And Then There Was None

Come on Ring that Bell! 

My biggest fan!

 December 28th- I.Am.Done!

I did not expect to be as emotional as I was that day. I was ready, my family is here joining me to celebrate, let’s do this. 

As I lay on the table one last time with the radiation machine doing its thing, the tears started to flow. The realization that this was it, the months of prayer, the months of pausing, the months of research and really figuring out what was best for me- it was finally done. I didn’t EVER have to come back to this Cancer Center, walk back to this very sterile room, tell them my name, birthday, which breast was getting radiated, and verify that was me on their screen they were about to zap. 

 At this point in treatment, I’m getting a “boost” so it did not require me to hold my breath. The targeted area being zapped was far enough away from my heart. Good thing or it would have taken awhile to finish with me trying not to sob! It did require me to be still though. The tears trickled down my cheeks as the machine hummed, red lights flashed and the equipment circled me.  I’m ready for this part of my journey to be done. 

And just like that, 20 radiation sessions, 20 drives to town, 20 hellos and goodbyes… complete, done, finished! 

The staff retrieved my family from the waiting room to celebrate with me as I ring the bell and commemorate the end of a very big year for all of us. 

Cancer doesn’t just effect the patient, it affects the people closest to you too. We all walk it out, some silently watching, some a part of the driving crew, some supporting from afar with phone calls and flowers. It’s definitely not a one man show. 

Next, T and I went into the room down the hall to see the doc. A nurse I hadn’t seen before was there first to go through the list of questions about how I’m feeling and question the side effects to the radiation. Every 5 treatments requires a check-in with the doctor. 

After saying No, No, No to question after question- he looked at me and said- we usually don’t have patients without any side effects. I smiled. He didn’t know my prayer on day one, now did he? Dr DeCosta came in next.   Dr. DeCosta is a gem. She always hugs me, smiles and celebrates the wins.  We chatted a bit, she looked at my skin, I got my discharge instructions and cried a bit more.

I wanted her to know what I prayed. I wanted her to hear the goodness of the Lord, but I couldn’t tell her yet. I would have sobbed right then and there, so I’ll be sending her this post instead.  

I stopped and prayed at the sliding glass door on day one before I walked into that building- “God let me walk out the same way I walk in” and Glory to God- 

  I walked out the same way I walked in! 

My breast is a bit more tan and I have a small patch of itchy skin, but that’s it! No fatigue, no burning, no other crazy symptoms that are on that long list the nurse read off. 

Thank you Lord for answered prayers! He is merciful and gracious. 

We left the Cancer Center and drove to Fuzzy’s for some of my favorite food, Mexican! Time to celebrate and rejoice! I. Am. Done! 

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones 

One day, then the next, then the next.

 Radiation treatment has begun. Yep. 

20 treatments, 20 days.  

I was soooo hesitant to walk through that door and start radiation treatment. Actually, a bit anxious and a lot scared. I just needed more. More information, more science, more understanding, and more of Jesus. Healing comes in multiple ways. God uses his mighty hand with miracles and he uses the marvels of medicine, he uses food, and he uses people. I’m tapping into all of these this month! 

I did all my homework. And anyone who knows me knows, I am a research queen. I prayed and prayed again. WE prayed and prayed again. This journey isn’t just mine. My sweet man is walking it hand in hand with me. Terrell and I are doing this together. He’s even drinking my veg smoothies! 

Now it’s the last step, radiation. 

Daily I drive down to St. Francis Peregrine Center and get zapped as I lovingly call it, then head home. I’m sure I’ll be a super hero with some special power when I’m done. I have creams I use twice a day to keep my breast protected, I have a calendula topical tea I use after each treatment as well that helps with any inflammation, and so far- all is well! 4 treatments down, 16 to go. I’ll finish up on the 28th of December. I am taking 20 mg of melatonin and a mushroom supplement daily to grab the yuck from radiation and get it out of my body. Actually, I am taking a plethora of supplements right now to strengthen me as I walk this out. Between that, exercise and good nutrition- most of the time😉, I feel really good. 

My desire, my prayer, that you can pray with me is this- Lord, let me walk out of those doors on day 20 as good as I’m walking in on day 1. Let me bring joy to this place and a bit of Jesus every time I come. ( I prayed this as I was just about to walk in for my first treatment)  They see a lot of patients each day. I am sure some of the stories are quite hard. I’m believing God has me here for such a time as this. He is my healer. He can protect my heart, my lung, and my skin and my breast tissue throughout this whole month. They keep preparing me for the fatigue that’s supposed to hit day 14 and beyond. I say- No. My God is bigger than day 14 and beyond. 

