Category Archives: Cancer

Top 5 Tuesday: What’s in your bag?

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For anyone that has seen and come to love the movie High Fidelity with John Cusack you would know that he would be proud of this addition to the blog since his character makes Top 5 lists throughout the film. Luckily I won’t be listing top 5 saddest break up songs or anything like that. This is a little more practical and cancer-esque.

Now I tend to shy away from dishing out “how to’s” because there is no instruction manual for cancer and everyone’s experience is uniquely theirs. But I can offer some nuggets that have come to help me personally over the years. If you find any of it useful, perfect! If not, find comfort that I still have a day job.

When you’re in chemo you have a lot of time on your hands and comfort isn’t always optimal. Here are my Top 5 must-haves packed for a chemo infusion.

1.) A designated chemo bag

This seems like a silly one but let’s face it, chemo brain is very real and without some level of consistency I will likely forget to bring something to treatment. I generally use one of those reusable cloth grocery bags. I’m glad they’re getting used somehow because I am the worst offender of owning them and forgetting to bring them with me to the grocery store. Sorry environment. I’m trying, really.

A reusable grocery bag or tote will be enough to fit a few necessities. Keep it in your car if you drive yourself to treatment or pre-packed in the same spot in your home.

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I think we can agree that I should upgrade from stop and shop bag to this gem. GASP. NEED.

2.) A soft/fuzzy blanket

As a blanket enthusiast I have many throws around my apartment but I have one specifically that I keep in my car so that I never forget to bring it with me to chemo. Why BYOB (Bring Your Own Blanket)?

  • Hospital blankets are generally glorified burlap tarps. They don’t provide much warmth beyond the first few minutes out of the blanket warmer and the material doesn’t make for a cozy experience.
  • Emotionally it’s nice to have one blanket specifically for chemo so I am not making that association when I am trying to relax at home. That blanket serves one purpose, my other blankets are my home blankets.
  • Sometimes one of the pre-drugs for chemo (depending on your treatment) is Benadryl. If you are anything like me you’re cross eyed within a few minutes and ready for a solid chemo nap. When I’m napping I am seeking optimal comfort, especially if I’m being infused for a few hours at a stretch.
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This is what I’m 99% sure I look like post-Benadryl

3.) Entertainment

Boy is this necessary. My first stab at chemo had me there for 8-9 hour infusions. Now it’s more like 2-4 hours. You have a lot of time on your hands here. In the chemo units I have experienced there are usually televisions and maybe a few magazines hanging around. I would suggest packing one or more of these items for variety.

  • A good book. I prefer something that is going to make me chuckle. If you haven’t read anything by fellow blogger Jenny Lawson do it. You will undoubtedly be THAT person belly laughing in the chemo unit.
  • Cell phone with good battery life
  • Tablet or iPad if you have one. Good for movie watching/Netflix binging if the cable options aren’t great or answering work email if you’re still working and a true overachiever (just don’t answer email post-Benadryl…trust me. It makes for some weird outcomes)
  • