Biography

I am a 39 year old woman who is not sick, but has stage 2a or 3b Ductal Cancer with Lobular Tendencies in her left breast and lymph glands.

I just found this website and wanted to link it to the blog that I have been writing since I first found out so that I can connect with more people within my community. I will be updating the pages here when I can, working in cronological order, but feel free to connect to my blog via my homepage link on this page, facebook or www.cancercollege.blogspot.com.

If you do check it out, be prepared and warned: I am known by those who love me most to go off on tangents and have a tendency to be honest with myself and others to a fault.

I am sensitive. I cry. I get into the nitty gritty of my emotional, mental and spiritual life without shame and guilt and have a tool box loaded up with various skills to name what I feel with clarity.

I am very human with my emotions and thoughts and have a huge open heart. I do not see the world as ‘right and wrong’ but rather as a whole bunch of choices that either work for you or don’t.

It is the alchemy of all of the above that are part of the beauty of me and can make my view of the world rather intense at times… and it also makes me really really good at my job – I am a Licensed Acupuncturist, Herbalist and Home Birth Midwife!

This is an uncensored, unregulated take of the song that my bones sing. I do not expect you to concur, to understand (all the time) or even agree with me. (that is why there is a comments section). You might get triggered, you might cry or you just might find the inspiration that you need to start your morning. But remember, this blog contains just one perspective. It is my view of my life at any given moment, and well, isn’t that how it is for all of us? Isn’t that one of the things we all have in common?

Among that many tools in my tool box, I know what support looks like to me, how to make healthy boundaries, how to ask for help, how to receive support and most importantly, how to do all that “in relationship” to others. (a big shout out to Ray Castellino for those skills!). I may not be the most graceful at times when it comes to communicating, so I do apologize in advance to anyone out there on the receiving end of my steep learning curve at being human.

The truth about me is that I’m just a jewish girl from the east coast whose life continues to go into unchartered territories… Oh, and I’m really comfortable with the fact that I can’t spell!

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects

January 5th 2009 is the date for the new ta ta’s!

Radiation Description, Dates & Side Effects

6 weeks, everyday started in March. No side effects.

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects

TAC protocol. 6 rounds every 3 weeks. I refuse most of the pre medications (unless I need them) and ended up not needing any side effect meds my last 2 rounds. I’m having a great reaction to the chemo and my doctor is impressed with how I am weathering each round of chemo. He is shocked that my White and Red Blood cells are doing so well and I ended up being able to navigate the nausea without medications – which means no constipation

The side effects range from liberating (no hair, chemo brain, slowing down, other people cooking for me) to pain-in-the-ass (constipation from the zofran, hungry from the steroids, no nose hairs, sensative gums, run over with a truck feeling from the neulasta) to the hysterical (I’m really good at the ‘Old Man from Flordia Suffle’ while I wait for my WBC and RBC to come back on line!)

Hormone Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects

There will be a lot as I am triple positive… watch this space!

Immune Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects

Herceptin. January 2008 for 1 year. My body hurts and aches.

Fundraising Description

Oooh, I should think about this as I am not working due to my new schooling at Cancer College!

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