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Five years and counting
Read more: Five years and countingYesterday I had an important cancer anniversary. Five years ago, on December 17, 2014, I was officially in remission. It is the date that the last of my known cancer was removed from my body. It was a huge surgery. This year I had back surgery on Monday December 9th. It turned out to be…
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Five more years … and a back update
Read more: Five more years … and a back updateIt has been a whirlwind over the last two weeks – with an appointment with my oncologist and an appointment with my back surgeon. I was pretty bummed out after my appointment with my oncologist. He again said that I was moderate to high risk for recurrence and that he wants me on some form…
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Is this normal? Spinal laminectomy
Read more: Is this normal? Spinal laminectomyIs it normal to have surgery booked after a short phone call with a surgical fellow outlining what surgery is being offered? Is it crazy to think that I might want an in-person appointment where the doctors show me my scans and explain exactly what the procedures they are suggesting entail? I’m finding it a…
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Kind of like Halloween for an adult with celiac disease
Read more: Kind of like Halloween for an adult with celiac diseaseI felt like a kid a Halloween, sorting through my samples of different gluten free granolas, snacks, pastas and such.
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laminectomy or fusion … the woes of my spine
Read more: laminectomy or fusion … the woes of my spineAs some of you know, I’ve been struggling with back pain – which got severe after I broke my rib mountain biking at Christmas last year. I’ve tried a lot of different things to help improve it – PT, Yoga, acupuncture, massage, spinal injections, and decompression therapy – unfortunately none of it worked. Some of…
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I almost cried
Read more: I almost criedI almost cried when as I walked out of my surgeons office – likely for the last time. Thursday I had a follow up appointment with my breast surgeon. When she walked in the room she was excited to see me. She was also excited to show her intern her handy work. She is very…
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It’s like riding a bike, except when the bike is a recumbent
Read more: It’s like riding a bike, except when the bike is a recumbentThe other day one of my students made a comment about how prior knowledge and asking how much of it we needed to review. He then used the metaphor of driving a car – stating that everyone knows you “put the key in the ignition”, “put gas in the gas tank” … he went on…
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Can I handle the emotional hit associated with losing more friends?
Read more: Can I handle the emotional hit associated with losing more friends?Back on July 6, 2014 — the day before I started chemotherapy – I wrote about my fears with getting to know others who might one day die from breast cancer. After the loss of the last year, I find myself hesitant again. Can I handle the emotional hit associated with losing more friends?
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The time has come to professionalize Peer-to-peer heathcare
Read more: The time has come to professionalize Peer-to-peer heathcareDo you think we should look at creating a professional ePatient role that is embedded within the healthcare system? What would skills and competencies would that person need to have?
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Back pain … what now
Read more: Back pain … what nowOnce I found out that my back pain was not caused by cancer, I had to figure out what to do next. The pain was unbearable and constant so there was no way I could continue with doing nothing. I first followed up with the physiatrist and booked another back injection. The injected helped temporarily.…
