! And I got those times while using the run-walk-run method. I alternated running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute through most of the run. The last mile, I walked more often. Afterward, I walked another 7 minutes or so to log a full hour on the pavement and to cool down a bit. It really was a great run.
For the run, I wore my custom lymphedema glove with my MacGyver customization (I cuff the too-tight wrist band and put two pieces of rolled up paper/cardboard in the cuff). It worked pretty well today because my hand didn't swell much. My index and middle fingers and the back of my hand were a little swollen when I took off the glove, but not bad for being out for an hour. After the run, I'd rate my swelling at 3 out of 10. About 10 hours later, my rating is 2 out of 10.
I'm pretty tired tonight, so I'll head to bed as soon as the kids do - maybe 9:30 or so. For a short week, this certainly has been a long one.
To try to help manage stress and deal with my sleeping issues, I got out to walk last night (2 miles in 31 minutes) and I ran 5 miles today in 53:28. My 5K was 32:20. My miles were 10:42, 10:45, 10:05, 10:35, and 11:21. Check out all those 10's! And I got those times while using the run-walk-run method. I alternated running 3 minutes and walking 1 minute through most of the run. The last mile, I walked more often. Afterward, I walked another 7 minutes or so to log a full hour on the pavement and to cool down a bit. It really was a great run.
For the run, I wore my custom lymphedema glove with my MacGyver customization (I cuff the too-tight wrist band and put two pieces of rolled up paper/cardboard in the cuff). It worked pretty well today because my hand didn't swell much. My index and middle fingers and the back of my hand were a little swollen when I took off the glove, but not bad for being out for an hour. After the run, I'd rate my swelling at 3 out of 10. About 10 hours later, my rating is 2 out of 10.
I'm pretty tired tonight, so I'll head to bed as soon as the kids do - maybe 9:30 or so. For a short week, this certainly has been a long one.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Happy Labor Day
What an incredibly beautiful day. It is sunny with temperatures in the 70s.
I went out for a run at 10am and got in 5 miles in 54:45. My miles were 11:15, 10:45, 10:24, 11:04, and 11:19. My 5K was 33:20. My max speed each mile ranged from 6.9 to 8.7 miles per hour but my average speed each mile ranged from 5.3 to 5.8 mph.
Lately, I've been training with the run/walk/run method published by Jeff Galloway. Today my run/walk ratio was 3:1, but did a 4:1 ratio once or twice. That means I ran 3 or 4 minutes and then walked 1 minute and repeated the pattern throughout the 5 miles. I could have skipped a walk break and kicked up my speed to get a faster 5K time, but at about 2.5 miles I decided to push myself to 5 miles and I didn't want to expel my energy too early.
Today, I ran donning my custom lymphedema glove, but I made an additional customization. I cuffed the too-tight wrist band and then put two pieces of rolled up paper/card board in the cuff. Thus, I made a less-tight section at the top of my wrist. The result was fabulous. After the run, I had only a little swelling in the top part of my index finger. My hand was smaller than it has been in days. I'd rate my swelling as a 1 out of 10 right now, about 2 hours after my run. I took off the glove after about 10 minutes of slow walking and stretching as cool down. The glove will probably stay off all day unless we decide to spend extended time outside riding bikes or cleaning out the garage.
If I hadn't loosened the wrist band, I know my hand would have been very swollen after the run. Although the temperature was nice outside, I got pretty warm running in the sun. We live in a suburb that's fairly new and has only immature trees, so most of my running is in full sun. For about 2 miles, I did laps in an older subdivision with little more shade relief.
When I was training for the half marathon, I drove 20-30 minutes to Bexley for my long runs on Sundays. They have great shade there, wonderful houses to dream about, a park with nice bathrooms and a water fountain, and some of the official half marathon route is on my favorite Bexley street, Parkview Avenue. I also have friends who live in Bexley who would replenish my water and let me park in front of their house. I highly recommend having a long run location that feels like an oasis or treat, even if you have to drive some distance to get there.
Speaking of treats, Valerie made brunch for the family after I returned from my run. And it was her own idea, too! We had scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. I also put together a bowl of steamed spinach and black beans which Ken and I added to our scrambled eggs along with salsa.
Val has homework to do today, but she's decided to sit outside and do it. I think that's a great idea. Part of her assignment is writing and reflecting on her first day of Jr. High, and I can't think of a better way to do that than to sit outside on a beautiful, almost autumn day. Jason rode his bike over to his buddy's house and they are playing outside in the court area, I'm sure. We'll see they boys later when they decide to have some inside time.