Please pray with me, for me. I so appreciate it!

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

One step, then another

 

Healing. Being whole. Fighting. Winning the battle. 

Lots of words thrown around in the cancer realm. 

I pause every time I talk about my cancer to someone. I think- What the heck do I say?!  “I had cancer.” or “I have cancer.” It’s out of my body so it’s had but the journey isn’t over so I just stumble over my words. I don’t know. Eventually this conversation will be easier. I actually even forget at times about it. I feel really good. All these veggies I’m eating 😂, other big lifestyle changes and getting the cancer out of my body has given me new strength. I’m depending on this and Jesus to get me through radiation next month. That seems like someone else’s life too right now, not mine.  Even typing it- craziness. The idea of going 5 days a week to be zapped sounds like a movie, not my reality.

 Let me just say, God is so gracious. I am drawn in by His goodness to me. He is my strength! He is my sustenance. Amen and amen. I’m so thankful for this getaway with my Love before the yuck of therapy. I didn’t know how much I needed it. 

While he’s working in the office, I’ve got a few things keeping me busy. One is exercising. The hotel has new equipment and no one using it. Being at this low elevation has not only made me more alive but guess what- I can run! So run I did. 🏃🏼‍♀️  It felt so good and now, back to crocheting. ☺️ 

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones 

Healing-Outside

                                                        Grounding- barefoot and free

 I have learned so much about healing. It’s not just eating well or getting enough sleep. It’s also going outside! Yes, for reals. Anyone that knows me knows, I love being outside. I love my yard, working with my plants, enjoying the sunshine. Problem is the weather changes right about now and I also don’t prefer being cold. Nor do I like wind. Those two will force me inside almost every time. Heat any day over freezing. I don’t mind the cold but that usually equates to looking out the window all the while drinking some coffee and hugging my ever-so-soft blanket. So healing outside is a joy to me. I go hiking when I can or walking with my husband. It's so good for healing; healing the body and the soul, to be in the fresh air and sunshine. 

Ever heard of grounding? Or earthing? Me neither until I started this journey with cancer. It’s so cool and an amazing science. I will not do it justice trying to explain it here in layman's terms, so instead go to this link and read about it.  This podcast is fascinating. Seriously it sounds crazy but it's not. It's you and the ground barefoot. Trust me, I haven't gone off the deep end. Truly. 😂You gotta read up on it! So, I am now practicing the art of grounding whenever I can and when I can't, well I'll use a grounding mat. It's on my Christmas list. :)

So if you haven't been outside today, take a minute and get some fresh air. Take off your shoes and walk around, move your body and let the sun shine down on you! 

Thanks for Listening,

Tuna Jones

A Big Week, Big Decisions

Last week, T and I had 4 appointments all leading up to what kind of treatment, if any, would be best for me. Wednesday, we met with my surgeon and the radiation oncologist and on Friday we met with the medical oncologist and my natural oncologist. What a full spectrum of meetings! One of the things I heard from a previous cancer breast surgeon is this: If you feel dismissed, or your doctor does not openly say, "I don't know" to a question you have about your care or anything related to your cancer, move on. I took that advice and asked the hard questions. T and I left each appointment feeling heard and cared for. They each said "I don't know" when they didn't know something. I can handle that answer better than a made up one. They each have a different style and bed side manner but all of them cared about what was best for me. Oh, and they're all women. Not quite sure if this oncology profession is women centric or if I lucked out with women, but I'm actually really glad. Breast cancer is so personal, and they truly get the whole emotional side if this ugly cancer.  

So here we are at a place that still feels foreign to me, a place that still consumes my mind daily. I think about how to stay healthy, how prevent reoccurrence, how to teach my kids all that I'm learning so they have a fighting chance NOT to be where I sit today. I know I am inundating them with information. They're being gracious.😀 

The path of least resistance is standard of care. It's the easy path. It's the one most of us just do, no questions asked. Just do what you always do, eat what you always eat, live life status quo, and take their prescribed treatments, but that path doesn't get to the root cause of cancer in my body or keep it away. There is so much research, so so much, that is available now to help all of us keep this stupid illness away. Far more than when my mom beat cancer nutritionally, far more than any standard of care doc will tell you unless they actually took time AFTER medical school to learn about it. What is helping people win the battle with cancer is not purely taught in medical school. Ask any doctor who was standard of care that had their own catalysis moving them all the way over to the other side of the spectrum in care and they will all say- we are taught for a few short weeks on nutrition. That is it. A few short weeks.  We have to expect more today. 

