Tag: breast cancer hawaii

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

by bridewitt ♥ 3 Comments

Well, we did it. We made it through 2020, a year no one could have ever expected. A year that we were all “safer at home” and “socially distanced.” A year in which we all struggled as a collective against a common enemy and were challenged on a personal level as well.

It’s easy to look back on this as a very difficult year, but for me it was also a year of major growth, learning, and finding love. Love for myself, my partner, my family and friends, and even for strangers. A year to prioritize my health, both physically and mentally. A year to allow many tears and also to find joy in the most ordinary of days.

I’m actually unable to hold back tears thinking of all we went through this year with such little reprieve. To go through cancer on top of it all was just ridiculous, honestly. So, I am grateful to sit here and reflect on the highs and lows of 2020. I am even more grateful to be able to look ahead to the ordinary joys, the eventual hugs, and the lessons that 2021 will bring.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but on my 30th birthday last year, I kept feeling that 2020 would be a big year. Not like the “best year ever” kind of year, but the kind where you’re challenged in all the important ways. I usually decide on a word that symbolizes my intentions for the year, and I just couldn’t pick one last year, but as the second quarter of the year began with COVID and a cancer diagnosis, I found myself always coming back to a Japanese phrase I learned a few years ago:

And so that’s what I’ve done this year. I just kept putting one foot in front of the other and doing the best I could to get through each day. Trust me, some days were better than others and there were many days that I had to ask for help. So to those of you who prayed for me, who let me cry with you on the phone, who laughed with me on zoom calls, who sent cards and letters, who wore masks & socially distanced to protect the immunocompromised – I am incredibly thankful for you.

A few highlights from this year:
Getting to spend a whole month with my mom in Hawaii. Staycations. Cooking at home and learning new recipes. Being outside more often. Meeting new people (mainly my excellent medical team and an incredible group of cancer thrivers). Growing closer to my husband as we rounded out our second year of marriage and head into our third. Working on my Pilates certification. New babies. Friends getting married. Learning my own strength.

I won’t dwell on the lows, but I will remember how much I learned from them. This year my word is JOY. I hope to find more joy in each day, be more present, and celebrate every little victory. There will be setbacks, I’m sure of it, but if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that they can be overcome. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, safe new year and sending you so much love and gratitude.

Cheers to 2021! ❤

A Fertility Update

A Fertility Update

by bridewitt ♥ 3 Comments

How it’s going…

You may remember me posting a while back about the different ways I tried to protect my fertility as I prepared to start chemotherapy. First, I froze some eggs. In case I’m unable to conceive naturally later, I can use them for IVF. I also started monthly Zoladex injections – a medication that halts ovarian function in an attempt to preserve fertility overall.

And so, at age 31, I’ve been in a Zoladex-induced menopause since June. Six whole months later, my estrogen levels have tanked and my joints ache like I’m an 100-year-old lady! Some other fun side effects include amenorrhea (lack of a period), hot flashes, and dyspareunia. So, I’m currently staying as active as possible (mostly walking and stretching when I have the energy) in order to mitigate some of those side effects, and thankfully, my oncologist and I decided it was time to discontinue the Zoladex now that the bulk of treatment is behind me. Today marks one month since my last injection!

For more detailed info about fertility preservation, you can read my earlier post here.

What to expect now?

Typically, the menstrual cycle can take a few months to return as the body figures out its new normal once again. As I have some previous experience with amenorrhea after I came off the birth control pill in 2019, I know that what I eat will play a huge role in how quickly my body gets back to normal. Thus, the plant-based diet continues (plus no dairy, processed sugars, or alcohol) and I will try my absolute hardest to cut back on caffeine to keep my nervous system calm.

I also plan to use seed cycling to help my body regulate the essential hormones it needs for menstruation and ovulation. This is a great article about how to do seed cycling if you’re interested in learning more. Seed cycling is an excellent, natural way to balance hormones, however if you have hormone-positive cancer, please ask your doctor if a daily dose of phytoestrogens is safe for you!

