Celebrate the Holiday, Without the Cancer Advice
Over onCure Magazine, Martha Carlson, who is living with metastatic breast cancer, provides a bit of advice on how to enjoy the holiday, even when confronted by the unwanted offers of ' advice ' from the ' helpful ' friends and family you see at family gatherings. Everyone knows this type of people. They think they know more than you do about how to treat your disease, because:They read something about it onceThey saw something about it on TV or onlineThey are smarter than you and just know these things that your poor brain cells could never have found on your ownThey know someone who had a similar ailment a long time...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 23, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: ailments coping family holidays relationships Source Type: blogs
What A Concept!
I met with a pharmacist yesterday or a pharmacologist. It was great. When I had my annual physical with my primary care doctor in September, she was concerned about my medications and interactions.The pharmacologist went through my entire list of medications - prescription and OTC - and asked why I was taking each one. Then she went through and looked up possible interactions with them. She gave me some advice which I found very helpful.Because I am on Prilosec for GERD from a sliding hiatal hernia, I need to take it in the morning, 30 minutes after my thyroid medication and then wait another 30 minutes before eating. I wa...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 21, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: doctors medical advice medications prescriptions Source Type: blogs
Not A New Ailment
So I had a medical test recently that came back abnormal. It was then repeated. Then I had another test which also came back not so good and now a referral to a new kind of doctor that I have never had before.My doctor sent me a note over the weekend with a referral for the new department. I asked for a copy of the latest test results and if she had a preferred doctor for me to see.I ' m pissed.I ' m not allowed to have another ailment.That ' s it.F**k.I ' m really pissed.More when I feel ready to talk about it. I just needed to vent. (Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog)
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 20, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation ailments Source Type: blogs
Maybe I'm Lying To Myself
I can ' t tell you how many times I say things like ' I ' m fine ' , ' I didn ' t sleep well last night ' , or other creative lies about how I am doing, physically and mentally. Sometimes these are lies, to myself and to those who I am speaking.Over atThe Mighty, which is an awesome website for people with health issues. I only found it recently but immediately signed up for their emails. (That says something in itself because I think I spend more time unsubscribing from email lists than anything else these days.)They say:" The Mighty is a digital health community created to empower and connect people facing health challen...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 17, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: anxiety depression emotional toll support Source Type: blogs
Just Because We Can, Doesn't Mean We Should, And Who Pays For It
Back when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I first learned about the OncotypeDx genomic test for women with breast cancer. Of course I was not eligible for it. I can ' t remember why - whether it was because it wasn ' t my first cancer, or I had a single tiny positive node.I am never eligible for anything because my health is too complicated to be eligible for anything. I have way too many ailments, previous or current treatments, or something. But I digress.I watched all these other women get the tests to find out their risk of recurrence. Over the years, genomic testing has expanded from the OncotypeDx test to i...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 16, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: breast cancer treatment cancer diagnosis emotional toll genomic tests Source Type: blogs
On Not Blogging About Breast Cancer
You might have noticed that I haven ' t been blogging about breast cancer recently. Why? Because my brain has been filled with non-breast cancer issues that take up the entire health section of it.My brain is full of knee, RA, fibromyalgia, and other health issues. Like why can ' t I stop taking a couple of medications (a couple of serious conversations are upcoming)? Or why can ' t my hands and feet hurt less even though I am taking all these meds to make them stop hurting? Or when will my knee be all better and get back to normal? And why did I manage to get so tired yesterday when all I did was go to a yarn store (and s...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 15, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: blogging breast cancer knee surgery Source Type: blogs
Being Busy
I have not blogged for a couple of days because I have been busy. It was wonderful to be busy.I have spent so much time by myself over the last six weeks. I have kept myself busy and on some levels, very productive. The only people I have seen with any frequency, other than my husband, are the physical therapists when I go to PT twice a week. I have been starved for the sight of other people. I needed face to face interactions.Normally I spend a lot of time on my own which I don ' t mind. But over the course of a week, I would go to the gym three times, go to the grocery store, the library, my parents house, and see a frie...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 13, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: busy isolation loneliness recovery Source Type: blogs
Driving Again!
This is a big day. I drove home from breakfast today. It was a whole three miles but my knee felt fine. And I am going to drive myself to my doctor appointments today so my husband doesn ' t have to. However, he will be drive me this weekend to craft shows because they are longer distances.All this means, I am just as restricted as I always have been. I will be coming home to lie down regularly.But I can go to my PT and doctor appointments without hunting for a ride or paying for a cab. And maybe I can get my hair cut next week.No gym until mid December either. Wah! But this is a start. I am returning to my normal life.......