So what does this look like for me? For starters, a team approach. I am leaning on my natural oncologist to support me with her wisdom and knowledge on cancer. I did some deep-dive tests for her that may seem strange to most if you're not willing to go to the root cause of disease. Those results directed her in what I should eat, what supplements to take, how past illnesses and medicines are still impacting my gut biome, how my estrogen levels are acting. Are they fighting for me or against me? And that is just scratching the surface. We discussed how to protect my body during radiation treatments, and how to keep moving forward in lifelong prevention. She is my go-to right now. Next is the radiation oncologist. She will be the doc I see way too much until Christmas. I will be having 4 weeks of radiation, 5 days a week starting around Thanksgiving and finishing up around Christmas. Terrell and I are at peace with this decision. I have dug deep in my research and realize the pro and cons of radiation. I know the risk I am taking. I also know I sure as heck don't want reoccurrence in that breast. Does it scare me to be radiated, yep. It sucks 100 percent. Everything about cancer sucks. The beginning, middle and end. But I refuse to camp there. Instead, I will hit it head on with both nutrition and standard of care. Taking what I've learned over the last 4 months and moving full steam ahead with living. I was offered Ai (hormone suppressors) by my medical oncologist and that I absolutely refuse to take. The side effects are horrific. So that's a hard pass. The best thing I heard all week was from my medical oncologist, the last appointment we had on Friday. A good way to end the week.

 She said- "You are cancer free. We got it all."

Now it's all about preventing reoccurrence.  From yesterday to tomorrow to many days ahead. And that is where my mind sits for hours on end. What else can I do to be the healthiest me, full of life and energy, full of days ahead. What does this look like? All the while not OCDing over all this information, which I can easily do mind you. I'm figuring out how to allow myself a glass of wine or a sugar laden donut once in a great while without guilt. It's a balancing act right now. One I have yet to find. 

Does this mean the big C word won't strike again? I sure hope so. I pray so. I am doing my part, using the wisdom I now have to care for this vessel I am in and then walking out life in faith with Jesus that he is doing his part. God has ordained each day for me. I trust His plan. I trust him even in this. He knew I'd be writing this post; He knows my yesterday and my tomorrows. When my days on earth are complete, I shall say Thank you Lord for your goodness to me.  I plan to be around many, many years enjoying life with my husband, my children, my grandchildren, and my family. I plan to have even more white hair, walk tons more miles, eat plenty of organic fruit and veggies, have a good glass of wine with my man, and live, really live tons more days filled with laughter and adventure. I know one day I won't be consumed with the how's. All this hard work will be second nature. It isn't yet, so be prepared for more blogs on living this out. 

Until next time...

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

Pause-Just Pause

 

Driving into our neighborhood yesterday we got stopped due to the county finally fixing our main road. Thank you construction crew! The mountains are so beautiful. Fall is in full force here and the days are getting short. I was mesmerized by the view. Then there was this flag sign.  Bright orange and messing with my view. Kind of reminds me of my journey right now. 

Hey Tina- whoa, pay attention, slow down, take your time. Lookup! Look around. Watch for the bumps in the road. 

Man, isn’t that the truth. I have days that I feel so overwhelmed. Do I eat this? Do I take this? What the heck do I do for treatment? So much coming at me at once. T and I have truly adopted “One step at a time” this year. Not a day at a time, but a step. And let me say, God has met us every.single.step. There is nothing so great that He can’t hold. I am grateful for the pause. The slowing down. The gentle whisper that speaks to my soul. 

So today- what is this sign telling you- do you need to slow down, breathe a minute, step back? 

Pause, just pause. 

Thanks for listening,

Tuna Jones

Out with the old and in with the new!

I love the gluten free lifestyle though truth be told I had my fair share of gluten the last two weeks. I'm drinking a Sam Adams Christmas brew as I read about eliminating beer. 😉 Christmas food is so full of gluten! Anyhow.. On my journey to long life, great health, and an active lifestyle, I am slowly moving my family out with the old and in with the new. This book should help me since the food must be PRACTiCAL for me to even think about cooking it! My goal is to be in full swing by June. I'm giving myself time and my husband time to acclimate. So here we go, ready or not.