Chemotherapy & Radiation

I was set to have a radiation “simulation” Monday, but in thinking about it further, I decided to take my plodding mule butt back to the phone. [See More Notes To Self if you have no idea what I am talking about.] “Yes, this is Marie de Haan and I’d like to cancel my appointment […]

Yesterday, I thought I had a lot of freedom… I drove for the first time in six weeks. It was wonderful. Today, I felt even more freedom, because not only did I drive again (since it was so fun yesterday), I did it naked. Not naked, silly. Just checking to make sure you really read […]

I’m talking about radiation, not radiating glowing skin and a happy attitude. Of course, I plan on continuing those two things. Just not sure I feel like going to the hospital every day to have my skin sunburned and a chance of getting some other sort of cancer while the nurses stay safely behind the […]

Instead of using tape (or Bandaids as pointed out by blog readers) to hide the fact that I only have one nipple left following my mastectomy and also not wearing a bra, I thought I’d be smart and actually wear my old bra. That was my first mistake. I had an appointment set for yesterday morning […]

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 […]

During my first Herceptin infusion, I was smiling away, banking on the fact that so many nurses told me it was going to be a “cakewalk” compared to the “Red Devil” chemotherapy I’ve had in the past. Two days later, after the constant nausea (thought I was all done with that) and the fatigue (which […]

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. […]

As a family, we decided to get away for the night. While packing, my bathing suit was the first item to go in; I looked forward to sitting in the hot tub with my cleavage still intact, relaxing, and not thinking for once about the mastectomy coming up in a few short days. My husband, […]