Mammograms & Mastectomies

If knitting were an Olympic sport, I would win a gold medal. Third day on the couch (under doctor’s strict supervision) and I’m still knitting, focusing on knitting needles rather than long medical needles that surgeons use to… to… poke… prod… aspirate non-compliant patients that move a lot. If gaining weight from sitting on my behind […]

Lying on the examining table, I began to think furiously of all the activities that I would be able to do now that the surgeon, Dr. Williamson, had removed the drains from my body: tennis, hiking, volleyball… “You play piano, right?” he interrupted my thoughts.  I nodded. “Not for the next three days, you’re not,” he […]

On Monday, I had a consultation with the radiation doctor. He told me that the only real side-effect of radiation is a “sunburn” to the skin. I felt like saying, “Ha, that’s what they all say.” If I decide to go for it, I’m sure I’ll find some wacky way to react. I’m still eating Mentos/peppermint […]

I was lying in bed grunting and groaning this morning (because I quit the Vicodin and Ibuprofen cold turkey yesterday) when my daughter came into the bedroom asking me if “I needed help getting out of bed.” What she really wanted was to commandeer some of my scarves. Sure, I’ve been weaning myself off the […]

The few things I learned from the doctor yesterday: 1. A mastectomy–rather than a lumpectomy–was the right choice for me due to the spread of cancer they found. 2. Four out of eleven lymph nodes taken showed cancer (after chemotherapy) which means I will be advised to do radiation. 3. The nurse’s scale was way off. […]

The “happy traveling nurse” came again yesterday to take my temperature, chide me for going out the day before, drain the tubes, and… weigh me. She’s the first one to do that. Guess I can’t hide anywhere. I was so shocked to see that I had lost 10 pounds since the last time I was […]