photo: cong-rats! (by the nurse when she changed my PICC dressing for the final time), PMH, may 2021 I had a happy collision with a major milestone three-weeks ago on May 18 – my final chemotherapy infusion. I was meant to be done on March 31 on my dose-dense treatment plan, but that was before we learned that I had a sensitivity to Paclitaxel (aka … Continue reading brave. not brave. (or CONG-RATS!)
photo: siena, italy, july 2007 I try not to come here solely to whine, but I fear I’m a bit whiney today. I sometimes avoid writing here because I don’t want to constantly be a downer, but you know what? This shit is hard. I do feel pretty low at times, but that does not mean that I’m not going to be ok. I don’t … Continue reading side-effects are bitchy-bitches
photo: supermoon, march 11, 2019 I’m not really a conformist. I was born and raised in a conservative province, and in a conservative household. From a fairly early age, I realized that I held some deeply different views and opinions and politics than most everyone around me. I was an unusual product coming out of my environment. How I became such a leftist, I’ll never … Continue reading the argument against the unusual
photo: september 2020, princess margaret hospital, waiting for first consult with the plastic surgeon When the oncologist sits with you to discuss chemotherapy, one of the first questions you ask is, “Am I going to lose my hair”. The answer to that question varies with the type of chemotherapy your doctor thinks best to combat your particular cancer. For me, with my ER/PR+/HER2-, early stage, … Continue reading #cancer style
photo: italy (cinque terre), august 2009 I really sort of fell sideways into being a cancer patient. I went from having a large lump that needed to come out, just because of it’s size, to learning that in that lump invasive cancer had already taken hold. From June to early November 2020, I thought I just had, at worst, a pre-invasive cancer. Suspected DCIS. Once … Continue reading being a cancer patient
photo: princess margaret cancer centre (nurse agnes and the red devil), january 2021 8:00am – Much, much more hair chose to evacuate the premises during the morning shower. 10:30am – The Covid screener at the front door of the hospital saw me and said “You’re here for chemo.” It wasn’t a question. It threw me a bit. I guess once you see enough of us, … Continue reading part 1: what is happening? (aka 2nd AC chemo and the US Capital)
photo: las vegas, april 22, 2018 (hbd!) If you know anything about chemotherapy, it’s probably that people undergoing treatment loose their hair. You probably also know that being tired and feeling nauseated go along with it. But really, it’s the hair that is the most quickly comes to mind. Nancy, the oncology nurse said that on my particular chemo cocktail (oh, to have an actual … Continue reading hair
Photo: stony plain, alberta (my parent’s farm), december 2009 Yes, the other one. No, not Cancer. No, not the 4-letter delight. But that one; yes, the other one. Chemotherapy. From the moment I found the lump in June, I knew I had a battle ahead. I held out hope and poured positive-energy into manifesting a good result, a less serious result. But, as I’ve mentioned … Continue reading the other C word…
I Forgot My Mittens 