Just Keep Swimming
Today I met with my favorite Oncology Nurse Practitioner (I only have one, but she is still my favorite!), my oncologist was scheduled elsewhere (which I knew would be the case before my appointment). This week has been a more emotional one for us. I have been trying to wrap my head around how I managed to get ONJ so early and WHY. I point fingers at myself in 5 different ways. I drink wine, maybe my gums weren’t healthy…...
I am the 2% (or 8%?)
Stats everywhere, who knows what is whatever. Go Dr. Google. This one is my fault, I guess I didn’t properly Dr. Google Zometa. I had heard of this very rare side effect that involved your jaw rotting away, but I was like “hell no, not me, not looking into that. NOPE.” Well… guess what? Don’t Dr. Google it. The images are awful and the ones in my pamphlet are just as bad. Not long after my first Zometa...
My Clavicle and I Can’t be Friends
When you have a Type A personality you like to have a certain level of control and understanding of your surroundings. You like to have a plan. You don’t like to deviate from a sound plan when you know it will work. You don’t like surprises. Cancer is the arch enemy of a Type A personality. Disorder. Surprises at every corner. Plans that go awry. I had a count in my head of how many tumors we needed to knock down. What my...
Late Night Phone Calls
My oncologist is seriously the best human being in the universe. I was at my friends last night with my hands covered in empanada dough as I was helping her roll out empanadas (she was a little frustrated with some very sticky dough, so I stepped in to try to figure it out). My phone started to ring, I saw the number and knew it was a line at my hospital and my friend grabbed it and answered it “Mandi’s phone!” Mike...
Ch-ch-changes
A long time ago I learned to listen to my body. My body hasn’t been telling me a good story the last few weeks and with the progressive pain in my upper spine and consistent pain in my hip I have earned myself another PET-CT. In video game speak – that would be a sarcastic “w00t!” Breast cancer isn’t supposed to grow this fast. I could be certifiably crazy. Part of me has been convincing myself that...
Dogs on the Bed
Sometimes when you have breast cancer you get to break a few rules. When I don’t feel well I like to have the dogs sleep with me, which drives Mike crazy, he doesn’t like dogs on the bed. Especially Dante, the pomeranian, who likes to go sleep near Mike’s pillow when he isn’t there, no matter how many times I shoo him off. Mike then wakes up with a mouthful of fur and a grumpy comment about dogs on the bed....