But it turns out that a lot of folks would like to know a little more than this. Kim just passed over 11 months since her diagnosis and she's doing very well. She's been riding her bike to and from work, (Hey, the sun is out in Portland and that helps a lot), and is energized about the summer ahead.
We'd heard that her hair would come back and very likely in a different way. It's hard to say what color her hair is because she dyed it violet red a few weeks ago once the peach fuzz began to grow longer and curl. Nearly everyone who has been through the process says that chemotherapy changes hair to curly and Kim's hair is much curlier than before. The one surprise for me has been how fine and soft it is. Some people had told us that it would be much coarser than before but her hair is incredibly soft. Those curls on the back are luxurious. Kim says that her longer hair often tickles her neck or her ears as she rediscovers life with her own hair again. Now that the heat has come to Portland I'd say she appreciates having short hair.
One of the highlights of Kim's day is just before bed when she can finally take her "squeezies" off. Her squeezies are her bra and an arm sleeve she's been wearing to help with nerve pain and numbness related to lymphedema. She didn't experience significant side effects from the lumpectomy, like neuropathy, though she does have numbness and pain. She credits acupuncture with preventing the neuropathy and she's worked diligently with her PT to get her mobility back. The pain is slowly going away and we both credit exercise in accelerating that process. She still has limited range of movement due to scar tissue though I'd bet a summer of activity will help improve that.
She began wearing the arm sleeve on her left arm just over two months ago. Her first sleeve was a plain tan and I was shocked when she told me it was over $110. (You can get two pair of Rapha arm warmers for that!) Bike joke... But seriously, with all the work in athletic apparel design you'd think there's better stuff, with better design, and for much less than this.
She found another one a few weeks ago that had a much nicer feel and design.
Every once in a while I call her The Answer
She's wearing the sleeves with less frequency and expects to be done with them in the next few weeks. The heat adds to her desire to stop wearing them and it's likely she'll be done with the sleeves by her one year anniversary of the diagnosis, July 19th.
Now, the big news, Kim is running the Hood to Coast relay with a team from work in late August. It's a 200-mile team relay race from Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood to Seaside, Oregon. Running is still difficult for her. Her scar tissue hurts and, like me, she's dealing with some knee issues. But she's motivated by a challenge and she really likes the people where she works. Both Kim and I appreciate that they believe in her enough to invite her onto the squad. She's nervous but the challenge is inspiring and, again, she has great respect for the folks that invited her to run. It's hard to get her to run when all she wants to do is ride her bike but great strides (ahem) are being made.
Here's to summer.
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