Holy moly! It has been 11 weeks since the successful surgery and removal of the cancer and breast tissue, aka double mastectomy. Christyna asked me to write an update a couple days ago, when it worked for me. Surprise! It works right now! The picture is from last night, and I tried to write one then. It was a horrible idea of creating a timeline with highlights. “Why is that a horrible idea?”, you may be asking. I started with the formation of the planet earth, 4.5 billion years ago. It included the evolution of the species Homo Sapien. It just kept going off the rails. I deleted it with the thought, “I’m not sure Mama Rice or Christyna would want me to include how Christyna came to be.” It involved Mama and Papa Rice and I’ll stop there. Ted, thank you for your instrumental part in bringing Christyna to this point. I never had the chance to meet you, but I assert you were one hell of a great human, Homo Sapien! Your daughters are my proof.

Anywho… Christyna is in her hyperbaric chamber treatment as I write this. DO NOT GET BREAST CANCER TO GET HYPERBARIC CHAMBER TREATMENT!! DON’T!!! Christyna’s skin is the best I’ve experienced it and she glows. Look at that picture! She’s beautiful! The 3.5 hours a day of travel, preparation, and treatment are a crunch on time and nerves for me. This morning, I was out of bed with my alarm, made Christyna’s tea, showered (and shaved), made my coffee, made us breaksfast, fed the kitties we are kitty sitting, had my morning constitutional (twice, heh heh heh!), changed Christyna’s dressings, got her dressed, got her meds in her, brushed our teeth, and got us out the door- within 2 hours! There was no room to think, just act. Before we lay down last night, I ran through how it was going to go and look like today. Big ol’ win for us! It’s only now that I have time and space to think, but this was planned as well. I’ll say it again- DO NOT GET BREAST CANCER TO GET HYPERBARIC CHAMBER TREATMENT!! DON’T!!! 

Here’s the meat and potatoes, if you will, of today’s update. Christyna has an appointment with Dr John Stamos Jr and the wound care team today. We stopped using the wound vac on her breast wound last week- the adhesive was damaging the new skin growing from the surgery. With the cessation of the wound vac, the breast wound has not healed up as quickly as Christyna expected. She’s a little worried about what the prognosis will be today. “What else are they going to have me do?” Well, I don’t know, but she’ll probably have to sit there and have me do the work. In the background is the nagging concern/thought that this was supposed to be about a “5-week recovery.” Christyna was really hoping for that to be true. What the doctors said was that she would be majorly restricted for about 5 weeks. There is a lot of room in that communication for things such as this bit of treatment. Christyna is worried about what else can be included. I really get it. I’m in this with her, through the better and worse, through the sickness and health, through the richer and poorer. I don’t know what else could be, would be, and will be expected or thrown at us. I do know that we will get through this. #NotGonnaOutliveMe #ThisIsOnlyTemporary

Here is some unsolicited advice, so take it or leave it. Get regular checkups with your health care team and do what you can to stay healthy. A pound of cure is worth an ounce of prevention. This cancer was probably going to happen regardless of what Christyna did or prepared for. It’s the most vanilla kind of breast cancer, which also makes it kind of anomalous. The oncologist remarked how unusual it is to have such a blah kind of breast cancer like this- less than 1% of them are this kind! Slow growing, easy to treat, and easy to recover from. We didn’t know that going in. I’d say we got lucky, but if you know Christyna (or myself), luck has nothing to do with it. We work for, and cause, this kind of miracle. Both of us have made it our lives work to have others have this kind of miraculous life. That being said, be wise and take my advise.

Lin Brehmer, who was the morning DJ on 93XRT for decades, had some catch phrases. “I’m Lin Brehmer, I’m everywhere!” “I’m Lin Brehmer, your best friend in the whole world!” But my favorite was, “I’m Lin Brehmer, it’s Thursday morning, take nothing for granted, and it’s great to be alive!” Lin was onto something. With all the trials and tribulations, we are here to be able to make it the best day ever. Kurt Vonnegut said we are here to fart around. He also said to create something, no matter how ugly or stupid, because in the act of creating we inspire someone else. Combining these two views on life can give access to something extraordinary. It does! Look at Christyna’s life!

Thank you for being on this journey and making it more bearable. It takes a village, indeed. We can’t do this thing called life on our own. Thank you for your love and support and connection.

It’s F dot Thursday, take nothing -NOTHING!- for granted, go create something, make a difference. It’s great to be alive!

Love you. 

Ryan