Update #11- The Messy Middle (aka Screw the New Normal)
I’ve come to really hate the phrase, “my new normal.” It implies that this is a situation a person can adjust to, as if one can settle in and get comfortable with living with a Stage IV lung cancer diagnosis….
Update #10: Shi(f)t Happens
I was struck by a quote that my friend Samantha posted on Facebook a few weeks ago: “You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” I’ve been building up to shifting my…
Update #9 — It Never Ends
So. this is a weird place to be. I just had a PET scan and it was good. I mean, not perfect. Radiologists aren’t fond of unqualified perfect reports. They’re halfway to lawyer-ville with their CYA language. So while my…
Update #8 — “You Don’t Look Like You Have Cancer”
But, I do. ______________________________ I was so tempted to end my post there. Because sometimes it’s that simple. Cancer doesn’t always look like a person in a head scarf. Cancer often looks just like you. Cancer looks like me. I…
Update #7 – DON’T LOOK DOWN
Having advanced cancer feels a lot like walking a tightrope. Creeping so carefully, trying to balance on the slimmest of margins, never any real chance to let down your guard. Every so often a gust blows, but there’s no predicting…
Update #6 11/24/14
Photo by Paul McCoubrie MRI Results If you are a hypochondriac, cancer might be just your thing. No more poo-pooing symptoms or brushing off complaints; when you have cancer, doctors pay attention. Of course, it’s a little late, after months…
Update #5 – When Progression is not Progress
Progression. It sounds like it should be a good thing, but it’s not. I’m having bad flashbacks to an accounting class where the instructor kept insisting credits were bad and debits good. Huh? I heard on the radio yesterday that…
Update #4 — Not Such a Sweet Pea
After completing 3 rounds of maintenance chemo (Avastin & Alimta), I went for a CT scan last week. The results were mostly positive (or technically “negative,” as my MD friend corrected me) with one caveat. All previously noted nodules have…
Lisa Featured In San Francisco Chronicle Article
[Post by Eric] Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has an article entitled “Lung cancer study of why young, healthy are stricken.” It addresses a new study, instigated by the Bonnie Addario Foundation, to figure out why so many people under 40…
Update #3 4/14/14
I’ve kept pretty quiet about my condition in the last couple of months despite the fact that my last two rounds of scans have been very positive. There are a couple of reasons for this. One reason is good ol’fashioned…
