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My paradoxical future
Read more: My paradoxical futureI’ve been struggling a little lately with this thought – how do I envision my future? When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had a clear sense of what I no longer wanted to do. I was blessed with the ability to forget about sunk costs, and just make decisions based upon what I wanted to…
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Today I put my wedding ring on
Read more: Today I put my wedding ring onI took off my wedding ring in a bit of a panic as I noticed my left arm swelling. That was back at the beginning of October in 2015. Reflecting, I remember it being several months before I got into see the specialist – but looking back on it, it really only took 3-4 weeks –…
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Circle of 6
Read more: Circle of 6One of my students is using the Circle of 6 app in the course she is designing. In looking at the app, I found myself thinking that it might be a useful resource for ePatients – especially in the chemo and post-surgery. I totally see times when my husband went to work and I was…
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Back pain (not cancer) and the need to self-advocate
Read more: Back pain (not cancer) and the need to self-advocateI thought I’d start by saying that this post doesn’t talk directly about cancer – in that my back pain isn’t caused by cancer as far as I know – it is caused by arthritis and spinal stenosis. My back pain had gotten so bad that I finally made the decision to try the epidural…
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Making valuable choices
Read more: Making valuable choices“I often think I have not yet been ill enough to know how to live. I still evaluate choices in terms of what counts on my resume, instead of asking whether I am producing something I think is valuable and if I am meeting people’s needs rather than fulfilling the demands of some system” (Frank,…
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The Cost of Appearances
Read more: The Cost of AppearancesIn reading the chapter ‘The Cost of Appearances’ in Arthur Frank’s (1991) At the Will of the Body, reminded me of my first Doxorubicin (Adriamycin other wise referred to as A chemo) chemotherapy injection. I wrote about the experience very briefly in a post The First Day Of Chemo on my blog. In my blog post,……
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Selfishness to reduce stress
Read more: Selfishness to reduce stressI took advantage of some spare time between appointments today to go for a walking along a lovely creek trail. I was struck by the beauty but also the sense of peace associated with the tall trees and the green around me. I noticed pretty purple spring flowers that are now in bloom. With all…
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Letting go of at least some of the fear
Read more: Letting go of at least some of the fearIt feels good when your oncologist acknowledges that what you are feeling is real. Today, I had a six month oncology follow up. This is the first time I’ve gone a full six months without seeing my oncologist. It was a bit of a break through. That being said, for the last two to three weeks,…
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Feelings of health
Read more: Feelings of healthAs my health improves, I am struck by feelings of fear that the cancer has returned. It is a total juxtaposition – the idea that feeling healthy is a sign of sickness. I discussed this with my therapist the other day. She commented to me that breast cancer, unlike many other cancers, creates this juxtaposition, because…
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End of Life Options Act
Read more: End of Life Options ActThe End of Life Options Act is the State of California’s death with dignity legislation. It allows mentally competent adults with a terminal illness, such as metastatic breast cancer, to gain access to medications that help them choose the time and situation of their deaths. The website I’ve linked to above includes all the forms…
