The Road Through Chemo
Everyone ' s road through chemotherapy is a bit unique. We all face our demons of nausea, fatigue, hair loss, and emotional ups and downs differently. We struggle through. And then we somehow make itI am always interested in hearing about other ' s chemo misadventures.Stephen Blyth wrote about his chemo story in the Boston Globe. He begins with the advice from the National Cancer Institute:" The National Cancer Institute tries to be helpful: “At some point during chemotherapy, you may feel: Anxious; Depressed; Afraid; Angry; Frustrated; Helpless; Lonely. It is normal to have a wide range of feelings while going through c...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 10, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: cancer bonds cancer treatment chemotherapy medical advice Source Type: blogs
Trapped At Home
I haven ' t been so trapped at home since chemo. Then I was too sick to care that I spent my life inside watching TV, hanging out with the cat. Right now I have a giant brace on my leg and can ' t drive until next week.My husband is home today, but its day five of ' togetherness ' and its starting to get old. Its great that he ' s doing the laundry I sorted, saving me trips up and down our one flight of stairs. But we are running out of things to do together. He does have other projects he is working on.Tomorrow a friend is rescuing me and taking me for coffee and then dropping me off at the hospital so I can go to my fath...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 9, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being a patient boring knee surgery loneliness Source Type: blogs
New Research Which Could Have More Thought
This study did not include women who had mastectomies or suspicious or enlarged lymph nodes in a physical exam." To make sure that women have the appropriate lymph node surgery, the American Society for Clinical Oncology released guidelines on sentinel lymph node biopsy for people diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. The guidelines say sentinel lymph node biopsy SHOULD be offered under these circumstances:breast cancer in which there is more than one tumor, all of which have formed separately from one another (doctors call these multicentric tumors); these types of breast cancers are rareDCIS treated with mastectomywo...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 8, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: breast cancer breast cancer treatment young cancer patients Source Type: blogs
I Don't Do Pink Things Except....
I don ' t do pink things. I detest things where if you had breast cancer you are supposed to cover yourself in pink, including a few boas, etc. I don ' t participate in them at all.However, I have some breast cancer friends who started out with me on the Komen message boards back in 2007. When they screwed up the message boards, we all left and moved to Facebook where we have remained friends. A bunch of them in the Midwest started what they called BreastFest at a park in northern Indiana, near where some of them live.Overtime, this has expanded to be an all day event at a local hotel. Last year I went ona road trip with a...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 7, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: breast cancer bonds friends pinkification travel Source Type: blogs
Number Nine
Surgery number nine was yesterday. I thought the surgeon was going to clean out my knee arthroscopically so it would no longer catch and lock up. That was a good idea.Everything went as planned - including me being STARVING by the time we got there at 1pm after not eating since the night before - until I woke up after surgery. That ' s when I found out the bad news.Well its a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the surgeon fixed my knee so it will no longer catch - which is amazingly painful when it happens. The bad news is the repair is more complicated than the original plan. Instead of a clean out, he re...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 6, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation changes crabbiness knee pain knee surgery recovery Source Type: blogs
Reminder What Not To Say To Breast Cancer People
As part of the universal pinkification of October, Good Housekeeping magazine has a section on breast cancer (who knew?). But one thing they do include is a list of 15 things not to say to breast cancer people.You ’re going to be fineEverything happens for a reasonYou don ’t look sick – you look greatMy brother ’s friend had breast cancer here’s what happened to her.That ’s why I don’t use antiperspirant (deodorant, underwire bras)I hate my large breasts; I ’d love to get rid of them.How did they find it? What stage was it?Have you tried cutting out sugar?Can I do anything for youYou ’re a badass! You’l...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 5, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being a patient Halloween pinkification Source Type: blogs
Pre-Op Day
Today is pre-op day. Tomorrow I am having minor arthroscopic knee surgery. Its no big deal. An in and out procedure that should last an hour or so. Nothing significant. It is to repair my right knee which has been locking up for the last year or so.What it does mean is that I am going to be limited in my abilities to get around for the next week or so. I do not plan on using crutches because I hate them (and I have lymphedema). I really hate crutches. We live in a raised ranch and I bought a can so I should be able to maneuver around the one floor by myself.My husband has taken tomorrow and Friday off and then will be home...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 4, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: knee pain organization planning surgery Source Type: blogs
Having Fun With Other Friends
