Category: Cancer
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I haven’t hit upon a charming story to tell about our First Born Spring Break Road Trip. It was fun…but it wasn’t. The weather was crummy, and I was sooooooo tired, but that wasn’t the problem. It just wasn’t…the same. Some parts of the journey felt as heavy as the cloud cover; the buoyancy of…
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I’m alive! Crap, I almost died. Wait, I could still die of this, I’m just in remission. Chemo worked! Hooray for medical science. Chemo nearly killed me, how the hell did I get through that? I’m so happy the scan was clear. I’m so angry this happened to me. Omicron! Back to masks! Spring! Off…
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I’m processing last week’s good cancer news, though it’s been a confusing jumble of emotions. Switching from crisis mode to maintenance mode is not speedy. I feel that I am experiencing many of the emotions I set aside in the past sixteen months, unleashed all at once. Also, I have medically induced PMS (another…
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Cheesy triumph pose, Bayfield Wisconsin 2021 It’s cliche and cheesy, the breast cancer survivor photo. This one was taken after I made it up a steep walk through a root-covered woodland park in Bayfield this September. I was celebrating using my last squeeze of strength that day, and most satisfyingly, having surprised my family. They…
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I’ve been dragging my chemo-fatigued ass across town each Thursday night after work, shuttling Felix to his rock climbing class. The parking is terrible. It’s dark. I worked all day. And it’s cold. Did I mention the parking? But I love seeing him suit up on his own and scramble up that wall with…
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Fairhope, Alabama It’s been a strange holiday season. The new variant has scrambled plans; we didn’t feel comfortable doing inside family gatherings while my body is still processing chemo for another three rounds. But after two years of practice with masks and the kids finally fully vaccinated, we can navigate a road trip and outdoor…
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On the first day of chemo my doctor gave to me a puncture and an IV. On the second day of chemo my doctor gave to me two mouth sores, a puncture and an IV. On the third day of chemo my doctor gave to me three barf bags, two mouth sores, a puncture and…
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My nurse navigator shared some “interesting news” with me this past week. At a big Breast Cancer conference, a study was released that shows Kadcyla (my post surgery infusion chemo) is radiosensitive. In layman’s terms, it makes the side effects of radiation much more intense, and they start sooner. NO SHIT I TOLD YOU FROM…
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I’m taking a watercolor class this morning. I don’t like school. Cancer has been hard, but school was my first trauma. Charlie gave me some drawing advice: “Remember to do as many details as you can”. Mom said I’m going to love it. A Saturday morning watercolor class during breast cancer treatment, a middle aged…
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LAudubon Center 2020 St Joe 2021 Another October. Last year, during the diagnosis, I wasn’t sure there would be more Octobers. You can see it on my face, I thought I was possibly leaving my kids. In the days following the diagnosis, we walked the soggy beach, my camera thumping against my hip, tears in…
girl at large 