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One more chemo day done!
Today was a busy day up at Stanford. I had an oncology appointment, chemo infusion, and then a workshop on make-up (sponsored by Look good feel better). I’ll talk about the first two here, and the latter in a separate blog post. The good news from the oncology appointment is that the thing my oncologist felt…
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When I don’t blog … and an update
When I don’t blog, please don’t worry. Take a look at rjh.goingeast.ca to see if I’m blogging over there (I have been writing about patient engagement more generically on my academic blog). I am touched that so many people are reading my blog – and that they worry when I don’t write. Writing everyday is…
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Breast cancer prevention
It is with mixed feelings that I read about breast cancer prevention. It is not that I want anyone to get breast cancer, I would not wish that on anyone. It is just that when I read about prevention, I enter that world of regret. I start running through the if onlys… …if only I had…
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Before all the pinkwashing was Terry Fox
I found it interesting the other day, walking with new friends, that they had never heard of Terry Fox. As a Canadian, we are taught about Terry Fox’s worldwide legacy, so I somehow expected that those affected by Breast Cancer (and activists within the breast cancer community) would have at least heard of him. Terry…
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Today’s side-effect – cognitive numbness
I was fine this morning. I woke up feeling pretty good, but have since experienced a cognitive decline. I did get out to run a few errands, which involved driving. I was fine when I first set out, but not doing too well by the time I got home about 90-minutes later. After my bike…
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The conversation project – and some end-of-life thoughts #medx
One of the bits of recommended “reading” in the Patient Engagement Design MOOC I’m taking is about The Conversation Project. The video talks about the importance of having conversations about what you want your end-of-life to look like. So that when your care givers are facing decisions, they know what you really want. I’m not sure…
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How I’m doing and a bike adventure
I’ve been blogging a lot over the last two days, but not really talking about how I’m doing. I haven’t really said much about the side effects I’m experiencing with the Paclitaxol (taxol) and various premeds. One of the premeds is a steroid, which certainly leaves me feeling bouncy for the first two days. I’m…
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Wanting to be part of something bigger #medx
I so want for my experience to be part of something bigger than just me going through cancer. I want it to be used to help learn more about cancer, or to help teach medical students, or something – pretty much anything – to make this experience something that others can learn from. I do think…
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Food Angst … never surrender
For much of my adult life, my diet has been about control. I can choose to control what I eat, and as a control freak that is important. I’ve tried several different diets to no avail. Mostly, I’ve learned that my body doesn’t like some foods and it likes others. I’m lactose intolerant but my…
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Another day, another infusion
So today is my second Taxol infusion. We are definitely “regulars” at the infusion center. When one of the computers started its chant, we knew what it was saying, and what to do about it. If you listen carefully, you can make out that it is saying “low power, low power, low power” … so…
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Fatigue and my muse
I was writing a comment the other day on a friends blog post, about how I blog because I have to. I have a ‘muse’ which compels me to write something. Something will happen during the day, and an idea will spark. After thinking about it a bit, I usually have some form of blog…
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Short lived energy
My new sense of energy was unfortunately short lived. Although I must admit, I was able to get a lot of academic work done over the last couple of days. It has been interesting to see how I have been able to focus on some work, although I have yet to be able to read…