Recently I blogged about being aggravated and frustrated when having lunch with a couple of old friends. I was very upset by the end of that lunch so much that I woke up aggravated and frustrated the next morning. I knew it was time for a change. I won ' t be spending much time with either of them any more. I know they are upset. Well I am upset too. Sometimes its like talking to a brick wall with some people.Since cancer, I can no longer count the number of friends I have lost. There was one old friend who I reconnected with on Facebook after breast cancer. We were talking about lunch sometime, until I told her about my b...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 3, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: friends having fun stress Source Type: blogs
Pinktober
Its now Pinktober. It will be horrible. There will be pink on everything. There were even little pink ribbons on the bananas I bought last week. I was appalled but I didn ' t notice until I got home and it was too lazy to bring them back.But please brace yourself and do not get sucked into the pinkification which will be rampant all month long. Please do not purchase anything or donate to anything that claims to support breast cancer unless you know the following:The organization to which the money is going - are they a real organization that really will use the funds to provide what they said they will.That the total amou...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - October 1, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: donating pink washing pinkification pinktober research Source Type: blogs
I Am A Klutz
Today I was at an event where I might have fallen a tiny bit. I must say I am not completely unfamiliar with the room because I was in that same room in 1989 or so at a friend ' s wedding. So I must have memorized the entire room layout then (although I know alcohol was involved at the wedding).But things might have gotten a little hazy since.But my question is who carpets an entire room with the same carpet on everything except the dance floor? By the carpets rest of the room I mean stairs that go across the full length of the room and the DJ/band riser at the end of the space. In a dark blue carpet which shows no contour...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 30, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: avoidance blogging falls pain Source Type: blogs
My Cholesterol Improved
I have no idea what I did but my cholesterol is much better than it was a year ago. I don ' t know what I have done differently with my diet (I thought I had adopted a whole bunch of bad eating habits) but my total cholesterol dropped more than 50 points in the last year. Maybe I need a burger and fries for lunch today...That was the good news. The bad news is I have referrals to three different types of doctors - ENT, eyes, and a pharmacotherapist.The pharmacotherapist is going to review all the meds I am on. I like that idea. I have so many medications from so many doctors. My PCP is concerned about too many interact and...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 28, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being healthy doctor appointments doctor questions Source Type: blogs
Off To My Primary Care
This morning I go off to my primary care for my annual physical. Although there are lingering thoughts of ' what if she finds something bad ' , I will squish them down for the duration.However after cancer, even though you have all sorts of oncologists and other fun doctors, your primary care is the one who is supposed to oversee your care. Hence, I have a paltry list of 15 questions for her. And I assume I will be sent for blood work after and maybe other tests. I expect I will be there for a few hours.I am looking forward to talking to her about multiple issues that do not fall under the care of any of my bazillion speci...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 27, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being a patient doctor appointments stress Source Type: blogs
Sense of Humor
How is your sense of humor on a normal day? This is a serious question. Do you keep your sense of humor? Do you have a sense of humor? If you don ' t have a sense of humor, I think it would negatively impact your health issues.Yes I have no training on any kind of medical or psychological information. But I do think a healthy sense of humor is very important as a coping mechanism. If you can crack jokes, you probably are not on death ' s door.... right now.Personally, I think sense of humor should be checked, just like any other vital sign, at doctor appointments. (Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog)
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 26, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: humor Source Type: blogs
Aggravated, Frustrated, And More
Yesterday I had lunch with two friends who I have known for a very long time. One since the 1970s and the other since the 1980s. While I have sensed over the years they do not understand what I am going through. Yesterday revealed the truth. They do not have a clue. I was so aggravated when I left lunch and I woke up aggravated about it this morning. They were insensitive, self centered, and ignorant of my limitations.I made a lunch reservation and had hoped to be there first so I could get a table with chairs and not a padded bench, which can sometimes be difficult for my back. As my friend, A, was already seated, I decid...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 25, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation disappointment friends idiots stupidity Source Type: blogs
Clearing Your Plate For Better Balance
With a slew of health ailments comes lots of responsibility. I need to take responsibility for taking my medications, getting to my doctor appointments, getting to the gym to keep a minimal bit of fitness, as well as basic household stuff (laundry, groceries, garden, etc) as much as I am able. I also need to take care of my emotional self.Therefore I need to clear my plate of crap and balance myself better. There are some things which should just be taken right off my plate. These include:Anyone else ' s problem. Sorry. I don ' t have time for them. I ' ll talk to you about them. Commiserate with you about them. But I...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - September 23, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: balance sanity stress Source Type: blogs