Update: After dinner, we took a family bike ride following the same route I ran this morning. It was much easier and quicker to ride the 5 miles than run it. My hand swelled after this activity despite my altered glove. Perhaps the rolled paper was too smooshed to do it's job this time.
I went out for a run at 10am and got in 5 miles in 54:45. My miles were 11:15, 10:45, 10:24, 11:04, and 11:19. My 5K was 33:20. My max speed each mile ranged from 6.9 to 8.7 miles per hour but my average speed each mile ranged from 5.3 to 5.8 mph.
Lately, I've been training with the run/walk/run method published by Jeff Galloway. Today my run/walk ratio was 3:1, but did a 4:1 ratio once or twice. That means I ran 3 or 4 minutes and then walked 1 minute and repeated the pattern throughout the 5 miles. I could have skipped a walk break and kicked up my speed to get a faster 5K time, but at about 2.5 miles I decided to push myself to 5 miles and I didn't want to expel my energy too early.
Today, I ran donning my custom lymphedema glove, but I made an additional customization. I cuffed the too-tight wrist band and then put two pieces of rolled up paper/card board in the cuff. Thus, I made a less-tight section at the top of my wrist. The result was fabulous. After the run, I had only a little swelling in the top part of my index finger. My hand was smaller than it has been in days. I'd rate my swelling as a 1 out of 10 right now, about 2 hours after my run. I took off the glove after about 10 minutes of slow walking and stretching as cool down. The glove will probably stay off all day unless we decide to spend extended time outside riding bikes or cleaning out the garage.
If I hadn't loosened the wrist band, I know my hand would have been very swollen after the run. Although the temperature was nice outside, I got pretty warm running in the sun. We live in a suburb that's fairly new and has only immature trees, so most of my running is in full sun. For about 2 miles, I did laps in an older subdivision with little more shade relief.
When I was training for the half marathon, I drove 20-30 minutes to Bexley for my long runs on Sundays. They have great shade there, wonderful houses to dream about, a park with nice bathrooms and a water fountain, and some of the official half marathon route is on my favorite Bexley street, Parkview Avenue. I also have friends who live in Bexley who would replenish my water and let me park in front of their house. I highly recommend having a long run location that feels like an oasis or treat, even if you have to drive some distance to get there.
Speaking of treats, Valerie made brunch for the family after I returned from my run. And it was her own idea, too! We had scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. I also put together a bowl of steamed spinach and black beans which Ken and I added to our scrambled eggs along with salsa.
Val has homework to do today, but she's decided to sit outside and do it. I think that's a great idea. Part of her assignment is writing and reflecting on her first day of Jr. High, and I can't think of a better way to do that than to sit outside on a beautiful, almost autumn day. Jason rode his bike over to his buddy's house and they are playing outside in the court area, I'm sure. We'll see they boys later when they decide to have some inside time.
Update: After dinner, we took a family bike ride following the same route I ran this morning. It was much easier and quicker to ride the 5 miles than run it. My hand swelled after this activity despite my altered glove. Perhaps the rolled paper was too smooshed to do it's job this time.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Beautiful weekend
Last evening, I must have done something to my back and ended up having spasms. The troubled places were higher than I've ever experienced, just under the shoulder blades. Anyway, I had planned to run this morning before heading over to Dayton to visit Michelle and her family. When I woke up, I knew the plan was tenuous at best, but I decided a walk on a beautiful 60 degree, sunny day was worth the attempt.
I suprised myself though, I started with a 1 minute walk and then ran 3 minutes. I continued walking 1 minute and running 3 or 4 minutes for the duration of a 5K, which I finished in 33:30. My miles were 11:05, 10:40, and 10:18. I walked the cool down for a total of 3.46 miles.
I wore my new lymphedema glove, which I was amazed to find in the mail yesterday. It's okay. Still too tight around the wrist, but the wrist part is longer this time, so I am folding it up to a cuff and that makes it a little better. I suppose I should go in and show it to the PT folks again.
My index finger swelled a little when I ran, but not bad. I'd give it a 3 out of 10 today. My hand is pretty good, but my index finger is swollen above and below the middle knuckle. I'm going to wear the glove off and on today to see how it goes.
Tomorrow we are headed to the Renaissance Festival with Michelle's crew. I'll probably have to wear the glove the whole time we're there because of the sun and heat. Although, it's not too hot and humid now, so it might not be as Lymphedema-unfriendly as I expect.
