Asking For Help and Buying Houses
I have spent the last two years making a serious point of avoiding reading about Tamoxifen side effects and complaints about Tamoxifen (trust me, there are many out there). You could almost call me a professional Tamoxifen-reader-avoider. While I was in treatment, I just didn’t want to know what I was in for for the next 5 years. Rumor has it possibly now 10 years based on a new study. Ugh… So my larger emotional ups and...
Team Awesome
Wow, what an adventure going to Huntsman! By the way, I think my favorite nurse may read my blog. Hi Vicki! When I stopped by Huntsman she seemed to know I had been having a tough-er time this weekend, I couldn’t figure out why she might know until I thought about it later… My surgeons and crew have my blog address, they refer people to it on occasion that want to know about the reconstruction I had (even though I had...
Operation Mandi’s Birthday Wish
I have been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster this week. Last year I was occupied with surgery and still building up strength. This year I have had a deep gnawing feeling in the bottom of my gut. My birthday and the New Year is now tied to cancer in my brain and I can’t figure out how to untie the knot. As much as I want to say I have been fine I have been having panic attacks and have relived the emotional turmoil I felt...
Dear 14 Year Old Me
Kristi Harrison is 22 years old and from the UK. She wrote me and told me about a project that she is working on for her friend who is battling stage IV breast cancer. She set up a foundation called Life Changes Foundation, they are starting fundraising in January 2013 (they are currently working on a website, for now she is communicating via their Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/lifechangesfoundation). Her current project is...
The Moments and The Adventures
It has been a whirlwind of a month! I had another trip scheduled to New York City just a week after hurricane Sandy hit. They managed to get the conference center ready in time and the conference wasn’t cancelled so we opted to go ahead and go on the trip (also hopefully helping the NYC economy). What is funny is that I always seem to have travel mishaps when I go to NYC, but this time they just didn’t phase me, I sort of...
Time Keeps on Slippin’ Into the Future
So here it is! I am one year “out” of acute breast cancer treatment. September 19th, 2011 marks my final radiation appointment. The big stuff is now a year behind me and I could even volunteer at the hospital now if I want to (apparently they won’t let you volunteer unless you are a year or more out of treatment). I have just over 4 years left on Tamoxifen. I am not sure if they calculate everything based on how long...