Back to Work and our "Normal" Routine

Hello, friends and family.

This post is a bit delinquent, but I thought I would let everyone know that I returned to work a few weeks ago and that the Fallick family is adjusting well to our "new" (old) life. I am feeling good and am happy to be too busy with work and kids to think about much else.

As you can see from the photos, I was given a very warm welcome back by my friends at eHealth. Thank you for your kind thoughts, gestures and support! I feel privileged to work with such a wonderful group of people.

As far as medical stuff goes, I am in the middle of reconstruction right now and will probably undergo my last surgery in a few months. In a belated attempt to be discrete, I won't delve into too many anatomic details here. (If you want those, feel free to see my previous posts.)

I will mention, however, that after the double mastectomy, the pathologists found a small spec. of previously undetected pre-cancerous cells (DCIS) in my "bad" breast. If I hadn't done the mastectomy, this could have developed into cancer later in life, so I am even happier now that I decided to do the mastectomy.

Other than my upcoming surgery, I will be seen every few months by my Oncologist to check for recurrences, and hopefully nothing exciting will happen.

On that note, some of you have asked if I am now "cancer free" or in "remission". The answer is no - at least not yet. The chance of recurrence is highest in the first 3 years after the end of chemo, and patients are categorized as "cancer free" after 5 years. Although I will always have some risk of recurrence in the breast or elsewhere, given the aggressive treatment I underwent, the odds are VERY good that this will NOT happen.

Thanks for your interest and support! As the "Fallick show" (as Jeff and I call it) gradually draws to a close, my posts will become less frequent. But believe me, Jeff and I are more than ready for the “show” to be over, to become less dependent on all of you, and to return to the ranks of the “normal”.

:-)

Shannon