Family Dinner

Thank you, thank you to all my friends and family who came over for dinner last night. I had a great time. I love you all.

Updates on bathroom and hair

So, yeah! The bathroom is finished and it looks great. It was the weekend project that took nearly 4 months, but it's done and looks fantastic, glass tiles in the shower, travertine floors, it's great. Towanda!

As for my hair, the bad angle in the picture is trying to show that I have eyebrows! I can actually go out without having to draw them in, they look better when I enhance them, but at least now I don't need to. My hair is also growing in slowly but surely. My hope if for a pixie cut by thanksgiving, we'll see.

Getting adjusted to my new normal

It's weird, how you just kind of adjust, adapt to the most abnormal things that are now just a part of life. Like how stuffing my bra everyday is normal, or painting in my eyebrows, being bald... daily radiation. I drive everyday 40 miles round trip, check in and get my restaurant style pager, undress, and and walk around in a hospital gown like it is completely normal, everyday.

And I have mentioned before, I really can't remember life before cancer, it's like when you have a baby and you can't remember life before that. That is how it is with cancer, or at least for me.

Like I've been in the sun all day

So I have done 8 radiation sessions, 17 to go, and I am already feeling tired. Not quite fatigued, but like I have been in the sun all day, just drained. And it's pretty instant, as soon as I walk away from my machine, before I even get dressed, I'm thinking of a nap.

12 eyebrow hairs

So I have counted, I have exactly 12 hairs in my right eyebrow and about 20 in the left. Funny how my eyebrows, eyelashes, and nose hair continue to fall out even 4 weeks after my last chemo... The good news is I guess the chemo is still working, killing cells.

Me on TV

from The Doctors website:

Thriving Through the Fight against Breast Cancer
How do you find strength in times of struggle? Anise, 33, is a mother of three and is battling stage-three breast cancer. Currently undergoing chemotherapy, healing from one mastectomy and facing the removal of her remaining breast, Anise has chosen to speak out about her illness through her personal blog, and by sharing her story on The Doctors.

“I never thought I would have cancer. That never crossed my mind,” Anise says.

Anise sits down with health and wellness expert Jillian Michaels to share her fears, insecurities and hopes for the future.

“I’m not the same person right now. When I look in the mirror it doesn’t quite look like me,” Anise says. “And it’s not just the [post-operative] breast and the hair loss. I just don’t feel as comfortable in my own skin."

“The hardest part of everything is the emotional toll [cancer has taken] on me and my family,” she adds. “I want to be here for my girls. I’ve done a lot of things [in life] and I’ve been happy, but the thought of leaving my kids having to live the rest of their lives without their mom is the hardest part of having cancer.”

“I want to tell you how brave you are to come on the show today, because you’re creating awareness for so many women out there,” Jillian says. “For that, I have to commend you and say thank you.”

Anise opens up about losing one of her breasts to a mastectomy. “You no longer feel sexy or attractive,” she says. “You feel like you’ve been mutilated, and somebody literally chopped off your breast. … I never imagined that that would happen to me.”

Plastic surgeon Dr. Drew Ordon explains that a mastectomy involves removing all the breast tissue and typically some of the lymph nodes, which are tested and evaluated for the best possible treatment plan. Dr. Ordon then outlines Anise’s options for breast reconstruction.

Anise shares her biggest piece of advice for women and their health. “If you feel something [in your breast], get it checked out,” she says. “It’s not a death sentence. Just because they tell you that you have breast cancer, [it] doesn’t mean you’re going to die. You’re just going to have to change the way you live a little bit.”

watch my segment on The Doctors

5 new tatoos

Not as exciting as I made it sound, last Thursday I got tattooed for radiation. Tiny pin sized blue dots, targets to align the radiation. It's a giant sci-if looking machine. I'll write more about the experience tomorrow, my first of 25 daily (M-F) treatments.

Set your DVR

My segment on The Doctors is set to air tomorrow Tuesday October 4, on CBS. Here in the LA area, it's on channel 2 at 2pm. I'm only on for about 5 min in the first half of the show.