It has been a long journey since my last post at the end of November. Once Thanksgiving passed time flew by in a blur. Now? It seems like a dream. However, as you can see from my picture above I am coming out the other side and still smiling.
My cancer surgery was originally scheduled for 12/3/2025. However, right after Thanksgiving it was rescheduled for 12/10/2025. I decided to work through Wednesday 12/3/2025 and it was a very hard day. My Middle School Speech students and my Game Club students knew I was leaving for a surgery yet that’s all they knew. I simply kept telling them it would all be “all right” and that I would be back on Monday 1/12/2026. Little did I know I was about to get more curve balls thrown my way.
On Friday 12/5/2025 I started my medical leave as well as the Lovenox shots and stopped my blood thinners. I am on blood thinners for life due to life threatening blood clots I had at 34 years of age. The shots involve two injections in your sides twice a day (AM & PM). Sounds easy right? NO! You see the needle stick is not bad yet the medicine itself STINGS horribly and you feel it going in. The amount of fluid in each shot takes forever to get in. At least this time around I had my husband helping me yet I felt bad as I could not help crying. I was stoic for the first two days, yet on the second day with my sides already black and blue I was crying before we even started. I know the stress of the upcoming surgery and my anxiety played a part. Now one might say ‘crying? It’s ok to cry’. Well that may be true yet by day four they were deep wrenching sobs as I cuddled my stuffed axolotl bunny. We did figure out that if we used an ice pack on my side BEFORE the shot, did the shot, replaced the ice pack on, did the second shot, then more ice it helped. All in all each set of two shots took at least 30 minutes and I ended with a severe headache and was emotionally drained.
In total I had to give myself 18 shots pre-surgery and then 24 after as I weaned back onto blood thinners.
Hence the medical leave before surgery. By 12/10 I was a black and blue emotional mess. I will go more into the surgery and after surgery next time.
I will end today with my SILVER LINING- I am alive. I am loved by my family and friends. I will keep fighting this cancer and I will face every day with a smile.
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