When the oncologist told me not to wait to have surgery – that I should plan to have surgery 2-4 week after chemo. His words were “don’t waste the chemo by waiting”, I had to make a choice – triathlon after chemo or Hawaii. It was a pretty easy choice. The triathlon was proving to…
I have found myself wondering, what day would I recognize as my ‘cancerversary’. This is typically the day you find out you have cancer. It becomes a significant anniversary in your life after cancer – as does the first day you are told you are ‘cancer free’. Rather than choosing the day the radiologist confirmed…
I find it interesting that ever since my diagnosis, I have found that I have an improved body image. Sure I am carrying a few more pounds than I would like, but I am proud of the way my body looks. I rocked the buzz cut! Now with my hair patchy and falling out, I…
One of the hardest things I’ve done lately, was to get out of bed after my afternoon nap, and get on my bike. It wasn’t that I didn’t have the energy for it – I did. I’m in a strong phase right now. It was that I was sad. And not the type of sad…
Chemo has many side effects, so many, that they don’t tell you about them. What happens is, when you have a symptom, you contact your oncologist (or the oncologist on call) to see whether or not it is something you should worry about. There are so many side effects, many of which are rare or…
Today I found myself seeking out definitions of cancer survivor. In my context, I don’t know what it means to be a survivor. I certainly am a cancer warrior – I’m in treatment, I am living each day – but what does it mean to survive? Some definitions involve the time after treatment, when you…
Yesterday, I was reminded of the cumulative effects of chemotherapy. I was remembering day four from last cycle, and thought that I would just bounce back after day three – unfortunately, the bouncing back didn’t happened quite as much as I’d hoped. I actually ended up overdoing it a bit yesterday (oops). I now have on…
One advantage to being wide awake at 5am is the ability to go out for a walk before the sun rises. Early morning walks mean I don’t need to cover my head or arms – I can walk and enjoy the feel of the light breeze against my skin. This morning, I walked with Scott…
