Yesterday, Scott and I got up early, drove for an hour and half and participated in the Peak Hike for Prevention (a fundraiser for the Breast Cancer Fund). I honestly wasn’t sure I was going to be able to do it. I was definitely slow, but I made it (12.21km and 3h47min, 20,000 steps, and…
If you haven’t noticed yet, October is breast cancer awareness month. It is a month full of tacky fundraisers in the name of breast cancer awareness. I cannot say that I really noticed pinktotober before, it had no meaning in my life. I believe March is cancer awareness month – the month when daffodils are…
In one moment, I feel like I’m thinking clearly. I’m reading and reflecting. I feel connected. In the next moment, I realize just how unconnected my mind is. This chemo brain is infuriating! I ventured out today – unable to drive because of the cognitive dissonance that is getting worse with each dose of taxel…
So I’ve survived one more chemo day … I type this as the monitor beeps saying I’m done … with any luck this will be my last … Had some fun taking pictures by my tree before the infusion. I won’t know until next Monday (the 13 – which also happens to be Canadian Thanksgiving)…
As many of you know, I’m an avid cyclist. Cycling has been one of the things that kept me sane though AC chemo. It is also one of the things I’ve struggled with on Taxol. One of the unfortunately side effects of Taxol is cognitive disassociation – where my brain cannot process visual queues as…
On Friday, I gave myself permission to stop working while I’m on Taxol. I have been trying to sneak in small amounts of contract work, but I just haven’t been able to get anything done. I’ve had the same task on my to do list week after week. It isn’t a big task, nor a…
Yesterday, I was scared. I didn’t quite realize just how scared I was – and I couldn’t quite label it. I was scared enough that I cried. Then I went out for a bike ride. Biking always makes seems to help clear my head and allows me to figure out what I’m actually thinking. I…
Surgeons get a bad rap for being insensitive and un-empathetic. From the outside, they are seen as the engineers of medicine – socially awkward, mechanical in their interactions, and having no time for patient engagement. This has totally NOT been my experience. I’ve see a couple of breast surgeons, a couple for breast surgeon fellows, a…
One thing I can say for certain, the cancer journey is anything but predictable. I had all of these plans made based upon when my chemo dates would finish … and now things are going to get crazy again. My first appointment this morning was with radiation oncology. I saw a resident who was clearly…
Although paclitaxol chemo is proving to be more of a challenge than I expected, we did manage to get up to Yosemite this weekend for our anniversary. We spent two nights at the Wawona Inn, and managed to get out hiking on both Friday and Saturday – before the rain started. It rained quite heavily…
