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A Bombshell – October 31, 2017

My appointment with the breast surgeon is at 1:30. I've been waiting since August for a surgery date at Kaiser's Woodland Hills Medical Center, and I'm getting impatient. I want to get the prophylactic mastectomy done this month, so I can recover over the course of December and early January, and be ready to travel again early next year. Travel is what I do, and I have many opportunities I'd like to take advantage of, but this as-yet unscheduled surgery/recovery…

On the road again! – Friday, April 21, 2017

I'm sitting in the business-class lounge at the Mexico City airport - making the best of a 5-hour layover on my way home. It's been so long since I've traveled internationally - and this trip was a biggie. I left on April 4 - whoops, make that April 5 (I was supposed to leave on the 4th, but missed my flight - which makes for a good story and an embarrassing blog  ...). Returning home today makes it a 17-day trip!…

“I’m Goin’ to Disneyland!”

Celebrities, when asked what they're planning to do to celebrate some monumental win, often say, "I'm going to Disneyland!" Well, I'd just been there last Thursday with my niece, Seiko, who was visiting from Japan. So the next best way to celebrate my big "win," was with champagne! What was I celebrating? My doctor's news, on Monday morning, when he told me, "The chemo is working!" [caption id="attachment_666" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Celebrating on a Monday at the office - with REAL…

Bits ‘n Pieces – January 29, 2017

Some random bits and pieces about my progress over the past couple of weeks: 1. Chemo I received the first infusion of my new and improved chemo regimen last Wednesday. I was pleased to see that this medicine is pink! Don't know why that made me happy, but it did. This drug is specifically formulated for patients for whom the platinum-based chemo drugs don't work - which is what has happened in my case. I think it's wonderful that they…

Thursday, January 12, 2017 – Ode to Joy

My husband, Scott, started piano lessons on Tuesday. The piece of music which he's practicing, over and over and over, is "Ode to Joy." It's a fitting title for this blog. You might think it odd for me to write about joy, since I reported last week the unwelcome news that, "the disease has progressed," as my doctor carefully articulated. (I'm noticing that doctors deftly avoid using the word 'cancer' whenever possible.) But today was such a beautiful day. It rained a lot here in…

Thursday, Nov 17 – Hooray for Hemoglobin!

A couple of weeks ago I had begun to notice that I wasn't scampering up the stairs anymore as I'd been doing with relative ease throughout my chemo regimen. Now I climbed slowly and was completely out of breath at the top. "Damn," I thought to myself, "is chemo catching up to me at last?" I've been so proud and pleased (and smug) that negative effects of chemo have not affected me. I can still claim the title of "Wonder Woman."…

Sunday, Nov. 6 – A Hundred+ Days, but who’s counting?

It's been a little more than 100 days since my surgery. Wow! Some random musings: I am an optimist, but even I would not have predicted how good I would be feeling at this point. Eight of 18 weeks of chemotherapy completed, and I feel great. No issues. No nausea, neuropathy, pain, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep issues or any of the long list of potential effects of chemo. I am grateful - so very grateful. For all the support,…