dixielee
Oh, how life changes!
Feb 20, 2008
It is now over 4 years since my surgery & so much has happened. I never got to my goal & actually gained back about 25 lbs. I'm not happy about that but am working to get it off.
I am now a NURSE!!! I graduated last September, took my boards in November & started my first nursing job just a month ago. I love it! More later about it.
The bad news is that in December I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I chose to have a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy with 8 weeks of radiation. My surgery was done on Dec 31. What a way to spend New Years Eve. My tumor was small & it hadn't spread to the lymph nodes but it is estrogen & progesterone receptive negative. This means that I will not benefit from the easier treatment most women with cancer at this stage receive. That would have meant 5 years of taking a pill. Instead I will be starting chemotherapy in a couple weeks. Not thrilled with this but I'll get through it. I have way too much to live for.
Now back to my job. I am 57 years old & as far as I'm concerned, hospital nursing & long term care are way too hard on my body. The thought of 12 hour shifts terrifies & exhausts me. I wanted to work in a clinic setting & it's are pretty hard to find a place that is willing to hire a new nurse. The jobs aren't very plentiful either as nurses who want to slow down are applying for them. However, while still in the hospital I took a call on my cell from the manager of a very nice clinic and she asked if I wanted to interview. I agreed to interview just one week after my surgery & was offered the job a week later. Thats' when I told her about the cancer. They are being great about it and are going to arrange my work schedule around my treatments. I've been there a month now & can honestly say that I love the job. I'm almost through the major part of my orientation. The wqork is challenging. I work as a float nurse. That means that I substitute for the doctors' regular nurse so I will be working with any of about 15-20 different doctors. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn & to get experience.
I am now a NURSE!!! I graduated last September, took my boards in November & started my first nursing job just a month ago. I love it! More later about it.
The bad news is that in December I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I chose to have a mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy with 8 weeks of radiation. My surgery was done on Dec 31. What a way to spend New Years Eve. My tumor was small & it hadn't spread to the lymph nodes but it is estrogen & progesterone receptive negative. This means that I will not benefit from the easier treatment most women with cancer at this stage receive. That would have meant 5 years of taking a pill. Instead I will be starting chemotherapy in a couple weeks. Not thrilled with this but I'll get through it. I have way too much to live for.
Now back to my job. I am 57 years old & as far as I'm concerned, hospital nursing & long term care are way too hard on my body. The thought of 12 hour shifts terrifies & exhausts me. I wanted to work in a clinic setting & it's are pretty hard to find a place that is willing to hire a new nurse. The jobs aren't very plentiful either as nurses who want to slow down are applying for them. However, while still in the hospital I took a call on my cell from the manager of a very nice clinic and she asked if I wanted to interview. I agreed to interview just one week after my surgery & was offered the job a week later. Thats' when I told her about the cancer. They are being great about it and are going to arrange my work schedule around my treatments. I've been there a month now & can honestly say that I love the job. I'm almost through the major part of my orientation. The wqork is challenging. I work as a float nurse. That means that I substitute for the doctors' regular nurse so I will be working with any of about 15-20 different doctors. It's a wonderful opportunity to learn & to get experience.
Catching up 3.5 years post-op
Jun 16, 2007
I'm finally trying to figure out this new format for our pages. I hope this works.
It's been 3.5 years since I had my surgery & I've really had few problems. Unfortunately, though, I never reached my goal & recently have seen the needle on the scales go up. It's all my own fault. I fell back into my old habits of snacking & snacking, & snacking... you get the idea. I finally realized that I was only hurting myself & am working on trying to get back to where I was before I started gaining again.
The biggest change in my life recently is that my job was outsourced so I needed to make a change professionally. Fortunately, I was able to retire from that job so still have my insurance benefits & will until I go on Medicare. This gave me the opportunity to follow a dream I have had since I was 4 years old. I returned to school at the ripe age of 55 and am now 3/4 of the way to being a LPN. I LOVE it! School has been a challenge (yes,there is such a thing as the Freshman 15) but I am up to the challenge. Clinicals have been difficult at times due to my age but they would have been impossible if I had still been 350 lbs. I have 3 months until graduation so am starting to think about what type of nursing I want to do. My age & general physical condition will determine what direction I will go. Right now I am considering working in a clinic or doctor's office. There's not as much physical labor involved as in long term care.
In a few weeks I finally get to experience hospital setting nursing. My clinical experiencec so far has been limited to long term care & working in a rehab facility. I learned so much so far but am ready to try some acute care nursing.
Dixie
It's been 3.5 years since I had my surgery & I've really had few problems. Unfortunately, though, I never reached my goal & recently have seen the needle on the scales go up. It's all my own fault. I fell back into my old habits of snacking & snacking, & snacking... you get the idea. I finally realized that I was only hurting myself & am working on trying to get back to where I was before I started gaining again.
The biggest change in my life recently is that my job was outsourced so I needed to make a change professionally. Fortunately, I was able to retire from that job so still have my insurance benefits & will until I go on Medicare. This gave me the opportunity to follow a dream I have had since I was 4 years old. I returned to school at the ripe age of 55 and am now 3/4 of the way to being a LPN. I LOVE it! School has been a challenge (yes,there is such a thing as the Freshman 15) but I am up to the challenge. Clinicals have been difficult at times due to my age but they would have been impossible if I had still been 350 lbs. I have 3 months until graduation so am starting to think about what type of nursing I want to do. My age & general physical condition will determine what direction I will go. Right now I am considering working in a clinic or doctor's office. There's not as much physical labor involved as in long term care.
In a few weeks I finally get to experience hospital setting nursing. My clinical experiencec so far has been limited to long term care & working in a rehab facility. I learned so much so far but am ready to try some acute care nursing.
Dixie