5 weeks post-surgery, this post from @thecancerpatient is me minus the boobs 🙋🏼♀️! Our goal to reach full range of motion before radiation begins has been achieved. Recovery is a process with many lows and highs. My days are filled with health-supporting appointments, stretches, and doing 15 minute intervals of activities. It is frustrating and humbling not being able to do most things with limited arm capacity on both sides. My bag lady ways are being put to the test! 🥴 I went from being super active prior to surgery to passive and not able to exercise for two months after. As a result neuropathy in my toes is worse, and sleep has been a challenge. I'm able to sleep on one side now, am healing well and tightness/pain are improving.
I have some new swelling in my chest under my incisions this week so am back to wearing the tight binder from my surgeon... I can now be grateful for not coming up in corsets of the Elizabethan era!
After only being able to do 30 minute "saunter" walks, I can slowly increase my activity per my physical therapist and was very happy to take this longer hike today, which will improve my sleep and mental state. I've taken for granted all those wonderful benefits of regular exercise, wow, and won't ever again! It RAINED last night, which brought beautiful fresh air and blue skies, something else I no longer take for granted with fires raging.
I start the final leg of my treatment marathon year on Monday of daily radiation for the next six weeks. I have another rock star female doctor to complete my team, who told me today that everything has gone as well as we could have hoped for. She is very thorough and data-driven in formulating the treatment plan recommendation based on my specific cancer presentation, and I was able to choose what feels like the best course out of several options. We have been testing out bandage tolerance on my arm in hopes of offering a bit more protection for my skin during treatment. Onward! 💪🏼
