Tag: chemotherapy

Written by dekemaba

An account I daren’t post — at the time

I am going through my blogs here as on my old community page on LotsaHelpingHands. The account below of my side effects 5 weeks after I started chemo in 2022 stayed on draft. I wrote it, reviewed it, decided it was too whiny, and published a gratitude post instead. Which I was…I am… grateful. But […]

Written by dekemaba

Catching us up

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 […]

Written by dekemaba

Hair today, gone tomorrow

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 […]

Written by dekemaba

A roller-coaster ride

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 […]

Written by dekemaba

The waiting is the hardest

No actually, it isn’t… Chemo cycle 1 of 6 started last Friday 9/9. I’m at Day 5 (infusion is day 1). It’s not as terrible as I’d expected, but it’s not great either. I did expect the worst. I was most scared of the nausea/vomiting because I’ve had those bad in the past. So far, […]

Written by dekemaba

There is a plan

I made a flowchart of sorts for my treatment, because, well, it’s me. By August 26 officially (or even before that, unofficially), I knew what the treatment plan was going to be for my cancer. Nothing was going to be unprecedented, or out of the ordinary. I knew we would start with neoadjuvant therapy for […]

Written by dekemaba

No one can do this alone

I’m not. You’re here. When friends learn about my diagnosis, one of the most common first things said in reply is “I’m here for you.” I’ve said the same thing myself when in the same situation even as, often, I’m not quite sure how to be there exactly. The words seem trite. Now that I […]