The flurry of tests, scans & appointments is in full swing. A few days ago my sister took me to the hospital for a CT scan from my pubic bone to my neck to look for distant metastases. This involved getting there 2 hours early to pick up ‘the drink.’ Over the course of the…
Tag: #mastectomy
AGAIN
Christmas, 2021. At the age of 41, I was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time (pause for hysterical laughter–she’s kidding right?) Two weeks ago, I saw my oncologist for a regular appointment. She did an exam, as she always does. She found a lump on my cancerous side. I had an ultrasound the…
Tick, Tick, Tick
Chapter One A handful of hours after our wedding, my husband got sick, like super-sick. As I was still a 27 year old bozo, I immediately called my mom. She was also sick. The calls kept coming in; many, many people were sick. By lunchtime, 5 of our friends and family, including my new husband,…
5 Years
5 years ago today I was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma breast cancer. It seems both a billion years ago and like yesterday. As time has passed some of the details have started to fade. I can’t remember the names of certain tests or drugs, the post-op rules or even the names of important players….
Our Renaissance
In July there was an article in The New Yorker by Lawrence Wright about the new phenomenon of art and culture in Renaissance Italy. It arose from the ashes of the horrific ‘Black Death’ plague in the Middle Ages. Let me reiterate that– we needed THE PLAGUE to grow the artistic bounty of our pals…
Quarantine Tips From a Cancer Survivor
Quarantine. It is the hottest topic of 2020. It is so now. It is creating so much buzz. Everyone is doing it. (fire emoji, fire emoji). Not all trends are good ones. Remember Hammer pants and over-plucked eyebrows? Quarantine is most certainly one of the worst trends I can think of in recent history. Maybe only feathered…
North Korea, South China Sea, Breast Cancer
What would you think, if you recently had chemotherapy as a breast cancer treatment and you woke up to these headlines? Allow me to tell you what I thought. FUUUUCCCKKKKKK. I mean, yeah science!, but also, (mad face). Upon reading the many articles and trying to digest the evidence-based conclusions, I felt some unexpected reactions….
Transparent
About a week after my final chemo, I was contacted by a filmmaker named Rachel Pikelny. She was looking for someone to follow as a documentary film subject, someone who was finishing active treatment for breast cancer and moving on to what so many refer to as, ‘life back to normal’. The rest is history….
Scare
I saw my oncologist last week for a check-up. These visits are pretty uneventful these days which is the way you want your oncology appointments. They draw my blood from my one available arm, take my blood pressure, temperature and weigh me. Next I am told to change into a gown and I park it…
Things I Learned About My Post-Cancer Body on a Beach Vacation
I just returned from the vacation of a lifetime. My husband and I went to, wait for it… Bora Bora for 8 days! The best way I can describe Bora Bora, Tahiti and French Polynesia, in general, is that I truly can’t believe that it exists on the same planet on which the rest of…
The Wall
It’s happening right now. I reached the place I have heard about from so many who came before me. I hit the post-treatment wall. I will tell you about what happened, but note that the trigger is somewhat irrelevant. It doesn’t really matter what makes you hit the wall, it just matters that it happened….
Commencement
Today I had my 6 week follow-up with my plastic surgeon, post-reconstruction surgery. I had a whole list of questions like, do I still have to wear a bra around the clock, can I sleep on my stomach, etc. Very early on in my speech, Dr. Sisco stopped me and said, ‘Grace, this is it. You…
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