Do it!

I am truly proud, and honored, to say that one of my very good friends has just had a mammogram for the first time in twenty some years, and it’s mostly because of this blog and the information I’m sharing about the cancer demon I’m battling!

Come on, girls – if you’ve been avoiding those nasty torture chambers because it’s just no fun – get off the stick and get it done!! You don’t want to have to go through what I have!

I’ll finally admit out loud that I’d avoided it - for only 6 years. My cancer probably would have been caught if I’d been more diligent in getting a regular mammogram. But it always hurt, to the point of tears. I have/had very dense breast tissue, and it made it difficult to get a clear ‘picture’. So they had to squish my poor puppies over and over again. And it hurt – you know how it hurts. So I just kept making excuses.

No more excuses. Get it done! For yourselves and for your families! You don’t want to have to go thru the terror, the trauma, the disfigurement, the pain, that I have – that I’ve walked you thru here!

The newer machines and technologies are much kinder than the old ones used to be – for tiny titties and for big-breasted gals and all the lovely shapes and sizes in between! It’s worth the several minutes of indignity!

That said – this last bout of poison continues to taunt me. Ten days out, and I figured I’d at least avoided the horrible dreams that I seem to get at least once a chemo session. Nope – last night was the night! Wild and ugly dreams that would awaken me every hour or so with my heart pounding, covered in sweat! So today I’m feeling totally exhausted but unable to sleep.

I had high hopes of getting several projects accomplished this summer, since I knew I’d be staying close to home – making some jewelry, creating some fancy goodies from the shells I collected while in Kino Bay in Mexico a couple winters ago, doing some jigsaw puzzles, getting caught up on reading – but I’ve found that I rarely even have the energy to watch movies I’ve recorded on the DVR. It’s just too much trouble. I simply have no energy for anything.

I force myself to walk my sweet little doggie a couple times a day, and I make my meals – and that’s about it. I play Spider Solitaire or Mahjongg on the computer, try to stay caught up with email and my blog, and try to do a couple Sudoku puzzles, and that takes care of the energy for the day. Grocery shopping demolishes me for a couple days. I’m almost glad it’s been so bloody hot here this summer – it’s a great excuse not to leave the house!

The runs continue to plague me – every time I eat. Imodium controls them temporarily, but the flood begins anew each time I put something in my mouth! But can I lose any weight? Nooooooooooo! Unfortunately! Oh well – why should I expect any benefits from the time I spend in the lua (Hawaiian word for the loo – or whatever you might choose to call the head . . . the toilet . . the john . . . whatever!). Just a sore and tender fanny, for four months . . . and counting.

And for the last couple days, I’ve had a headache that won’t respond to even my prescription headache meds. This morning, though, it seems to be fading a bit – maybe a lousy night’s sleep is the answer!

My mouth? It still tastes gross – like a mouthful of laundry detergent now. I’m guessing on that description – I don’t recollect taking a mouthful of detergent on purpose or otherwise. Chocolate doesn’t even taste good anymore. (And I still can’t lose weight!) Today, I’m just going to eat bacon – that still tastes about right!

The mouth sores are pretty much gone, I’m happy to say! And I still have almost half a bottle of the third pint of Magic Mouthwash!!

Oh, and my face is now starting to break out! 63 years old and I’m starting to look like a teenager – WTF is that all about? Plus having hot flashes about twice an hour! And I’ll never understand why they’re called ‘flashes’ since they seem to last an average of about 20 minutes each! And I haven’t even started the damned drug that’s supposed to make them worse!

Not to mention, of course, the disgusting lymphedema that I’m stuck with for the rest of my life – a swollen, sometimes painful, ugly and poorly functioning VITAL arm that will require a compression glove and full arm sleeve every day for fucking ever!

SO . . . go get those mammograms, and you hopefully won’t have to go through all this same kind of shit! Girls, it ain’t no fun!!! I do not wish this on anyone – ever! Get your mammogram, and support breast cancer in any way possible.

One way to support the cause is a daily click on The Breast Cancer Site. Your click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button helps fund free mammograms for women in need — low-income, inner-city and minority women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. Your click is paid for by site sponsors, and mammogram funding is provided to clinics throughout the U.S. through the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

It only takes a few seconds to make those clicks and helps so much. Plus, it's easy to sign up to receive a daily email reminder to make those clicks! Just follow the simple directions where it says "GET A DAILY REMINDER TO CLICK"!!

GO GET YOUR MAMMO! Just do it, as they say! Now!