A year ago today, my body was in terrible terrible pain and my head was pounding as I was admitted into the hospital. I already had a foot boot for a heel fracture. No energy was to be had. 72 hours later and a med change and I was going home on the eve of Christmas Eve. I had a lot to still do and was just very tired.

It seemed impossible on that day that I would ever feel like myself; that the pain would stop and that I could get back to life as “normal” as can be.

Fast forward a few weeks and I found out I had to get a biopsy on my left breast. On my Mom’s birthday half way through January while at work, I took the call abut the breast cancer.  I remember we were celebrating my coworkers birthday in the kitchen and I missed my PCP’s call.  I remember walking outside with a coworker to stand against this rough pillar in front of the  building.  She listened in with me as I was told.  At that point, losing hope that the Mammo and ultrasound were wrong.  I was getting tests to be ready for surgery it was thought that I might have a tumor on the right side. I received this call at work and pretty much curled up under a desk to cry and sleep.  The ladies didnt want me to go home alone. That was the last day I worked there. Since it had been seen on an MRI, I had to have an MRI guided biopsy. It hurt worse than any pain before or right up there. I will never ever have one again. The first biopsy was ultrasound guided and a breeze compared to the MRI one. Laying on your stomach for the test most definitely did not make it any easier. It was a rather long procedure too. It came back that it was not cancer. Wahoo! I was scheduled for the seed insertion and had the lumpectomy and sentinel node removal done on a snowy day a few days later.  Thankfully Mike was able to be off and drove my Mom and I over. We had to be there early and the weather was horrible. It was done by mid-morning. Everyone at work had been fighting  viruses and mine came with coughing that day. I couldn’t shake the rest of the symptoms the next day and ran a high fever. This lasted for awhile and I think the coughing was much worse than the pain. Later when I could look at the incision in my breast, I couldn’t believe the size and texture of the incision under my arm. I only had one incision that was used to remove the lump and the node.

The next few months passed by so slowly. I started healing, got cellulitis and had months of C. Diff that made me super sick. I had high fevers and don’t remember much from those days in the hospital. I do remember my Mom being there by my side the first couple of days. I do remember going thru the days I was in the hospital with IVs blowing and eventually getting a pic line. Over the following month, I was in the ER I think 4 times. My PC had me go to an infectious disease appointment at Butler. I had been on many antibiotics at that point so the Dr ordered a new medicine that eventually knocked that nasty nasty bacteria from my system. I was also told to  be careful with antibiotics going forward.  I am someone that always catches everything that goes around as it was before cancer.  I was taking radiation and continued to see changes in that left breast and arm pit. My scar had continued to heal and was probably a third or maybe even less the size it started with. Still painful. Still beet red. Still burnt and split open from treatment. I finished treatment and was told I should heal okay. It still looks and feels swollen and hard compared to its partner on the right with some nerve damage below. I would have to take a med for the next 5 years to try and avoid reoccurrence along with a shot of Lupron every 3 months. So I am left with taking yet more meds and more meds.  I have lymphodema on the left side; mild so far but it is there.

I had to have two different genetic tests to determine stage and treatment plans. The first indicated it was not a genetic cancer and the second was my oncotype which is used to show patient and Drs the reoccurrence %. Mine was indicative of IDC, STAGE 1, and something like 11%. For this reason, I deal with horrific hot flashes and pain in my legs and feet.  I didn’t have chemo, but still have had side effects.

I noticed slightly before the cancer diagnosis and more after my memory and ability to catch on had changed.  I was also getting migraines everyday.  I was terribly stressed and muscles spasming a lot.   I was sleeping daily many hours.  I followed up with my doctors.  The neurologist I normally see sent me to Pittsburgh thinking I had MS again.  I say again because this is at least the third battery of tests.  I refused to do the spinal tap this time as I get so sick after.  The MRI hadn’t changed from the abnormal results from 2013.  The MS specialist, also a neurologist said he didn’t feel I had MS, however needed to see a migraine doctor and a movement disorder neurologist. I saw the migraine Dr and she prescribed some preventative meds to work on getting rid of them.   The movement disorder Dr was amazing and immediately saw something no one else seemed to notice.  My tremors, movement and gate were not so good that day. I gave a blood sample for the Mayo Clinic that day.  Months later receiving the news that I had Huntington’s Disease.  Not a shock because I knew the possibility was there.  She kindly explained and made sure I understood.  I don’t think I even cried at that point.  My FIL had driven so I met him in the waiting room and went home.

Fast forward a month & here I am.