spreading the word: change

My path has been interesting — sometimes easy, sometimes difficult, but it is the only path I know.

It has brought me to a place where I have not only an ability but an obligation to reach out to people, to tell them my story, to let them know that they are not stuck, that change is possible.

This blog is a little piece of that, but I want to make it bigger.

If you have an audience who is looking to hear a great story from a personable speaker that will help them to take the first steps to making the positive changes that they want to make in their lives, look no further!

If you are in the Phoenix metro area, I will speak to your group for no charge. If you are out of the area, I do request that transportation and accommodations be provided.

Please contact me: heather at secondchancefit dot com. You can look at my website at the same URL for more information about me.

still healthy ... and a hair cut

A few noteworthy things have happened in the past week.

First, I had my 4-month checkup yesterday and everything looks good. I continue to receive only chest x-rays (no PET or CT scans) and will stay on that course unless something suspicious pops up.

I also had my yearly blood chemistry done, and everything looks good there as well.

Last weekend, I decided to buzz my head again for the summer. Having been there before, it was much less intimidating to do.

#2 all the way around :)

I am enjoying its ease of care, but there were two things I hadn't thought about ahead of time.

First, the first shower that I took after getting it cut, I got out of the shower and looked in the mirror and was surprised not to see a big ugly scar with stitches in my throat. That's where my biopsy was done, and the first time my hair looked like this, there was indeed a big ugly scar with stitches there. I was surprised that that's what my brain was expecting to see. It hasn't popped up since.

I have gotten a lot of compliments on the cut, and I am always amazed at how many women tell me they wish they could wear their hair like that. Um, you can! Go to the salon and ask for #2 all the way around, then pay them :) "My head is a funny shape." So is mine! If I run my hand over my head, there are bumps and valleys all over, but even a cut this short doesn't show them :)

Second, I had the aforementioned oncologist appointment yesterday. In the waiting room, it's not a cute or hot or chic haircut, it's a "I have cancer" haircut. Very interesting how simply walking through that door completely changed perception of the cut.

Here's to continued health and hair freedom!

the latest happenings

Well, I haven't had much to say lately, which is a good thing!! Life has been moving on. (Don't get the impression that this happens on its own — I've been making a lot of that life happen!)

I have become a certified personal trainer and am starting my own side business in my home. I also have started up a blog about change, healthy changes, etc.

My blog, Change Is Possible, is here.

My website for Second Chance FitCenter (a work in progress, but OK for now) is here. I will be ready for appointments beginning some time in June.

Become a fan of Second Chance FitCenter on Facebook!

Check them out! If you like them, pass them along. My best friend right now is word of mouth!

the science behind chemo brain

This article explains chemo brain biologically. Very readable. Very interesting.

another clean scan :)

I had an appointment with the oncologist today, after a chest X-ray and blood work on Thursday. X-ray was clean, blood work looked good. My next appointment is in late May.

Today is two years since I finished radiation. So much has happened in those two years... It feels like much longer ago than that, but I've been a busy chica, and being busy certainly makes time pass more quickly.

This blog has become pretty not interesting, but I guess that's a good thing :)

In the last couple of weeks, I've had three more people comment that I have hair now. This is slightly annoying, since my hair started growing in before I even finished chemo, and that was over two years ago. Not a huge deal by any means, but come on now people. I've moved on. You can, too.

At school, they're participating in the Pennies for Patients drive, which supports people with blood cancers. I'm pretty sure this had nothing to do with me, that it's coincidence. But I told the counselor, who is organizing the whole thing, that if she wanted to let kids know that I had a blood cancer, so this might help people like me, she was welcome to, and that if anyone wanted to talk about it, I'm happy to answer questions. I had quite a few kids ask me questions, which was cool (some of them have been my students for long enough that they remember when I was out). I also had a few kids come in and put change in my box, which I thought was cool. They are competing with other homerooms, so change they give to me doesn't count towards their competition, which makes it that much sweeter for them to do.

I've given up the search for an answer or a cure for chemo boobs. I am dealing with my heart rate issue when I exercise in hopes that it will come down eventually. And I still wear sunscreen, though I don't know if I need to be as vigilant about it or not. No need to press my luck.

Otherwise, lots of good stuff going on professionally and blissfully little to report on the health front. I've been using my NetiPot almost every day when I get home from work, and I'm convinced that is the primary reason that I haven't been sick yet this season. There's still plenty of time, I know, but so far, so good...

happy new year!

May 2010 bring good health, mental stability, and spiritual peace to all!

brief holiday musings

I am constantly reminded how lucky I am.

It's Christmas — a holiday I don't really celebrate but my family does, so I do by proximity — and I am healthy. I'm working, I'm exercising, I'm doing pretty much whatever I want ... well, I'm not restricted by a tumor or white blood cell counts or anything of that nature, at least. We're not gathering this year in fear that it's my last. I'm not in a hospital.

For the people who are in one of those situations ... I would do something for you, but I don't have the first clue what that would be. If you have a suggestion (in general, for yourself, for someone you know), let me know. In person visits need to be local ;)

In the mean time, it's a day of celebration. If you celebrate and love Christmas and look forward to today all year — here it is! Merry Christmas! If you celebrate it and dread it, or if you don't celebrate it, it's a day of celebration — in another few hours, it'll finally be gone for another year ;)

Since I decided to stop doing a post a day, I have gotten a bit lazy over here. Well, lazy on the blog.

Fortunately, there's not much going on on the cancer front.

I was given a neat pair of silver earrings in the shape of a ribbon for my two years cancer free anniversary. I wore them to work one day and was asked if they were breast cancer earrings.

ARGH!!! NO!!!!

Shit. Ribbons don't even necessarily signify cancer awareness, much less cancer awareness. The pink ribbon has got to go.

I am still in the process of becoming a Certified Personal Trainer. I have big dreams of opening a small studio in my house where I can help fellow survivors make their bodies strong. I will definitely post more when I have more to post.

In the mean time, just living life. Lots going on at/for work, lots going on with the CPT stuff. I've managed to keep myself healthy so far this school year which is nice (and is no easy task!).

Life is good :-)

new plan

OK, so I realized that these posts were ... boring? When I came up with the blog-a-day idea, I had a lot in my head, and as soon as I sat down to type, it all dissipated. So I will save blogging for days when I have something to say or something to share :)

Year 3, Day 7

I'm attempting to blog every day in my third year of remission with info, news, or on a person front, what's in my head, how I'm keeping my body healthy, etc.

One of the things I've gotten much better about is taking care of myself in small ways. I'm getting better at saying "no" which is a huge help. I'm better about going to bed early when I'm super-tired, even if that makes me a big dork. As I've come to be a healthier eater, I crave sweets much less frequently — close to never. I'm better about not letting other people's food issues influence me. For example, if I'm at a small social gathering and there are cookies and I don't want one, I won't eat one. Yes, that sounds simple enough, but have you ever declined a cookie in a group of cookie-eaters? You know what happens :)

Anyway, small things. Yesterday I slept in. Mid-afternoon, I was sleepy again, so I took a nap instead of arguing with myself that I shouldn't be sleepy since I slept in and staying up anyway.

Tonight, I am sleepy again. I am going to bed here shortly, even though it's barely 7:00.

(I'm not worried about all of this sleepiness right now: hubby's been sick and I'm sure I'm fighting his germs. Also have my period which often makes me sleepier.)

If there's anything you'd like me to write about, let me know and I'll see what I can do.