4/1 Update
In support of
The Castillo Family
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The Castillo Family
I haven’t posted an update in a while—not because nothing has been happening, but because I haven’t had the words. Honestly, I’m just tired of talking about it all. Tired of cancer taking up so much space in my life.
Right now, my schedule revolves around appointments—daily radiation, acupuncture, chiropractic care, radiation wound care, PT for fatigue management, OT for lymphedema prevention, and of course, oncologist visits. It’s just… a lot. I definitely have appointment fatigue.
I had my 21st radiation treatment today. Up until last week, my skin had been holding up well with minimal burn. That’s starting to change. Now my skin is itchy, burning, tingling, and tight. My chest and armpit are hardening, I have occasional nausea, and the fatigue becomes more noticeable with each treatment. I feel hot most of the time—my right breast is even warm to the touch as it continues to “cook” throughout the day.
On top of that, I’ve been dealing with hot flashes since starting ovarian suppression last month. That brings its own set of challenges—fatigue, acne, mood swings, and joint pain.
My arms are finally at about 90% range of motion, which is encouraging, but I still have very little strength. I’ve started PT for fatigue management during radiation, but I can’t begin strengthening yet. Doing so could increase inflammation and potentially worsen lymphedema, so that has to wait until radiation is complete and my body calms down. That’s been really frustrating. I can’t pick Ben up, can’t push or pull much of anything, and overall, I just feel so weak and needy.
My OT specialist said it best—my body is going through a lot right now. I need to give it the space to rest and heal, avoiding anything that could aggravate it further.
Even in the midst of all of this, God is good. He is working. They let me blast worship music during radiation and I’ve had several opportunities to connect with and even pray for other patients, and those moments have been incredibly meaningful.
A few prayer requests:
• Please pray that my skin continues to hold and that there are no complications that would delay treatment. I’m so close to finishing this phase.
• Pray for my heart and mind. Soon I’ll transition from daily treatments and constant monitoring to the first step down, and that feels a little scary. Pray that I keep my trust and faith rooted where they belong.
• Pray that I can continue to be a light to others.
• Teddy will be on spring break next week—please pray that we’re able to have some FUN together. He’s due for some special time, and I’m really looking forward to it.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support.
Elly
P.S. This photo is from a recent date night celebrating Alex’s birthday. It was a funny coincidence—the restaurant we chose happened to be hosting a Dungeons & Dragons conference. Of course, we had to snap a picture to commemorate it. We laughed so hard, had good quality time together, good food and it was exactly what we both needed.
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