I sit here looking at a blank computer screen, trying to
take it all in. I should know how to
start because I’ve certainly told this story enough times. But even though most of you, my dear ones,
have been so patient and supportive and forgiving of my saying things that
maybe didn’t make a lot of sense, the act of writing it seems to be useful to
think it through myself. Jess and I
entered some kind of alternate reality this summer in which I have cancer, and our
world has changed. We are sharing this
together, and at the same time, apart. Grey’s
Anatomy fans will appreciate that we are each other’s person.
It started when, earlier this year, we finally reached a
position of financial stability to start catching up on overdue medical and
dental issues. My doctor did a breast
exam, didn’t find anything, but suggested I just catch up on my routine
mammograms. So,
July 19: first
mammogram
August 7: (yes, my 58th
birthday) second mammogram and ultrasound film.
Jess and I had a lovely lunch out afterward, and then went shopping.
August 9: follow-up
with my doctor on the mammograms. She
told me that even though they couldn’t feel it, it looked like cancer and she
wanted it biopsied.
September 16: ultrasound-guided core biopsy by the surgeon
who would be removing the cancer.
September 20: that
surgeon said it was definitely cancer, and asked if I would like a partial or
full mastectomy. We left and I told Jess
I wasn’t comfortable with that surgeon.
We went home and Jess found the surgeon who is the director
at the Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla (about 25 miles from where we live in
north county San Diego). We visited a
chiropractor for some body work, and I got my final dental work (a filling)
taken care of… trying to clear the decks and get current with everything else
so we’d be able to focus on what a life-threatening disease means when it’s
suddenly your life (or rather, my life) that’s being talked about.
October 10: second
opinion consult with Dr. Sarah Blair.
October 14: this week
I will have surgery scheduled (hopefully October 22) with Dr. Blair. I will also have lab work done, and meet with
the anesthesiologist.
While it seems to be taking an awfully long time to get to
treatment, we’ve been reassured that there really is time, and that this is
actually moving pretty quickly.
Jess and I are surrounded by your love and healing energies,
and more materials than we can absorb all at once (but keep it coming any way,
we will get to it). We have shifted our
diet from 3 meals a day to 6 smaller meals in order to keep my blood sugar more
level overall, and have doubled our vegetable and fruit intake. We’ve not been in the habit of eating much
red meat anyway, but now we leaning towards more fish than previously. We added ginger, green tea extract, Co Q 10,
and turmeric to our supplements. We are
researching anti-inflammation diets and have tried several new recipes this
week that have been pretty tasty. Here’s
one:
Mango Banana Fig Smoothie
2 medium size mangoes (we used frozen from Trader Joe’s)
2 medium size bananas
8 – 10 dried figs (snip the stems off)
Almond milk (you could also use cashew milk or regular milk)
Put it all in the blender and blend until smooth. It tastes like a fig newton (remember the
cookies?) milk shake.
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