This is the question literally everyone wants an answer to -- why me? There is no good answer since the majority of breast cancer has no genetic component. There are certainly some things that everyone can do to stay healthy, but there are no guarantees. Some patterns can be helpful, but don't ignore symptoms that … Continue reading Breast Cancer Facts, 10/4
Breast Cancer Facts, 10/3
Early detection does not actually save lives. Mammograms aren't always accurate and anyone who thinks they are safe does not understand the whole picture. I, for instance, got my very first mammogram after I felt a lump at age 38. Part of my initial treatment was discovering that I was already Stage IV and had … Continue reading Breast Cancer Facts, 10/3
Breast Cancer Facts, 10/2
I have bone only Mets and I was initially diagnosed as stage 2 in March of 2017. We made treatment decisions based on that information, but in June of 2017, we discovered that I'd actually been Stage IV from the beginning and probably for quite a while before I felt the lump myself. My cancer … Continue reading Breast Cancer Facts, 10/2
Breast Cancer Facts, 10/1
I'm still astonished at how little people understand about cancer. Just last week, I had to explain yet again that stage IV is the terminal stage, that there is no coming back, there is no cure. Once breast cancer has left the breast and metastasized to another organ, then ones time on this earth has … Continue reading Breast Cancer Facts, 10/1
Funding a Cure
Those of you who read my blog know that I'm living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Before my diagnosis, even though my mom is a survivor of breast cancer, I was astonishingly ignorant about breast cancer and trials and drugs and so many things that now occupy my entire life. I look back and … Continue reading Funding a Cure
Piqray, Metformim, Nausea and B12
I'm about halfway through my second cycle of Piqray. We added Metformin to help control the known side effect of hyperglycemia, or high sugar. Despite the fact that the hyperglycemia was under control, the nausea was not under control. I remember experiencing a constant low level nausea while pregnant with both of my little guys. … Continue reading Piqray, Metformim, Nausea and B12
Why I’m not participating in “awareness” this October
Since I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2017, I've participated in quite a few events. Sometimes those events were to raise money, some were just for those of us who have breast cancer. At first, I was not sure what was best and I accepted invitations to just about anything. There's also the … Continue reading Why I’m not participating in “awareness” this October
Palliative Care
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
Guilt vs Shame
Guilt /ɡilt/ noun is "the fact of having committed a specified or implied offense or crime." Shame /SHām/ noun is "a painful feeling of humiliation or distress caused by the consciousness of wrong or foolish behavior." Guilt and shame often go hand in hand as the the same action (or non action) may give rise to … Continue reading Guilt vs Shame
Ambiguity
One of the dictionary meanings of ambiguity is: "the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness. Example: "we can detect no ambiguity in this section of the Act." I've never been comfortable with ambiguity. I'm a pretty logical person (usually) and I like everything lined up in a row, all neat and … Continue reading Ambiguity
No Half Measures 