Palliative care is something I never knew anything about until my terminal diagnosis. Why would I? It's not something that is common knowledge or commonly needed until it is. Before my diagnosis, I thought of palliative care as a subset of hospice. I've since learned that many people view palliative care in this category. As … Continue reading Palliative Care
This week has been a doozy. Lots of things going on involving cancer and not involving cancer, losses and victories, sadness and celebration. This is becoming normal for us, although I can't get used to the amount of my friends who are dying. Anyway, here's my list for this week ... I've added back in … Continue reading My Fourth Week on Piqray and Faslodex
Outside of a little storm we had this past week, things have smoothed out with the transition to the new meds. I'm super thankful that we didn't sustain a direct hit by Dorian, but there are many other people who didn't fare as well. We've been collecting a variety of aid items for the people … Continue reading My third week on Piqray and Faslodex
Last Friday, my sugar spiked to 268 😳 and I had to stop taking Piqray, while starting Metformin, until we got the sugar under control. That set up a truly miserable weekend as I was not aware that I would get ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS from Metformin; truly, it was miserable. Then, I saw my … Continue reading My second week on Piqray and Faslodex
I started Ibrance and Letrozole in August of 2017. Perhaps it is fitting that it was almost two years to the day that I had to change my regimen because of progression. Yes, it's a mild progression and I'm clinging to that. So, I've now been on Piqray and Faslodex for a week and I've … Continue reading My first week on Piqray and Faslodex
I understood this from an objective perspective prior to my terminal diagnosis with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. I have fought with insurance companies for decades as a lawyer and hearing that the system needs to be fixed in some or a lot of ways is not entirely unknown to me as a concept. There … Continue reading Our Health Care System is Broken
Progression was not the news we were hoping for this week, but then the unexpected paths that life has brought us has been par for the course over the last few years. Expecting the unexpected is a difficult adjustment to make and clearly I'm not quite there yet. Two (2) years of stability after the … Continue reading So long Ibrance, two years was a good run
I was listening to a piece on NPR a few months ago about how Anger and Depression go together. I've heard that a definition of depression is anger turned inward, so this link is not surprising to me. As an introvert, I'm pretty familiar with the inward turning concept, that's my normal modus operandi and … Continue reading Anger and Depression
There are usually good reasons for doing something the same way every single time. Protocols and procedures are extremely helpful, especially when someone's health is on the line. When I was practicing law, I had lots of policies and procedures, especially for new hires and the people at the front desk. When there are employees … Continue reading Form over Substance
I am not a doctor. I am not a medical provider. None of my statements in this blog should be taken as anything other than my own conclusions and personal experiences. Anyone who knows me knows how much of a rule follower I am. I've been been this way since I was quite going and … Continue reading Medical Marijuana
No Half Measures 