Team KLB,

On the eve before my LAST CHEMO!!!!!, I thought I’d update everyone as to what’s going in the world of Breast Cancer. (I’m trying not to be too excited just in case my blood work doesn’t come back with good levels, but it’s hard to not be extremely excited.) We did a “it’s the night before my last chemo” dance and it felt great!! I have felt the best that I’ve felt throughout chemo during this last round (well the last 10 days of it). I attribute that to clean eating (good protein, lots of fruits and veggies, seeds, and limited dairy, carbs, and sugar) and LOTS of water. I recently read Your Body’s Many Cries for Water and decided I needed to up my game. As always, feel free to wear some pink tomorrow and shoot me a selfie (I will be compiling these eventually). I’ve got some *special pink* for tomorrow that I will post as usual.

Still planning on doing my rants and raves post because I have PLENTY to complain about, but I’ll save that for next week when I feel like a$$ and need to vent/complain/have a pity party. Stayed tuned! It should mostly make you laugh 🙂

So long as chemo goes as planned tomorrow, here’s what I’m looking at:

~ PICC line out TOMORROW! (another happy dance is needed for this)

~ A Cupcakes and Cocktails party on the last day of this cycle to celebrate the official end of chemo. I’m not going to be in full blown celebration tomorrow, because I still have to endure the round of chemo (actually getting the chemo infusion doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t set in until a few days in). But I will be in full blown celebration mode at the end of the round. Once chemo happens tomorrow, I’ll post an evite to this page. Again, STAY TUNED. And please RSVP, you know I’m anal about these things, plus I want to make sure there are enough cupcakes. 🙂 CUPCAKES!!!

~ Mastectomy and reconstruction! Still waiting on an exact date but we’re looking at the week before Thanksgiving. After both the appointment with the surgeon and the appointment with the plastic surgeon, I’m not sure why, but I felt very excited. Probably because I can see the end nearing. I’m sure I’ll be freaked out on the days leading up to surgery, but for now I’ll enjoy the feeling of excitement (hasn’t been a common feeling since May-ish, so it’s nice).

~ Recovery takes about 8 weeks and I can’t lift things over 5 pounds for the first few weeks, so if you’re willing and able, trips to the grocery store, pet food store, water store, and meals would be super helpful. I’ll post a google calendar to this page soon. Visitors and walking buddies will still be much appreciated during recovery too. They’ll be filling my expanders once each week during this time to slowly stretch the skin for the implants.

~ In January-ish – Five weeks of radiation (five days each week). Not really looking forward to this, since I didn’t think I needed it initially and therefore it’s not a part of “my plan”. But I know the side effects are less than those for chemo – mostly fatigue. After surgery & radiation I might have to fly with a compression sleeve on my right arm (because they are removing lymph nodes) to avoid permanent lymphedema (swelling of the arm). I’m not sure if I’ll be back to work during this time or not. Many people have said the fatigue is too much, so we’ll see.

~ Six months after the end of radiation I can have my expanders swapped out for implants. After that, I can have a out patient surgery to make nipples and then a final out-patient surgery to have areola tattooed on. All of this will be done by the plastic surgeon. He also said that everything related to my breasts will be covered by insurance for the rest of my life – federal law. That was awesome news. We have also met our yearly out of pocket for insurance. That was awesome news too.

Well, that’s about it. Thanks for being the most amazing people that you are. You effing rock, I love you.

XOXOXO,

Katie