Guest blogger, Carol Dunlop is certified through FiTour as a Personal Trainer and through the American Red Cross as a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. She has competed and placed in several Fitness America and National Bodybuilding competitions. To receive your Free E-course “How to Burn Calories While you Sleep,” check out her website, OptimumBodySculpting.com.
If you missed Carol’s first installment in this series documenting her journey through her battle with breast cancer, you can read more about her moving story here: Reflections on My Fight with Breast Cancer.
One of the worst things about this whole breast cancer journey is the waiting. It seems that I’m always waiting for something:
- A doctor’s appointment
- The actual doctor
- A procedure or test
- The results
- The decision
Sometimes, it’s just so much, you feel as though you can’t go through one more waiting period for anything. But, then you do it and you move on to the next waiting period for… whatever.
Right now, or rather for the last two weeks, I was awaiting the decision of my illustrious insurance company as to whether or not they will approve my chemotherapy. They have no reason not to, since I was diagnosed within their time frame of coverage and never had any other diagnosis of this type before. But you know how our healthcare system can be.
I spoke to the nurse at my doctor’s office and I will be starting chemo next week. But first, I have to get an Echocardiogram to test the health and strength of my heart because of the chemo drugs that I will be given. Then I have to have a port placed in my chest so they can administer the chemo directly and not have to keep creating a new IV each time I go for treatment. I suppose it will be like pulling up to the gas station and filling up my tank?
All jokes aside, the seriousness of all these procedures isn’t lost on me at all. As a matter of fact, when the doctor first explained all this, I could barely keep myself from having a panic attack! It was quite intense and a heck of a lot of info to digest.
So now, I’m waiting again, for all this to start. I’m trying not to freak out about the whole process and the after-affects of the chemo. I’m really just trying to take it one day, one procedure, one waiting period at a time.
___________________________________________________
Guest Blog Series: Look for the following badge on your favorite health sites to see if they have been a featured guest blogger on DietsInReview.com. See other posts in the Guest Blog series.
If you would like to apply to be featured as a guest blogger, please contact us.