$hit You Shouldn’t Say To Cancer Patients Or Survivors: Part 1

(Filched from my personal FaceBook Page. It’s not plagiarism if it’s mine) Some thoughts on people who think my cancer wasn’t “that bad,” was “baby cancer,” and wasn’t such a “big deal.” Yes, people have said that to me. People have also asked me why I think I got cancer. I could go into a […]

Surgery Made Me An A-hole

First off, I’m doing GREAT nine days after autologous (fancy term for my surgeon using my own fat and tissue to build a new boob) breast reconstruction! The procedure went very well, and the graft took. My amazing surgeon, Dr. Galen Perdikis (and his team, including the surgeon who assisted with the microvascular attachment work), […]

Reconstruction Surgery and Resilience

With so much uncertainty in the world, it’s nice to be fairly certain about one thing: tomorrow, I will get a new left breast. It’s a mixed bag of emotions for me, but the strongest are relief and hope. When I wake up tomorrow afternoon from anesthesia, Covid will still be ravaging the planet. We […]

I don’t feel pretty, and that’s okay

So I’m 5 months out from my mastectomy, waiting for reconstruction of my left breast, and I feel fugly. Not just ugly, but the kind of grotesque that can only come from looking in the mirror and STILL being shocked to see one nipple hanging significantly higher than the other. When I’m clothed it’s slightly […]

Thoughts on My Upcoming Mastectomy

First off, apologies for the long absence. Between working from home, homeschooling, gardening (I’ve got a CRAPTON of veggie plants and flowers that I love, pet, kiss, and call my green babies), bread baking (while the yeast lasted), quilting (I’m seriously turning into my grandmother), I’ve been a little busy in quarantine. Busy is good. […]

Staying Mentally, Physically, and Spiritually Healthy During Shelter-At-Home

As much of America (not enough, but we’re getting there) and the world at large continue to shelter-at-home, self (or mandatory) quarantine, and take other measures to flatten the Covid-19 curve (In epidemiology, the curve refers to the projected number of new cases over a period of time), we’re facing many new challenges. We’re worried […]

DIY Therapy for A Geek

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’m not done with breast cancer yet. But I don’t have to like it, and I don’t have to pretend that I’m entirely okay. I need help. Still in therapy, meeting with my care team on Thursday to come up with a game plan to get rid […]

Scanxiety: My Left Boob Just Won’t *&^#ing Behave!

Warning: This post is full of swears. It’s been a total shit day. Getting “normal” annual mammograms after breast cancer is nerve wracking. I get that. Literally. Today was my second routine mammogram after completing surgical and radiation treatments. What (I’d hoped) would be an hour long visit followed by an, “All clear! Go, and […]

Don’t Be A Hero – See A Therapist!

Living with cancer (even post diagnosis, treatment, and in remission, once you’ve had cancer, you’re always living with it) is weird. One minute I’m going about my day and not thinking about my body, my janky scars, and what’s left of my boobs (which I’m soooooooooo grateful to still have). Then, at strange, random moments, […]