rotator cuff surgery May 6…

…and I of course am wondering the obvious question:

Medical heuristics

I have an appointment tomorrow with a surgeon to talk about repairing my torn rotator cuff.  Given that that this is only a week after my two-year mastectomy anniversary, and a week before my one-year liver biopsy anniversary, I find myself in such deep avoidance that I even started sorting old letters!  Luckily, I am not completely unprepared for the appointment, as I wrote an article a while back (on my other blog, now gone) on medical heuristics.  Here is an edited reprint of that article:

tuesday

My Tuesday started with a funeral.  A member of our Sunday Starbucks Young Survivors Group.  Her cancer, stage 2B with no lymph node involvement (if I understood correctly), snuck back fast after chemo,with a vengeance, before she even finished radiation.  She’d had a clean bone scan in October.  The cancer was stage 4 by the time it was discovered (due to back pain) in late February. She died March 6th.  She had some of the best docs in town. It was no ones fault. It’s scary and incredibly sad.

I actually hadn’t met her, but went to pay my respects, and show support, along with six other members of our group. The eulogy was one of the best I’ve heard, but it’s a story to be told in the right time and place.  Maybe in person. My prayers and thoughts, and help if needed, go out to her family.

pain-fog

I fell. Apparently falling is problem for women post-chemo.  Now, did I fall during the 2 weeks of ice and 24 inches of snow?  No.  Got through that just fine.  No, I fell when I was going to read bedtime stories with my niece. 

From tamoxifen to zoladex + femara

Hi all!  Happy New Year!  May 2009 be the year that there are no cancer scares for me or for you or your loved ones!  The good news:  I’m feeling better overall than I have for years, so take heart.

Taking the summer off…

…from medical stuff if I can! First the good news, no, make that great news: we know that there’s no cancer recurrence in my brain, bones, liver or above the knees. Bad news for my readers: chemo-flashbacks are giving me a severe aversion to being online. This is the time last year when I was going through chemo, and the sight of my laptop almost makes me want to throw it out the window. Of course, I won’t, but the feeling is that intense.

The other good news is that my garden is growing so well. All I want to do is be outside. And I completely adore the fact that I CAN be outside. (Last year chemo made me photosensitive.) One of these days I’ll post pictures, but overall I’m pretty focused on planting and being social, so the best way to see the pics is to come visit. Be well, and make the most of every moment you have, even if it’s just lazing around the garden…. I’ll be back in the fall with updates. Until then, if you know me well enough to have my phone #, please call, or if you email, I may get to the email within a week, or two….. As there are very important things to do, like swimming! And getting Vit D the old-fashioned way.

Off to wash the strawberries we just picked…

Time away

I’ve been feeling nonverbal lately, so a trip to the country was perfect. And with tulip salad to boot.

tamoxifen and I are NOT the best of friends

Okay, minor suckage for the day – tamoxifen and I are just NOT the best of friends. I’ve bailed on it again, and now, 5 days later, I’m beginning to feel SOOO much better!

Benign is a marvelous word

It really really is.  Feel like I got my life handed back to me.  Love that.

Chocolate helps

…but waiting for test results is just no fun.