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 10, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: freedom knee surgery Source Type: blogs
Taking The Good With The Bad
Sometimes, or maybe most of the time, I never get good medical news. I swear, my doctors go off script all too often. So yesterday I got some good news and some bad news.First the knee doctor said I can start driving. But I need to take it easy. I need to be able to slam on the brakes with my restructured knee. Apparently the surgery did some restructuring but I am not a doctor so I don ' t really understand it. (All I know is I have lots of knee exercises.) First before driving, I have to practice driving in a big parking lot (like when I first learned to drive) or in our quiet neighborhood to see how it feels. And start ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 9, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: aggravation bad news doctor questions driving good news knee surgery Source Type: blogs
Today Is The Big Day
I have been waiting for this day for nearly five weeks. This is the day I go see my surgeon for a follow up. I have my fingers crossed that all is well and I am given the green light.... to drive that is.I have not been able to drive since October 5, the date of my surgery. Originally I expected that my surgery would be a minor arthroscopic clean up of my knee and I would be all healed by now. But now, during surgery they found what they really needed to do was to repair my meniscus so I don ' t lose any more stability in my right knee (I need all the stability I can get as my left knee has a torn ACL and likes to give way...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 8, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: depression doctor appointments knee surgery stress Source Type: blogs
One Last Story on How Life Sucks After Breast Cancer
Okay, maybe I have been in a rut because I have been stuck at home after knee surgery because I can ' t drive. Or maybe because I have a cold that I am obsessing on crappy lives after cancer. Or maybe the internet gods had their stars align and all these stories ended up on my laptop in the same time period. But I hope this will be the last one for a while.Here ' s the story of a young woman who lost both her husband and her sister because of her lengthy cancer treatment." “The reality is that probably four out of seven days I’m in bed,” explains the 39-year-old, who lives with her mother at Bundall.“I’ve had my ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 6, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: being a patient breast cancer bonds breast cancer treatment stress Source Type: blogs
More on Life After Breast Cancer
Beth Caldwell is another story about life after breast cancer. But the really sad kind. She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 37, which is three years before she would have gotten a mammogram. Unfortunately she had a huge factor going against her with her diagnosis. She was diagnosed at stage IV.This is a very bad thing. This is not the good painted pink breast cancer. This is the really bad kind. This is the cancer that something like 7% (or so, I can ' t remember the exact number) diagnosis that women (and men) face.When you are diagnosed at stage IV, you are already past the point where everyone else is at and whe...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 5, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: blogging breast cancer bonds dying stage IV Source Type: blogs
Breast Cancer Changed Me Too
I like Joan Lunden. I mean I like what I saw of her on TV. She was very professional and did a good job on the air. I am not sure I would have ' volunteered ' to have a mammogram on television, even if it was to raise awareness of breast cancer screening.Now, three years after her diagnosis, she is through with treatment andsays that having breast cancer changed her. She has started awebsite to educate women about the benefits of early detection.Then another woman, much younger,Yolanda Jenkins, has also been diagnosed with breast cancer. She has created a platform to encourage young women to get checked and wants to get th...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 3, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: advocacy breast cancer education Source Type: blogs
Life After Breast Cancer Does Suck
Here ' s the truth. "The Secret Suckiness to Life After Breast Cancer" . Go read it. Judith Basya writes the truth. There is no new normal. Cancer lurks for ever. And life on some levels, really does suck after breast cancer. And they never told us about it and we don ' t get to talk about it.Judith raises some good points including this one which resonates with me most:" And why is my situation only to be discussed in therapy, while other people ’s job woes are acceptable dinner-table fodder? "Yes, really? Why don ' t we talk about post breast cancer suckiness in therapy and not at the dinner table? Our family members a...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 2, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: breast cancer bonds coping friends questions secrets Source Type: blogs
Blatant Discrimination
I recently learned some surprising discrimination. A local committee part of the NHS in the UK hasdecided to institute what I call blatant discrimination." ...one local health committee in the UK has announced a controversial policy " to support patients whose health is at risk from smoking or being very overweight. "For an indefinite amount of time, it plans to ban access to routine, or non-urgent, surgery under the National Health Service until patients " improve their health, " the policy states, claiming that " exceptional clinical circumstances (will) be taken into account on a case-by-case basis. "The decision comes ...
Source: Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog - November 1, 2017 Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: bias discrimination health care Source Type: blogs
