-
Things to be thankful for
Regularly I see posts on Facebook where people count their blessings. Since my diagnosis, I have counted my blessing regularly. Perhaps the biggest blessing has been this move to California. Last summer I began to developed issues with my vision. I had cloudy vision in my left eye. Unfortunately, I went to see the eye…
-
Reflections on the last few days …
“But I’m happy to be alive”. I read this a lot in breast cancer social media streams. The sense that people are going through all these invasive treatments, and that the treatments are saving them. They live through adversity and are happy to be alive at no matter what additional pains and discomforts are thrown in…
-
And so Paclitaxol (Taxol) has begun as have the hot flashes
It occurs to me that after next weeks infusion I will be half way through chemotherapy. I’ve finished what for most people is the worst of it, AC chemo, and am now on Paclitaxol (taxol for short). Going into the infusion yesterday I was scared. I was afraid of the side effects of the new…
-
Fear of the unknown
One of the challenges with cancer is that you often required to deal with the unknown. My approach to managing fear of the unknown has been preparation. I have tried my best to physically prepare myself for treatment, so that I can bounce back and managed the unknowns ahead – specially the unknown about how…
-
Not talking = not blogging
I’m amused that over the last few days it has been extremely difficult for me to talk, and somehow that has resulted in me not blogging. I find myself wondering if it is because I cannot even talk to myself! But then, I usually write in my head. Truthfully, it is probably because I haven’t…
-
Feeling my nadir today
For the last couple of rounds of AC, I’ve actually felt quite strong on my nadir day (day of lowest blood counts). Today, I’m tired. My biggest struggle today is mouth sores. On the weekend I started to develop mouth sores (the ones on the underside of the tongue are especially painful) and along with…
-
A challenge for my Canadian friends (limited time offer)
So, my fundraising for the Avon Walk (equivalent to the weekend to end women’s cancers in Canada) has pretty much stalled. I know that I have a lot of Canadian readers, who won’t get tax receipts for donating to my Avon walk, so I have a deal for you. If you make a donation to…
-
The regret test
My husband and I can be rather frugal with our money. This approach has allowed us to save, but also allowed us to take 16-months off work and bike around the world. It means that we have learned to always question when we buy something or spend money. We sometimes catch ourselves spending too much…
-
Queen of wishful thinking
When it comes to the entire surgery process, I find myself falling into the realm of ‘queen of wishful thinking’. I had convinced myself that ‘flat’ was that way to go. I joined a great supportive Facebook group ‘Flat & Fabulous’ and found that I was creating a new vision of myself that involved a…
-
Reaching out
It is difficult when you are new to someplace to start to reach out and meet new people. It is especially difficult to reach out when you have cancer (and it is obvious). When I first moved to California, I spend a fair bit of my time trying to make connections with people here. I…
-
Nothing quite feels like you expect it
One of my fears has been regarding neuropathy. It is a common side effect for the Paclitaxol (aka T-Chemo) which I start on Labour Day (September 1st). It is also a less common side effect for AC chemo. It seems that I’m destined to experience it now! It all started this morning, with some tingling…
-
Rethinking reconstruction
I had a couple of doctors updates yesterday. One with the breast surgeon and another with the oncologist. On the good news front, my oncologist said that my left breast felt like ‘a normal lumpy breast’ rather than a breast with a large cancerous tumor! This is a sign that the chemo is working. He…
