Doctor visit on 12/8, update and next surgery date

Hi everyone,
I saw Dr. Luke last Friday and, after sharing the results from the radiation doctors, decided that there would be no radiation. I had pretty much decided it after seeing two of them, but after seeing Dr. Massek (who is really fantastic by the way and I would go to him if I were to be treated since he has the latest equipment) since three out of three radiation oncologists that I saw could not recommend it and even two advised against it. So, that is a relief and great news. So, now what happens is that I still will have herceptin every three weeks, so I'll go into the office for that infusion and then I'll start taking Tamoxifen January 1st. He gave me an option of starting now or waiting until after the holidays, so I'm going to start on the first because it's also easier to keep track of when I started it since I'll have to be on it for about five years. It is possible that the chemo has permanently put me into menopause, but we won't know for a couple of years if that's happened or not. Basically it's whether or not I get my cycle back. If it does turn out that I'm in menopause then there are some other therapy options that we can look into, so that's helpful.
Meanwhile, I'm going to physical thereapy and found a great therapist here in the desert to see, as well as an occupational therapist for some lymphedema (slight) that I had plus driving back and forth to LA on Tuesdays to see my plastic surgeon. I'm on a break from my Tuesday visits for a couple of weeks due to the holidays, etc and I needed to give my body a rest. Today I was in a lot of pain. Actually, yesterday I was in a lot of muscle pain. I just can't seem to get my muscles to stretch out enough and get relief. The mere fact of one of my shoulder muscles being out of whack affects everything else. It's just so surprising to me that it is this way. Anyway, I was supposed to go to la today to the physical therapist I was seeing up there but my back just couldn't handle the drive, frankly. I had a really hard time standing up from a sitting position let alone all of the shoulder stuff going on. Gee, I guess God didn't design our breasts to go underneath our pectoralis muscles. Hmm....Anyway, I was able to find an in-netwrk therapist and get in to see him today and he was able to work on my neck head and shoulders to release some of the muscles that were so bound up. I'll see him again on Friday morning and I'm glad. I also have been going to acupuncture to help with sleeping and overall recovery. I think it is working becuase I was able to sleep through the night last night, which doesn't always happen especially when I'm having pain.
So, I'm on the mend. The word that the physical therapist used today was "easy" as in "go easy" and I'm listening to that.
Okay so as I was saying I'm going to a few therapists at the moment to help with restoring all of the mobility and swelling issues. I'll go back to my plastic surgeon on 1/5 for another fill to overfill the space and make it ready for the surgery which will be on Jan. 22nd at the hospital there of course. Then, I'll be recovering again.
One fun thing is that my hair is starting to grow back and it's kind of fun being that short. I still wear "sugar cookie" ( my wig - and the name is actually the color of the wig) when I go out to dinner or to serve in worship at church but it is coming in now, and it's coming in straight instead of curly. Most people said they get chemo curl, but with me it was the opposite - straight. There are also a few strands of grey which is funny since my hair was curly and there was no grey before. yeah, chemo. so, I'm thinking of perhaps going to a rum rasin kind of brunette with my short hair. I think it will actually look kind of cool. Of course, I'll ahve to wait until it gets longer before that can even happen. I could go blonde like my wig, too, it just depends. I guess the benefit of the wig is that I could dye it and try it out and then if I don't like it, I just wear the wig and try another color instead. It's kind of fun to look at this as an opportunity.
You'll also all be happy to know that I have gained some weight so I'm not quite so skinny. My parents were happy to see that I looked "healthier" in their eyes. what it means for me is that some of my clothes don't fit and that's not fun, but it's okay.
My grandmother turns 90 today and I'll go up north to see her and my family at the end of the month, since my father's birthday is also then. I'm planning to try to drive up to San Francisco with some stops along the way. if my back is acting up or muscularly I'm out of whack then I'll fly, but I'm hoping to drive.
It feels kind of funny that it's christmas time in a way. I think being in school helps to foster the atmosphere of the holidays more and at first, the decorations and everything out in public just seemed kind of artificial. However, I went shopping the other day to buy a couple of things for some teenage girls and I had so much fun thinking of them and what would be fun for them, what they would enjoy and how cute they would look the things that I got and I was in the moment of giving. It is so cool to do that. I mean, that's what Christmas is about, celebrating the fact that God gave us the ultimate gift -the gift of his son's life - to save us from being separated from him forever by sin. Just the other night shopping for those two girls made me want to do more things like that for others and just be generous all the time. I want to grow in that, especially becuase of all of the generosity that everyone has extended toward me. Wow.

May Christ find his way into your heart this season.

Julie