Okay! Yesterday was my last day of chemo that is the Taxol/Herceptin mix that brings the wonderful side effects of alopecia (hair loss), bone pain, and general malaise. (I will still be getting infusions of Herceptin every three weeks for another year, but in theory, the side effects are not so intense.)

I am SO tired of being bald. My hair should start growing back in three weeks or so. I hope my dog still recognizes me when I have hair. And yes to all of you who have secretly wondered does ALL of your hair fall out? the answer is yes. It will be interesting to see what grows back in.

Yesterday was also the two-year anniversary of condo ownership. What a wonderful haven this place has been during my convalescence. I am so thankful that I was able to me-ify it before finding the cancer. While it can be depressing to spend so much time inside, at least I love my little home and feel very comfortable here.

Flora the beagle likes it here too. While her grand passion in life is chasing squirrels, she likes to cozy up next to me and is quite an affection hound. I walk her at least two times a day and have found that I love the routine as much as she does.

Before I got Flora I thought that I had met everyone in the neighborhood:the UPS guy, the folks at Starbucks, the crazy lady of Cal Ave, etc. But having a dog that needs to be walked all the time has brought a whole new segment of society upon me - the other dog walkers, the people who hate dogs, the other dogs in the neighborhood, and the businesses who cater to dog owners.

As a medium sized dog, I have noticed that Flora is kind of a target for all the little dogs and big dogs. The little dogs snip at her and try to engage her in battle. The big dogs circle around her and make sure they get the first sniff in. Meanwhile, Floras personality is distinctly conflict avoidant and her goal is to get away from any sniffy dog as soon as she can.

But lets bring the conversation back to me, she who is NOT conflict avoidant. I did finally get the genetics people at Kaiser to agree to give me the BRAC-1/BRAC-2 test, but not without some pain and suffering on my part, and probably on their part too. I will get the results at the end of this month, but will probably not be sharing them with the wide world of Carolyn readers. Since there are many other people who share some of my genetic make-up, they too have some stake in the results.

I don't think Kaiser lets too many people take this test. By the time we got to the part where they take a blood sample, it was clear to me that they had not gotten that far very often. It seems like such a crime that it is only people like me who are willing to challenge and push the system who get the information and care that they need.

Back to the official update. I am now in recovery from chemo and will start radiation in 6-8 weeks. That will last about six weeks. Stay tuned for the ride to radiation (you too can participate!) and other news of Flora the super cutie pie beagle dog.