"Tumor Heterogeneity" (TH) is a phrase that often comes up in discussions with my medical team and with researchers as we all attempt to understand and anticipate the behavior of the cancer cells. From some of my discussions with other patients on social media, there does seem to be a lot of confusion about this … Continue reading Tumor Heterogeneity
Category: Advocacy
Book Review: Hope Rising; How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life
Recently, a dear friend and fellow MBC'er Andra Kalnins and her sister, Ilga Leimanis, began posting about their project entitled "Sister Hope." I was intrigued and followed how they presented the culmination of their discussions and activities as they worked together to process Andra's recurrent Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer diagnosis. As I did, I … Continue reading Book Review: Hope Rising; How the Science of Hope Can Change Your Life
Guilt vs Shame, Part II
In Part I, which was published last week and you can access here, I examined whether a person struggling with what they are labeling "survivor's guilt" are actually experiencing shame. My conclusion, based on the definitions, my own experiences, and some research, was that there is a combination of both. One element that I believe … Continue reading Guilt vs Shame, Part II
Guilt v Shame, Part I
Recently, I was talking with someone who doesn't have a genetic propensity for cancer while her sister not only inherited the propensity but also has de novo Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). In discussing how this dichotomy is dealt with in their family versus my own, she mentioned that she has had to deal … Continue reading Guilt v Shame, Part I
Genomic Testing of Liver Tissue
Back in January, I had a biopsy done of two of the three largest liver mets that were part of the progression found by the January PET/CT. I wrote the following three (3) posts as we learned more about the first soft tissue metastases that we've ever been able to test: Brace, Brace, BraceReceptorsMutations Become … Continue reading Genomic Testing of Liver Tissue
The conundrum of Will Smith’s slap
Recently, the world was rocked a little when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on live television. My husband told me about it around the time that it happened and I watched social media explore the issues for the next few days. There are many strong views offered up on all sides of the issue, many … Continue reading The conundrum of Will Smith’s slap
Aging and Cognitive Decline
One of the scariest side effects of ongoing cancer treatment, for me, is the affect on my cognitive abilities. There's a fancy term for this -- treatment related cognitive impairment -- but most people call this "chemo brain." For me, it was years after IV chemotherapy when a physical medicine doctor finally noticed that I … Continue reading Aging and Cognitive Decline
Taking my own advice …
I've worked with quite a few patients with Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) over the past several years who were attempting to address and educate insurance companies, health, life and disability, as well as governmental entities like Social Security and even their own doctors. One of the first things I tell each person I … Continue reading Taking my own advice …
Terminal?
Recently, when a friend shared a post I’d written for AdvancedBreastCancer.net on social media, there were a few rather strident responses arguing that Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC) isn’t terminal because that label only applies when a medical professional certifies that a person has six (6) months or less to live or when someone … Continue reading Terminal?
Mutations become Targets
A little while ago, I wrote a post for SurvivingBreastCancer.org about genetic and genomic mutations, exploring some of the information we learned about my original breast tumor in 2017 and highlighting the differences between genetic and genomic testing. You can access that article here. As an aside SBC is a great resource for those newly … Continue reading Mutations become Targets
No Half Measures 