Scars + Celebrations

September 21, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Oh, hey there. 👋 It’s been a bit… so I thought I’d pop in with a few updates.

It’s been a little over 3 weeks since my appendectomy and I’m healing quite well. It still hurts like a Mo’ Fo’ anytime I sneeze, cough, or laugh enthusiastically… as if my intestines might burst out from my incisions. And I’m still limited on exercise and lifting. But other than that, I’m feeling pretty fine.

My most recent side boob… AKA side scar pic {wink, wink}

Our weekly Yoga For Cancer Recovery class at Yoga Sol has been going really well. After each class, I find my self in tears of joy and some sadness but also so grateful to be able to co-teach class with my dear friend Jenny at such an amazing studio. My passion for yoga, healing and community shines even brighter than ever before. It’s so rad to be able to truly say ‘I love my job!’

The Soul Seeds // Affirmation Deck Kickstarter is nearing the end- a little less than a week left- and it’s currently 95% funded!! So fucking cool! Not only is it exciting to see the hard work I’ve been putting in getting closer to fruition, the relationships and community that have been sprouting are incredible! Gratitude fills me completely 💖

The kiddos are adjusting well to their new schools and I am adjusting to the new drop off / pick up schedules along with sports, sports, sports {anyone else have that VTech kids toy?} And I’m thankful to have some rad mom friends on the side lines.

And finally, we celebrated our baby doll, Wyatt, last Saturday as he turned 3… THREE… T H R E E! Oh, my heart. MY HEART! He is a smart, funny, loving, stubborn, kick in the pants kind of kid.

“I wake each day with a grateful heart…”

Appendicitis

August 30, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Wednesday evening, I ate dinner and immediately thought, damn, that did not sit well with me. I went on to teach yoga that night and then struggled to sleep when I got home. The abdominal pain was nuts and kept me up through the morning.

When I got to work the next day, things had not improved, so I got in to see the doctor that afternoon. She ordered a STAT CT scan and blood work… but I had to pick up the kids from school and the babysitter and take Har to soccer practice and John was out of town for work, and shit had to get done, you know?

Luckily my pal was working the front desk when I managed to sneak in to Kaiser for blood work in between pick-ups and practice. He told me that the radiology department stayed open until 9pm and if I could find a sitter before then, he’d get me in. I arranged for a babysitter to come over after practice and I ran off for a ‘quick’ CT scan.

Upon arrival, was told I’d have to drink the contrast stuff, forgetting that you have to wait 2 hours from drink to scan so I anxiously waited in the lobby with a quickly dying phone and no charger. Once the scan was completed, I had to wait for the doctor to review the report- at this point, I realized I have never wished for gas so badly in my life. But I wasn’t so lucky to just “need to rip one”. The CT showed the beginning signs of appendicitis and was told to go to the ER immediately.

Grateful for super rad in-laws, Big Har started his middle-of-the-night trek from San Diego to OC and relieved the babysitter as I settled into my hospital room. I was given pain meds and waited for the surgeon to finish up the peeps in front of me. Sometime in the morning- no clue what time it was but the sun was up- I was instantly pumped to have been waiting because they had changed over to the day shift and in walked in an OG member of the Rad Lady Posse- my breast surgeon Dr. Formichella.

I was wheeled into surgery somewhere around 9:30am, Britney Spears (obvi) blasting- we all decided on ‘Oops I Did It Again’ with all of my previous surgeries having just been discussed- and then I was OUT.

Next thing I knew, I was waking up shivering and hysterically sobbing. I kept apologizing, why? No clue. The nurse was great, gave me something to calm me down and was super comforting. She also kept reminding me to breathe, which I really appreciated because, you know, breathing is pretty important.

Eventually, I was wheeled back to my room and passed the F out. I even found out later that Big Har and the kids came to visit and I had ZERO clue. Later that evening, I was discharged and don’t remember much about being home.

Today, I’m still in pain from the surgery- it hurts to walk, talk, sit, move, yell (the kids don’t mind that last one) But thankful it was a laparoscopic procedure vs cutting me open. Fun fact: my hysterectomy was also laparoscopic and was performed two years ago today.

So, cheers to an unplanned week of ‘vacation’ where I can’t do shit. {oh man, with all these pain meds in me, I hope I can actually take a shit 😜} Though there’s always something be grateful for- at least I will have more time to work on my Affirmation Deck Kickstarter launch on the 3rd!

Thanks for all of the kind words and support!

XoXo

Yoga for Cancer Recovery

July 11, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

I have loved yoga ever since… I stopped hating it.

OK that was dramatic but let’s be real, it’s not super inviting to head into a swanky studio for your first time with all those bendy bitches balancing on their heads… making yourself feel super self-conscious because you can barely touch your knees. At least, that is one of the most {highly paraphrased} reasons people tell me they don’t like yoga.

My yoga beginning was a little different. I started with a class at the Tracy Sports Club. It was me and my step-mom rolling around on the floor in somewhat of a “crack the egg” pose while elderly folks were ripping’ ’em all around us. Then I began to dabble again in high school PE {shout-out to Mrs. Hannigan!} It was cool. Slow but cool. But I just couldn’t focus. I was used to playing sports and slowly moving through poses and focusing on my breath was super rough for me. Then off to SDSU, practicing at the school gym and something clicked. I actually liked sitting with my own thoughts, focusing on my breath, and noticing the mental, emotional, physical benefits of yoga.

Fast forward to January of 2018. I was nearly done with active treatment. I was navigating a new body, a new normal- taking only very gentle yoga classes when I attended my first day of Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Sol. Immediately I knew that I was right where I needed to be.

Top: Yoga Sol Grads
Bottom: Be Well Grads

The E X A C T same feeling came over me on my first day of Yoga For Cancer Recovery Teacher Training with Be Well. And if you have never fully been able to trust that you were making the right decisions at the right time, let me tell you- it fucking rocks. Not only did that training help me to feel seen and understood but it also lit a serious fire under my ass to start manifesting and working towards bringing Be Well to OC.

Gratitude fills me as I write this- both of these AMAZING programs are coming together beginning this September! My great friend Jenny Jensen, who completed Yoga Sol’s 200 hour and Be Well’s 55 hour training along side me, and I are officially going to be teaching Be Well inspired classes at Yoga Sol!

The Deets:

First class will be Monday, September 9th
Classes will be held each Monday from 4:30-5:30pm
Open to all C survivors no matter where you are in your journey or your yoga experience!
Donation based- We understand that a diagnosis often comes with serious financial burdens. Pay what you can!
Survivors can bring along a caregiver, supporter, cheerleader, partner, or pal!

Classes will integrate mindful yoga, deep relaxation, visualization, breathing techniques, and meditation – all in a compassionate and supportive environment and with your optimal well-being in mind.

We are all so excited to be able to offer this weekly class at the gorgeous Yoga Sol studio in Yorba Linda. If you feel like you or someone you know could benefit from attending, hit me up!