#fakenews?? Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — Aug 3, 2018 Can’t resist a bit of political humor in an effort to deflect the potential seriousness of this post. Tumor markers are still rising. While they are not 100% reliable in terms of signaling a progression, it’s creating some serious heartburn in our household. Just this week, my medical … Continue reading From August 3, 2018
Author: Abigail Johnston
I'm a daughter, a wife, a mother, and I've been living with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer since March, 2017. All of the words I publish are my own.
Christmas
It's pretty universal that everyone likes to get presents; yet, there's something super special about watching a child on Christmas morning. My boys really get into the decorations, the magical parts of Christmas and they love Christmas morning. They wade through the paper with startling efficiency and announce and compare their gifts loudly and frequently. … Continue reading Christmas
Christmas Eve
Before I had children, the story of the birth of Jesus was meaningful, but I sometimes had a hard time wrapping my head around the experience of it. When my husband and I got married and we went through the Catholic pre-marital classes, I found myself wondering at times (irreverently) about all the hullabaloo around … Continue reading Christmas Eve
From June 22, 2018
Endurance and pain Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — Jun 22, 2018 The last few months have been full of lessons of endurance. My hips continue to hurt, especially the left hip, and the instructions to build muscle mass has meant that I must be aware of activities and plan accordingly. When I know how much activity to … Continue reading From June 22, 2018
From May 22, 2018
Good News!! Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — May 22, 2018 The orthopedic oncologist called today (finally) and told me that the X-rays showed the likely culprits of my pain are humdrum anatomical anomalies and old bleeding that has calcified. We are still going to do the mri to rule out any issues that we can’t see with … Continue reading From May 22, 2018
From May 18, 2018
Still don’t know for sure ... Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — May 18, 2018 What’s really going on but the X-rays came back yesterday. I got the films and the radiologist report sent to me directly. Doesn’t show fractures (thank God) but recommends an mri because the rods and screws blocks a complete view of the bones. … Continue reading From May 18, 2018
From May 15, 2018
Here we go again ... Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — May 15, 2018 I’ve been having left hip pain for a few weeks. Well, in reality, more than normal hip pain. I always have hip and knee pain from my surgery last June but this has been much worse. I finally asked my medical oncologist for a … Continue reading From May 15, 2018
March 31, 2018
Back from the cruise!! Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — Mar 31, 2018 We took the boys on an unforgettable Disney Cruise over Spring Break. It was an amazing time with them and my parents. I was reminded again and again of my limitations and the ongoing side effects of the medication and that did make things bittersweet. … Continue reading March 31, 2018
From March 1, 2018
Tumor markers Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — Mar 1, 2018 Every month, my doctor looks at my tumor markers. These are protein levels in my blood that can indicate growth or proliferation of cancer cells. Each different marker can indicate different types of cancer cells growing in various sites, like, for instance, in my bones. As soon … Continue reading From March 1, 2018
From February 20, 2018
Settling in ... Journal entry by Abigail Johnston — Feb 20, 2018 We’re settling into 2018 and getting back into the routine we’d started last year. Having Amy and Steve and Ella here (along with Tommy and Katie and Anna and Kris) has been super fun. The boys get to see their cousin several times a week and … Continue reading From February 20, 2018
No Half Measures 