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I went to my August 4 oncology appointment with a full sheet of questions, divided into the important issues I wanted to raise and the “if there’s time” questions. The last of my important issu...

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”If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” The odd thing about the type of cancer I had, what makes it so surreal for me, is that at no point did I feel ...

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I count myself lucky in that I had never vomited while on chemo. It took a carrot to make me do that. One raw carrot. I’ve never had any problems with carrots, raw or cooked, in the past. But ...

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“We are all about so much more than cancer,” writes Nancy Stordahl in her entry, “15 Random Facts & A Blogging Challenge Too!” Inspired by this list from her friend Melissa, Nancy posted her...

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At my most recent Healthy Living class, the facilitator asked me what kept me motivated to meet my weekly goals as well as I have. I smiled, looked her in the eye, and said, “Anger.” She said, “...

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I posted this on Facebook last week: Broke in my new weighted vest by adding 5 lbs. and walking for 30 minutes on my manual treadmill set at a 10-degree incline. That was one good schvitz. :-) ...

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I was not aware until recently that the first Sunday in June has been designated National Cancer Survivors Day. While I appreciate the sentiment and am grateful for each day that I’m on this sid...

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I am standing as I type this. My laptop sits atop a footstool about 9 inches high; my mouse and mouse pad top a mini-drawer assembly about 6.5 inches high. I’ve had to move various files to rea...

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Next month will mark my first follow-up mammogram since I had completed active treatment for breast cancer. In the case of lumpectomy, mammograms are recommended about six months after finishing...

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I had my three-month checkup with my oncologist on May 5. All of my blood work results were normal – for the first time since April 7, 2014. *fist pump* I felt good stepping back in there. It ...

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Recently I enjoyed time on my front porch – listening to a virtuoso mockingbird, watching a young anole (lizard) in my hedge, and reading. I am thrilled to be reading books again. Chemo had curt...

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Disclaimer: I wrote most of this entry before I spoke with Dr. W on April 16, 2015. I have left it as-is because I wanted to show my raw reaction to what I had seen. The Update section reports ...

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The bank teller asked me, “Where’s your camera?” Thus began my most recent cancer spiel. For almost a decade I wore my camera everywhere, ready for a photo op. It could be the female cattle egr...

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I took M to the podiatrist on Friday. As we waited in the examination room for the doctor, she asked me to read to her from the “blue foot” poster, a drawing of a foot with markings in blue wher...

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M was going in for routine blood work, which we’ve had done for years at a collection station less than a mile from home. This time, when we walked in, a note tacked up on a partition told us to...

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A year ago today I received “the call” from my GP. I don’t remember her exact words, but “They found cancer” comes close. Her delivery of bad news stood out for its brevity. My response, even m...

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I told my surgeon, “I’m actually more worried about the colonoscopy than I had been about the lumpectomy.” My surgeon is a general surgeon, but his particular skills include both breast surgery a...

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On February 7, 2014, I had nonchalantly waltzed into my diagnostic imaging center for my regular screening mammogram. As usual, I admired the waiting room mural that let me figuratively gaze out...

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My oncologist gave me the good news on Tuesday: my PET scan last week showed no sign of cancer. He said the front desk could print me out a copy of the report. I told him that I had already dow...

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I was at my radiation facility (RBOI) on Monday – not for treatment, because I had finished active treatment last month. Not for a support group meeting, though this visit was related. I was the...

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I recently learned about a clinical trial via Alicia Staley (@stales), one of the moderators at breast cancer social media (#bcsm). The trial, focused on hormone-positive breast cancer, will eva...

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On Tuesday (and on the next three days) I did a basic plank for three minutes and side planks for two minutes each – to “Eitheror” by Little People, chopped up into timed clips so that I wouldn’t...

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(As a cancer blog mentor for a free online course being developed by Rebecca Hogue, I wrote the following in response to her question about what we are and are not willing to blog about and why.)...

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The days and weeks following the end of active treatment fill with mini-celebrations of the type one might otherwise take for granted. Shaving my chin hairs with a safety razor again. Switching...

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(My friend K gifted me with this mug before my lumpectomy.) “Courage” is a term that gets bandied about a lot in connection with cancer, so here’s my take on it. I keep a handwritten journal in...

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