7:00  Wake up.  Shower.  Remember the shower in our bathroom has been turned off because of an annoying leak and just get dressed and ready for the day.  Gingerly apply castor oil to radiation site without dislodging the tape and Sharpie marks that are super important to the radiation techs. 7:30  Marvel that girls are still sleeping.  Put away laundry, make lists,...

I had a scary experience this week. I went to my Oncology appointment on Monday, and mentioned a lump I found under my armpit while trying to stretch my scar tissue.  For four days, I’d been checking it, telling my anxiety that it is more likely to be nothing than something; I refused to let my anxiety rule my thoughts.  My left armpit is where the three...

Surgery. Well, it was two weeks ago.  I haven’t really blogged much about it.  The highlights are pretty much that Dr. Awesome aced her job and cut all of the cancer that was left after chemo. So now, I am NED and cancer-free! Everything else kind of pales in comparison, so it seems insignificant to blather about pain, side effects, drains, body image, and...

Three-quarters of the way through our appointment with Dr. Wonderful, this is what he had to say: “The medical term for where you are right now is No Evidence of Disease (NED); there is no measurable cancer in your body.” My eyes fill up involuntarily as I shoot a shocked glance at Brad.  I’m familiar with the NED terminology, and I don’t...

Okay, so there was one surprise in the pathology report. In March, I was diagnosed with advanced cancer in my left breast.  Fairly early on, Brad and I made the decision that I would have both breasts removed because we didn’t want to worry that I would develop cancer in the other breast.  I am thirty-three, and I want fifty more years.  As a cancer survivor,...