I hope you're having a wonderful labor day weekend.
I suprised myself though, I started with a 1 minute walk and then ran 3 minutes. I continued walking 1 minute and running 3 or 4 minutes for the duration of a 5K, which I finished in 33:30. My miles were 11:05, 10:40, and 10:18. I walked the cool down for a total of 3.46 miles.
I wore my new lymphedema glove, which I was amazed to find in the mail yesterday. It's okay. Still too tight around the wrist, but the wrist part is longer this time, so I am folding it up to a cuff and that makes it a little better. I suppose I should go in and show it to the PT folks again.
My index finger swelled a little when I ran, but not bad. I'd give it a 3 out of 10 today. My hand is pretty good, but my index finger is swollen above and below the middle knuckle. I'm going to wear the glove off and on today to see how it goes.
Tomorrow we are headed to the Renaissance Festival with Michelle's crew. I'll probably have to wear the glove the whole time we're there because of the sun and heat. Although, it's not too hot and humid now, so it might not be as Lymphedema-unfriendly as I expect.
I hope you're having a wonderful labor day weekend.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Fast 5K
As usual, things have been very busy. Monday, Val had her first volleyball game (she won in 2). Tuesday, Jason had a parent/teacher meeting. Tonight Val had another volleyball game (again, won in 2).
Tonight, I didn't stay for the 8th grade game, so I got home in time to run. I ran a 5K and then walked another .3 miles or so. My miles were 11:05, 10:40, and 10:18. The 5K was 32:55. I'm amazed at my pace because I did a run-walk-run ratio of 3 minutes running to one minute walking throughout until I got to the last walk break. I skipped the last walk break since it was scheduled to begin at 30 minutes and I was already so close to the 5K mark. I don't know when the last time I ran a sub 33:00 5K was. I would guess it's been a long time. Maybe pre-surgery? I'll have to check back through my postings to see if that's true. My fastest 5K was under 30:00, but I trained really hard to meet that goal. I think that was in May 2008, the same year as my one and only half marathon.
Despite it being over 90 degrees this evening, my run was great. The humidity is low and the sun was behind the trees and houses often enough to keep me out of direct sunlight. I was in such a hurry to get changed and out the door before everyone got home that I forgot to wrap my hand. I realized it about half-way, but didn't turn back. I'm surprised my hand didn't swell much and actually it is pretty much the same as it was all day. That's really amazing. I think it really made a difference that I didn't get overheated.
I'd rate the lymphedema at 3 out of 10 all day today, including before and after the run.
Tuesday morning I worked out with a yoga CD and did some weights to strengthen my arms and chest. The only weights I have here are 8 lbs each, but they are better than nothing. It's amazing to think of what I used to work out with and now to realize that 8 lbs is plenty to start building my muscle back. I've lost a lot of ground with my arms, core, back, and neck.
Tonight, I didn't stay for the 8th grade game, so I got home in time to run. I ran a 5K and then walked another .3 miles or so. My miles were 11:05, 10:40, and 10:18. The 5K was 32:55. I'm amazed at my pace because I did a run-walk-run ratio of 3 minutes running to one minute walking throughout until I got to the last walk break. I skipped the last walk break since it was scheduled to begin at 30 minutes and I was already so close to the 5K mark. I don't know when the last time I ran a sub 33:00 5K was. I would guess it's been a long time. Maybe pre-surgery? I'll have to check back through my postings to see if that's true. My fastest 5K was under 30:00, but I trained really hard to meet that goal. I think that was in May 2008, the same year as my one and only half marathon.
Despite it being over 90 degrees this evening, my run was great. The humidity is low and the sun was behind the trees and houses often enough to keep me out of direct sunlight. I was in such a hurry to get changed and out the door before everyone got home that I forgot to wrap my hand. I realized it about half-way, but didn't turn back. I'm surprised my hand didn't swell much and actually it is pretty much the same as it was all day. That's really amazing. I think it really made a difference that I didn't get overheated.
I'd rate the lymphedema at 3 out of 10 all day today, including before and after the run.
Tuesday morning I worked out with a yoga CD and did some weights to strengthen my arms and chest. The only weights I have here are 8 lbs each, but they are better than nothing. It's amazing to think of what I used to work out with and now to realize that 8 lbs is plenty to start building my muscle back. I've lost a lot of ground with my arms, core, back, and neck.
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