Nope

• Back pain = still here
• Running = back on (I'm not feeling any better laying around all the time, so I might as well get some cardio in right?) It hurts while I'm doing it, but after, I don't feel any better or worse than before I start.
• MRI = scheduled for Saturday afternoon
• Happy Cassie = looking at tropical vacation destinations

Could it Be?

I think my back pain is a degree less intense today, maybe... it is early in the day and I haven't done much that would aggravate it, but just maybe. Or maybe it's the fact that we had temps in the 40s yesterday and I swear the sun is getting up earlier and earlier (finally!), maybe my brain has moved on to concentrating on bigger and better things? Maybe it's my cold finally releasing the grip it has held on my sinuses the last 7 days?

I don't care what it is, but it should keep happening - I was starting to forget what it feels like to feel somewhat healthy!

I'm OK!

I totally meant to update immediately after my appointment on Friday, but the Schober's were in town and you know how it is when they're here - we stay busy nonstop! Anyway, the appointment with Dr. Howe went really well - he's not concerned that my pain is related to cancer at all. We talked about the side effects I've been having fromTamoxifen (all normal) and reviewed the blood work we took right before my appointment (hemoglobin levels are on the rise = very good). He didn't want to rush into an MRI and asked that I wait it out until the 24th before scheduling an appointment. After yesterday's chiropractor appointment, I'm not sure I'll be able to wait that long though. It feels like my muscles are in a super squeeze and are throbbing - basically a constant charley horse. I'm going to wait until Thursday and if things aren't improving, I'll try to get in.

I'm anxious for this pain to go away so I can get back to my gym routine - I'm going nuts not doing anything! I'll keep you updated!

Ouch

Thought I was finished with pain (and complaining about it) didn't you? Nope! A few weeks ago, in my quest to prove to myself that I'm physically back to normal, I did a boot camp class, followed by a TRX personal training session a few days later.

An example of one of the TRX exercises I did, except unlike the lady in the picture,
I was sweating like a beast, grunting, and making faces that would frighten children.

Since both were new to my body, I was understandably sore after each session. Once a few days had gone by, most of my aches had subsided, except for an area in my upper back, on the right side. I let it be for a few weeks, begging Jason for back rubs on a daily basis. Finally I decided to see a chiropractor, Dr. Kristin Schaffer. She's been doing some muscle stimulation and adjusting me every-other day for about a week and a half, and Monday she dropped a bomb on me. Because she's aware of my medical history, she brought up the fact that it was possible (but very unlikely) that my breast cancer metastasized to my ribs. I've heard worse news so I didn't immediately panic; we did an x-ray and sent it off to a radiologist for review.

My motto is that if you catch things early, they can be treated, so of course I made an appointment with Dr. Howe (my oncologist) as soon as I was able to on Tuesday morning. Yesterday afternoon I heard back from the radiologist who said they didn't see anything that they'd be concerned about, but c'mon. With everything I've gone through over the last 8 months, I don't think I'd be able to let this go until I get the green light from Dr. Howe. There has to be some reason for the pain I'm having (I'm rating it one step below expansions, to give you an idea of severity), and until we figure it out, we won't know how to make it go away.

I was a little on edge Monday evening (as you can imagine), but have since calmed a bit - I'm 90% sure I pushed myself too hard at the gym and as a result, gave myself an injury. We'll see what Dr. Howe says at my appointment Friday; until then, it's a nice rotation of heat and ice...

Sneak Peek

I know it's terrible to wish for the future (always be living in the present yada yada yada) but with the freezing winter we're having, the idea of being half-way through February right now is just magical. Spring is on its way and I cannot wait to open the windows in our house and get outside (which reminds me, I should spend some time researching flowers to plant out front). I saw a little sunshine this weekend and it instantly put me in a good mood - more please!

I haven't mentioned it here yet, but I've been working hard at getting an online portfolio/website up to showcase my stationery designs. This weekend I gathered up all of the proofs I've kept terribly disorganized and had a little photo shoot with them. I'm almost through with the stack and once I'm finished doing a little cleanup on the photos, I'll post them online to my new site (I'm keeping the URL secret until I can get them up; for now there's just a boring placeholder image). It's a lot of fun to see how my style has evolved over the last six years - I've worked with a wide range of people and I love to see my skills meshed with their personalities. Stay tuned, my goal is to have the site live by the end of the month!

A peek at my new cards - the site may carry a similar theme :)

Everything is still going great on the veggie-front; I'm happy to say that this first week without meat was successful! The Schober's are coming to town this weekend so I've been collecting recipes to try with them. Our typical biscuits and gravy breakfast will be replaced with crock pot apple cinnamon oatmeal - I'll start it before going to bed Thursday night and then we'll wake up to the delicious sweet aroma of baked apples on Friday morning (I'll post the recipe once I've done an official taste test)!

Happy Monday!

Stomach Ache

Well that's all folks. Meat, we've had our fun and now it's time to say goodbye (thank goodness!). Today I'm not feeling awesome - it's almost like I have a meat hangover from all of the snacks I had while watching the Superbowl last night. The "hangover" started almost immediately after I'd eaten my last mini meatball; the number one complaint being that I felt like a huge fatty. Even though I'd gone for a run yesterday morning, the fact that I'd just stuffed my face weighed heavily on my self esteem (see what I did there?). Next gripe: swollen fingers. I think all the salt from the snacks went straight to my fingers. I felt like a sausage in my own skin, just ready to burst open. So so gross. Trying to drink as much water today as possible so I can flush it out of my system. My stomach was OK last night, but today it's not happy with me. I'm bloated and am having some crazy grumbles. I was totally expecting to feel this way today, and it will serve as an excellent reminder if/when the craving for a cheeseburger strikes. Done done done.

I've never been so happy to eat a bowl of raw veggies for lunch.
I know it's not a composed meal, but it's the only thing I want right now!

The rest of the weekend was jam-packed. Friday we had a few friends over for dinner; after we ate we did a little prep for the gender reveal party we were throwing on Saturday for our friends Albert and Jacqueline (I'm withholding their real identities so I'm not responsible for spilling the beans about their exciting baby news). Before the reveal party started Saturday afternoon, I helped celebrate my sweet friend Christine at a lovely baby shower in her honor that morning.

Breaking news - the little lady Tine was carrying decided to make her debut 7 weeks early!
Shea Emma arrived late last night! I knew it'd be a girl!

Jason met me with our nephew Josh and his sister Cecilia at the reveal party, and from there, we took the kiddos to our place for popcorn and a movie. After finally getting them tucked in for the night, I was exhausted and fell asleep much earlier than anticipated. Good thing I did though; I heard the two chatting away at 6:15 yesterday morning. We all got up, had a little breakfast, then after my sister rounded up the kids I made my way to the gym. After a very quick shower, we went my sister Erin's house to file our taxes, then did a little laundry and made our way to my sister Rachel's for the Superbowl. Yowza...

And now on to the week ahead... Happy Monday everyone!