"Happy Birthday"

Well not just yet but I am pretty close to the big ol' 39 on Monday. That's right JUST turning 39 while some of you jive turkeys are turning 40! I do feel old physically though. I have been just been through so much I feel like my bones have a lot of stories to tell.

I have a pretty busy "birfday" weekend planned. Friday, Brian, Kim and I are going out for dinner than drinks at Gunselmans. Its pretty much tradition that we go out for each others birthdays since we have all been hanging out. Even through my divorce, its been nice to keep this going.

Saturday I have to take the kitties to the vet. Was supposed to get them in there in July but as you may have noticed I was a little preoccupied. I also knew I couldnt take them in until I got strong enough to wrangle them into their carriers. Sam is pretty easy to catch. But hes strong as a horse when he doesnt want to put placed into a zippered up bag from hell(his words not mine). Bug just doesnt like to be held at all. Alot of people ask me why I never have pictures of her. Well she doesnt sit still unless shes sleeping. And she doesnt like you holding her. So for me to not only pick her up but place her in the carrier? Not a good time. Looks something like this:



Saturday night I will be going to my parents house for dinner. Birthday girl gets to pick out her meal so I picked lasagna and some delicious pie from Bakers Square with chocolate and bacon on it:



Ridiculous right? Riiiiiiiiiight.

Sunday Joanna and I are going to the Browns/Bills game. My brother coerced us into tailgating with them. Its not going to be warm and it might rain. I will have to dress accordingly and bring my beer coat. I have a good feeling about this game but I have no idea. I do know this: They should win for me since its my birfday.

Finally, Monday, my birfday and John is taking me to Fratello's for dinner. Who's John? Well maybe one day there will be a blog about him. Stop being so damn nosey...... ;)


XOXO-
B

"The Waiting"

Yesterday my mom and I headed down to UH and the Center of Human Genetics. This was a fact finding session to go over my family history of cancer and more importantly, breast cancer. In order for insurance to pay for some or all of this test, the counselor goes through a series of question and your family tree.

It was very interesting to see her write all of this information down and chart it all. Once she was finished, it was very apparent that there is some sort of link genetically on my grandfather's side. What that link is remains to be seen. It could be the breast cancer gene but it might be some other gene that they might not know enough about yet.

They took my blood to send off to testing assuming insurance doesn't cause any grief. Basically what happens is IF my out of pocket is under $375 then they will process the test. If its OVER $375, they call me and I have to make a decision on whether I want the test done or not. It is the counselors belief that insurance should pay for this based on my family history. HOWEVER, as well all know, nothing is ever guaranteed. I know I can't afford to just pay for the test myself(around $4,000). So fingers crossed, Anthem pays for it and there are not any issues.

My results should be back in about 4 weeks barring any complications. If it comes back positive, it definitely answers why this happened to my twice. The next step would be an Oophorectomy, which is the removal of your ovaries. If you test positive, you have a 40% chance of ovarian cancer. If I test negative, I will continue the Lupron shots to shut down my ovaries and I might go into further genetic testing to see if there is something else that is in my families DNA. I also may have the Oophorectomy, provided it can be cleared by insurance. We will just have to wait and see.

It will be great to get the results. A part of me hopes I am a carrier of the gene. That may sound weird but at least I will have an answer as to why I endured hell the past 4+ years.

I will definitely update everyone once I get the results.

XOXO
B

"Shot In The Dark"

A shot right in the ass. That's where I got my first Lupron shot yesterday. I went to see Marla, my chemo nurse, who will be handling my shots and appointments the next few years. Essentially, Lupron will make my ovaries go to sleep.



In the meantime, I will be getting genetic testing. I have my appointment next Tuesday downtown with the genetic counselor. My mom and I had to answer numerous questions about out family history and then bring that info with us. My guess is the counselor will go through all of the info then they have to get approval by insurance for the test. I am HOPING with my history and family history Anthem will not have a problem in covering this very vital test.

So I will be doing monthly shots of Lupron until I figure out if I test positive for the breast cancer gene or not. I am worried about the side effects. They include the following:

Constipation; dizziness; general body pain; headache; hot flashes; loss of appetite; nausea or vomiting; stuffy nose; trouble sleeping; weakness.




Great. Good times. I felt kind of crappy this morning. The hot flashes and night sweats will probably start in about 3 weeks. Great. Right in time for my birthday. So be forewarned: If I am crabby, not feeling well, dont want to do certain things because I am not feeling well, please do not take it personally. I am apologizing to you in in advance.....I am now a 38 year old woman trapped in a 50+ year olds body. Sweeeeeeet......at least I am alive.


And totally off topic I want to touch upon the recent passing of Art Modell. I am going to limit my words here but I want to say this: I do not feel any sympathy towards anyone who has horrible character, value and ethics. You broke my heart and I will never forgive ANYONE for doing that.

Have a great weekend everyone! and.........




XOXO-
B