As my fuzz halo becomes more defined – not quite yet a crew cut, but getting there – hat fatigue is setting in. I’ve become lazy and am grabbing only my most basic, comfortable, easiest-to-wear hats these days. I have not taken Yolanda out in weeks now. I no longer give a shit about covering… Continue reading In Praise of Buffs
When I first started radiation therapy and got the low-down on what to expect, I was told that it would take a few weeks before my skin started to react. In my posting of the radiation process I did not talk much about how my skin was reacting, because it had only just started to… Continue reading Worst Tanning Booth Ever
As chemotherapy and its immediate aftermath (colds, eye styes, holidays…) have gradually faded into a bad memory, I have felt like a coiled spring. Last year at this time the Wilderness Basics Class had started, and I was excited and gung-ho to get out there with my new friends and classmates. A few months later… Continue reading Red Blood Cells are Awesome
Last week when I went to visit Ms. Lymph, I graduated – from a fully bandaged hand/arm, to a compression sleeve and glove. The bandage was utterly ridiculous. The compression sleeve is not awesome, but at least it does not cause people to scream, “Oh my god, what did you do to your arm???” To… Continue reading Lymphedema Graduation
On Friday I had my six-week visit with Dr. Cancer, the first time I’ve met with her since my final chemo treatment. I was excited for this appointment because the six-week milestone is a big deal. I talked to her about the various weird side effects I’ve been having, none of which surprised her, and… Continue reading Oncology Follow-up
My radiation therapy, which started on December 28, continues fairly uneventfully. I’m really impressed by the staff there, they have the process down. The whole thing is very streamlined and efficient. Even the building is efficient: it’s sleek and new, with plenty of easy, accessible parking. I pretty much described the process in my posting… Continue reading The Radiation Process
Today is the milestone I’ve been waiting for – six weeks since my last round of chemo! Yeah!!! This is how long Dr. Cancer told me to wait before resuming my pre-chemo diet and habits, like drinking caffeine and taking vitamins. I’m particularly excited about broadening my choice of what kind of tea to drink.… Continue reading Six Week Milestone!
Since my final round of chemo, nearly six weeks ago, I’ve already mentioned that I came down with a cold, and am dealing with lymphedema in my hand – neither of which I can blame on the chemo. But in addition to that I’ve had a few other minor medical challenges, all of which… Continue reading It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better…?
If you read my lymphedema post, you may recall that the next step was to visit Ms. Lymph again to have her wrap my hand. We decided to wait to begin that treatment until after the holidays, and after I had my radiation therapy schedule. That’s all happened now, so on Tuesday, I had my… Continue reading Is This Worth It?
On New Year’s Day, I’d been planning on posting a run-of-the-mill, optimistic, “Happy New Year!” posting. With all this talk of how much 2016 sucked, I figured it was called for. While 2016 was indeed a sucky year all around, for me and my new cancer friends, it was particularly sucky, and the arrival of 2017… Continue reading Ok, 2017, gimme what you got.