Once I’ve completed radiation therapy, I’ll speak with my medical oncologist and OB/GYN about when it will be safe to start trying to conceive. With that said, I think my body deserves a long break to heal completely before that all happens. Actually, this might be a good time to kindly remind you that it’s just not acceptable to ask a person when they plan to have children. A person’s body is their own to make decisions for and, sometimes, people aren’t capable or willing to have children at all.

My goal for this blog has always been to be as open and honest about my experiences as possible in the hopes that whoever may be reading this can gain some insight for their own health and wellness. Personally, I don’t think there’s ever TMI (too much information) disclosed when it comes to learning about your own body and how it works. This coming from a pelvic floor PT who talks about poop all day… Anyway, I’d love to know what questions you have about:

  • fertility preservation during cancer treatments
  • long-term side effects of the birth control pill
  • nutrition around hormone balance
  • seed cycling

Drop your Q’s in the comments below!

Rad.

Rad.

by bridewitt ♥ 4 Comments

I had my consultation with my radiation oncologist yesterday which went well. Dr. Tsuji spent well over an hour with me taking my history and explaining the process and side effects of radiation therapy. It’s always extra comforting when a physician comes in having already reviewed your chart and having an individualized plan in mind.

Although I had an excellent response to chemo and the post-surgical pathology shows that there was no residual cancer in the tumor bed or the lymph nodes, radiation is important with breast-conserving surgeries to get rid of any cancer cells that may remain in other areas of the breast that weren’t removed (as they would have been in a mastectomy). So, Dr. Tsuji recommends 4 weeks of whole-breast radiation (no axillary radiation since nodes were clear) with a boost to the tumor bed. After everything’s been set up, I’ll go for radiation 5 days per week, likely starting the 2nd or 3rd week of January.

Birthday stay-cation! Thankful to have many options to “get away” in Honolulu!

The side effects of radiation therapy are fatigue, which generally increases as the treatment progresses, and skin irritation which is basically like a bad sun burn. With radiation to the breast, the radiation oncologist takes as much precaution as possible to minimize radiation to the lungs and the heart. One way to protect them is to perform a breath hold during the treatment to raise the breast tissue away from the organs as the lungs expand and so we may see how that goes when I do my simulation in a few weeks.

I also need to be sure my left arm range of motion improves before I can start radiation since I’ll likely be positioned lying on my back with my hands behind my head. I can get there now, but it’s not at all comfortable due to the cording. My PT did work on it last week and it got significantly better after just one treatment, but it’s not quite there yet so I have some goals in the next few weeks!

I’ll see my oncologist on Thursday for a post-surgical follow up and planning and will see my surgeon after that to have my bandages removed from my port surgery. Thankfully, all is going well and everything is healing up nicely. Overall, I’m feeling well but definitely looking forward to being able to be more active again. I’m thankful to be on the last stretch of treatment and starting the new year cancer free!

Aloha ❤

GratiTuesday

GratiTuesday

by bridewitt ♥ 1 Comment

It seems like time is moving so slowly some days during this pandemic, and yet here we are in Thanksgiving week already. Though 2020 has had it’s detours, I can honestly say there has been more to be grateful for this year than ever.

Yesterday, I went in for my pre-surgery blood work and COVID testing. In all honesty, my white count was still quite low and I was pretty sure we were going to have to bump my surgery, but my surgeon and oncologist agreed that it’s high enough to proceed on Friday so today, I’m most grateful not to have to delay. My COVID test was also negative – not surprising since I never go out without a mask on or practicing social distancing. That immunocompromised life, though…

Peep that 4-week post-chemo hair growth!

My mom has been here for a little over a week now and it’s been so nice having her here. Thankfully, she’s been up for trying all of our vegan cooking, walking almost daily, and watching plenty of The Crown and Holiday Baking Championship. We were lucky enough to be able to have a little stay-cation at Aulani Resort thanks to my mom’s colleague, and we had a really nice time relaxing by the beach and pools.

I know that it would be easy to look back on the last 9 months and say what a shit show this year has been between COVID restrictions and a cancer diagnosis, but what I’d rather remember from this year is the simple, day-to-day moments that are the true blessings in life.

I’m grateful for the way my husband has stepped up more than I ever could have expected he would after my diagnosis (I should have known better, though…he’s the best person I know).

