It has been about 5 months since I posted here. Things have progressed as they must even as there have been other developments and surprises. Biopsy clear. The mass we saw during my post-surgery, pre-radiation mammogram in April turned out to be nothing—not more cancer, that is. But the biopsy we did to get to […]
These is a long and long overdue update. I’ve just posted this on my “lotsa helping hands” community page, but I know many of my international friends are not on that app, so I’m cross-posting here with minor edits. Last week Friday was chemo day, but in the morning beforehand I had my post-surgery/pre-radiation therapy […]
Friends have been reminding me how I haven’t updated this blog and I realize this may be the only way I’ve communicated out to some friends about the goings-on. I’ve kept up more with IG and my helpinghands app. Totally understand if you don’t have socials though. Since last post in December…let’s just rattle off […]
It’s the holidays! I got to celebrate Christmas with friends’ family with their adorable kids. There was gift-giving, lots of food, laughter and companionship. At the moment, I am feeling quite weak, but very eager to be doing things. I want to drive to Santa Cruz, maybe get in the water, I want to get […]
I haven’t written much here. Actually, save for my typical day of chemo updates on LotsaHelpingHands and my occasional IG story/post, I haven’t written much since the start of chemo #3. I’ve been feeling a bit downtrodden and didn’t feel like sharing my gloomy thoughts. I didn’t feel like writing that I had been feeling […]
Don’t think I’ve got much wit in me this post. Just going to run through my day of chemo cycle #3 today. Which was textbook. By the way, I use the word chemo to mean, more appropriately, infusion because I get both chemotherapy and immunotherapy infusions. Not all breast cancer (BC) patients get immunotherapy. And […]
I’m at Day 5 now and I suspect this is what it means by your chemo cycles being predictable but also cumulative. I have the same side effects: nausea, loss of appetite (unpredictable taste buds not helping), fatigue, weakness, throat sores, and the never ending cycle of constipation and diarrhea and, of course, bone pain […]
Almost. One of the most intriguing side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss. It’s the one that I have had the most controversial (I think) comments about before it’s even begun. Some comments I’ve gotten include: I probably won’t lose my hair and thinking I will is negative thinking, or even if I lost some […]
This entry is an edited repost from my updates on LotsaHelpingHands Community December site for those of you reading that. We are now at week 2 of cycle 1, and I feel pretty good. The known side effects are old friends and we have a rhythm to our relationship now. I hate them, they love […]
Back in December 2015, I was in Panama for what should have been 3 weeks working with Give and Surf. I arrived the week before Christmas, settled into the volunteer house in the secluded part of Isla Bastimentos in Bocas Del Toro. Tropical weather, Caribbean beaches, good waves plus the opportunity to help teach the […]
Journal of odd days (even ones too) 