After all of this, it took a long, long time for me to return to normal. I kept saying "I think I am back. Fully recovered." Not so. Inside my body there was a war going on between the estrogen suppressing drugs and my body's own hormones. I was hot, tired, irritable, you name it. Finally in August of 2011, my uterus (or as the boys now call it, the organ that shall not be named) broke for good. I started bleeding and it did not stop. After lots of doctor visits and super fun tests, I finally convinced the docs that the darn thing just needed to come out. In January of 2012, I had a full hysterectomy. Bye, Bye Uterus. Bye, Bye Ovaries. Bye, Bye Drugs to Suppress Hormones. Bye, Bye Drugs to Help with the Side Effects of the Other Drugs. Ugh!
My recovery was almost immediate. No more crazy hormones and no more drugs made me feel better immediately. Really better. Back to myself. By the spring of 2012, people were coming up to me and saying, "Wow, you look good. Did you do something different with your hair?" Nope, it is the flush of health returning to my face. Apparently you can see it, because many, many people noticed.
So I am finally back from a long, dark journey. It has changed all of us profoundly. The only thing left to say is God's ways are not our ways. We do not always understand. But God is always faithful. He is always good. He holds us in the palm of His hand and never lets. go.
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I had to change the picture because all I do when I see the one below is admire my hair. In this picture you can really see how I was mistaken for a teenage boy in a store one day.
In Hawaii in May. Ben is checking out a lizard.
Snorkeling anyone?
This is our dog Pip. The cat and the lizard are not very photogenic.
We celebrate Andrew's 13th Birthday at a luau.
This is the story of our family's journey through breast cancer. Wondering why we think our life is wonderful? Read the very first post. Thanks for joining us. ____________________________________ cara.wittmaier@sbcglobal.net
I had to change the picture because all I do when I see the one below is admire my hair. In this picture you can really see how I was mistaken for a teenage boy in a store one day.
In Hawaii in May. Ben is checking out a lizard.
Snorkeling anyone?
This is our dog Pip. The cat and the lizard are not very photogenic.
We celebrate Andrew's 13th Birthday at a luau.
It's a Funny Thing About Cancer - Things That Make Us Laugh
- Your husband freaks out when you say that a back scratch might be better than sex...but have you ever had an itch you couldn't scratch for two months?
- Paul stated the other day that he felt "mentally disfigured". So true!
- The special mixture of creme to heal my radiation burns is provided to me in a lovely urine specimin cup.
- Your mom standing with her boob in the freezer: just another thing you don't see in public school!
- After I commented that I missed my brain, my friend responded, "I guess stupid people just don't know what they are missing."
- Informative diagrams on prescriptions that very clearly detail how to administer a suppository. And yes, you have to keep it in the fridge. Praise God, I never actually had to use that one!
- Hair grows back baby fine. Not funny, you say? It is when it is your leg hair and you don't notice it until it is 3/4 of an inch long!
- If you wear a stocking cap to bed, is it considered lingerie?
- Reassurance by a helpful cancer book that certain body hair (you know what I am talking about) usually grows back. Usually?!?
- My haircuts now involve stylist Paul and a beard trimmer.
- Texting when drugged up on Benedryl - definitely a don't!
- I need to choose my head scarf carefully to avoid unflattering comparasions to pirates and being mistaken for a teenage boy. The second one actually happened. Boy, was that lady embarassed.
- When your hair falls out, in the morning you look like you have wrestled with a cat.
- My armpits can now fit in anywhere. One is a hairless American model; the other one (with the scar) is a very hairy European style.
- My friend commenting that I have a beautiful set...of scars!
- The armless trash bag poncho Mom invented to wash my hair without getting the bandages wet. Very hot and afterward I always felt like ripping it open like the Incredible Hulk.
- "Open breast" surgery is not as scary as open heart surgery. - Andrew
- Everyone, men and women, staring at my boobs. Trust me, this is a very new thing for me.
- Uneven pit stains - The underarm where I had surgery no longer sweats. What a savings on deoderant.
- Paul saying, "You had better hurry up and go get ready. You still have hair (to fix) you know."
- Lymph fluid looks a lot like snot. Sorry that's gross! -- Andrew
- Ben gagging theatrically everytime he sees my incision
- If one bra doesn't hold 'em still, two will
- A return to humming every VBS song you know during doctor's appointments
- A breast MRI - lay down like superman, breasts flying free underneath, shoes on??
Wow! That really brings things full circle. I had been thinking about you and was going to check with your mom. You are right about God's ways and that He does hold you in the palm of His hand. What a blessing you have been given.
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