Going gluten free just before travelling internationally was, perhaps, not one of my best decisions – but it was a prudent one. One complexity is that I don’t know all the tricks of the trade yet. I am not educated enough about reading labels to find the hidden gluten. Just occurred to me that you…
One of the things I think is important is to not just talk about the tough parts of cancer and illness, but also to celebrate success – however small or large they are. Sometimes just having a good day is a success. The success I want to celebrate today is that I swam 1600m (40…
I received this email from my primary care team: “Do please remain on a regular diet for now. Usually for a final diagnosis of celiac disease an endoscopy with biopsy is recommended. The biopsy relays on the fact that the gluten disease causes inflammation in the intestinal wall which can be detected with the biopsy.…
I mentioned in a previous post that we’ll be trying to do some virtually connecting at the conference I’m presenting at in Belfast. The conference is “QUB ePatients Conference: The medical, ethical, and legal repercussions of blogging and micro-blogging experiences of illness and disease“. I am really excited to report that we have two sessions…
The gluten free movement has proven to be a double-edged sword for those with celiac disease. You see, with more people aware of gluten, and more people eating gluten free, it means there is a larger market for gluten free products. Things with gluten are labelled – although, not everything that is gluten free is…
As always, I need to start this post with it’s not cancer! Although I never thought it was (this time), so I was a bit taken aback by this one. I’m also finding it interesting to observe my reactions – both emotionally and physically. Several years ago (well before cancer) I noticed that I was…
In many support group meetings, I have heard women say that they stopped taking tamoxifen for “quality of life issues”. They never explain what those issues are. I didn’t really understand what side effects would be bad enough to warrant that I stop taking a medication – especially a medication that is intended to significantly…
I have commented previously on how I use different names in different contexts. Rebecca is my formal and professional name. I use Becky with close friends and within the breast cancer community. When attending conferences, I’ve been able to use the name as a signal. People that know me well or read my breast cancer…
I used to love traveling. I loved flying to new places, experiencing new cultures, eating new foods. Now travel is stressing me out. I find that I need to plan a lot of the details, and not leave things to chance. I cannot travel as light as I would like, and yet, I cannot carry…
This week I officially graduated from the Living Strong Living Well program (LSLW) – sponsored by Stanford University and the local YMCA (nothing to do with Lance Armstrong). I must say that the program has been a lifeline for me. It got me to the gym and strength training shortly after my lowest time. I…
