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A Humorous Look at the Bright Side of Cancer... and There Is One

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December 24, 2009

Tiny Bubbles… Big Happiness

Yesterday, at the infusion center, I watched in envy as a group of nurses gathered around a fellow-patient marking her last chemotherapy treatment with dancing, singing, and blowing bubbles. I later remarked to my nurse, “Wow, it’s too bad I have to wait until September when the Herceptin’s done to get my bubbles.” She smiled but […]

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December 23, 2009

Milestone Marker #2

In half an hour, Mrs. W. will be here to bring me to my last Taxol chemotherapy treatment. I’m celebrating by putting on extra eyeliner, wearing one of my favorite scarves, using the new purse given to me by my webmaster, and bringing my needles along to the infusion center to finish knitting some slippers for my kids. Boy, I […]

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December 22, 2009

The Countdown

I visited Uncle Sid and Aunt Alice yesterday and they were asking me about the mastectomy and I answered that it was scheduled for “one month from today.” Then, I started second-guessing myself on the date because it’s been changed so many times. Back at home, I checked and there it was written down in stark […]

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December 21, 2009

It’s Hard To Be A Woman #4

My parents and I are going to try and turn a doctor appointment into a fun day. First, I will have my Taxol chemotherapy treatment, then, we’ll go to Lynden to buy the traditional Dutch “banket” and Taai Taai for the family. I need to buy some shampoo somewhere along the line because we’re almost out (why […]

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December 18, 2009

Vicodin & Steroids

Editing my “happy cancer book” and trying to get all the little snatches of information into a coherent chapter-by-chapter storyline has been interesting, to say the least. A huge portion of it was written while I was doped up on Vicodin. As I’ve mentioned several times in this blog, I am pretty sensitive to aspirin, […]

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December 16, 2009

It’s Hard To Be A Woman #3

Recently, I kept thinking that my mascara was getting old and clumpy, but, apparently, you can’t put mascara on 1-2 eyelashes very well. I tried the whole fake eyelashes thing when they fell out the first time, but that didn’t work for me, so now, I just put eyeliner all around both of my eyes and call it […]

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December 15, 2009

It’s Hard To Be A Woman #2

This morning, I realized that I needed to purchase a metronome for one of my piano students. I called the local store to make sure it was in stock, stoked up the fireplace, locked the house, and promptly went out the door. Without my eyebrows.  

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December 14, 2009

My Big Toe

My left big toe keeps hurting like the dickens. I don’t understand this. If I have neuropathy–fancy word for “nerve pain that hurts like the dickens”–caused, in fact, by the chemotherapy drug Taxol, why doesn’t it affect both toes? Did the other toe not get the memo that it’s supposed to start hurting? My only […]

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December 10, 2009

Jamie Lee Curtis?!

I had a Taxol infusion today and will have only two more. I had a lot of other good news today: 1. My liver is almost back to normal. It took a month, but, hey, I’m happy. 2. The chemotherapy drug, Herceptin, begins in January, will be every three weeks, and is supposed to be […]

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Marie de Haan

Marie de Haan
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