I’m grateful for my my mom calling and FaceTiming with me on a daily basis and who patiently waited for a safe time to come visit. For my sister, who has sent care packages, shared my posts, and called often. For my dad, who’s been calling more often just to say hi and to check in on me. For my stepdad, who calls and texts me just to let me know he loves me, too.

I’m grateful for texts, calls, & vent sessions with my besties and zoom mocktail dates. For care packages and cards from my aunties. For frequent check-ins and notes from my co-workers.

I’m amazed by the empathy and integrative care I’ve received from my doctors and healthcare providers this year who are doing their jobs excellently while dealing with added considerations from a pandemic.

I’ve enjoyed trying new plant-based recipes and taking an extended break from alcohol and processed sugar. I was lucky to get to work with fun nurses and to be able to give people good news while working safely from home. I’ve been able to walk outside often and to improve my Pilates skills at home.

If I can sum it all up, I’d say that I’m most grateful for my people who make this life so beautiful. We all have a responsibility to each other, and with all that has gone on for me personally this year, I urge you to be kind to one another and take care of each other as best you can.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! Take a moment to write down what you’re grateful for this year!

Aloha ❤

Surgery Update

Surgery Update

by bridewitt ♥ 2 Comments

Hey everyone- hope you’re all having a good week! I had a few people text me about the results of my MRI & surgery consult so I figured I better update you!

I did my MRI two weeks ago and they took images with and without contrast. The good news is that the mass that was present on the ultrasound did not “light up” on the MRI so we’re hopeful that small mass is just scar tissue rather than residual cancer cells. However, we will not know for sure until the mass is removed and sent to pathology after surgery.

I met with my surgeon on Monday, and we agreed to go forward with breast-conserving surgery (aka “lumpectomy”). She will also do a sentinel lymph node biopsy to be sure there is no cancer in the lymph nodes. We are planning for surgery on November 27 as long as my pesky white blood cell count comes back up – it was really low last week again. I better enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner because no eating after midnight!

From what I know now, I’ll check in early in the morning and will have a radioactive dye injected into my left breast. The dye traces the circulation from the tumor itself to the lymph nodes. The surgeon will then remove the first node to which the tumor drains as well as any other lymph nodes which may contain cancer cells.

Once the nodes are removed, they are sent to pathology to determine how many contain cancerous cells. If there are cancerous cells in a majority of the nodes, the surgeon may choose to remove additional nodes while I’m still under anesthesia. Otherwise, she will remove the mass and that will be that!

The recovery should be relatively “easy” as I should only have 2 small incisions and no precautions or drains like I would have if I opted for a mastectomy with reconstruction. I should mention that I’m not choosing a mastectomy for several reasons:

  • I do not have a BRCA gene mutation, therefore my risk of a local recurrence and my overall cancer survival rate is not affected by choosing a more conservative surgery.
  • As a rehab professional, I am well aware that a mastectomy is a MAJOR surgery, and the recovery is more difficult and the healing timeline can be longer.
  • Had I chosen mastectomy, I would have likely chosen to have reconstruction as well which would require multiple additional surgeries & I just don’t have the energy for all of that!

Breast-conserving surgery is my personal choice based on what I know about my cancer now. There are many reasons why someone else would choose a mastectomy. Everyone’s situation is very different so just because this seems to be the right option for me doesn’t mean it’s the right (or best) option for someone else.

I will need radiation after surgery as well and I’ll be referred to a radiation oncologist to determine the plan. I’m also going to see my PT colleague for pre-operative lymphedema measures so I have a baseline to compare to after surgery.

2 weeks Post-chemo Faux-Hawk!

My hair and eyebrows are growing in nicely! In fact, I can almost make a baby mohawk. For 3 weeks post-chemo, I’m pretty excited about that! With my eyelashes growing in, my eyes have become super irritated, but I will be SO thankful to have lashes again! I miss mascara!

If you have any questions for me about surgery, lymphedema risk, or anything related to breast cancer or physical therapy – leave a comment for me below!

Hop you all have a great weekend! My mom will be here in two days! How lucky am I?!

Aloha ❤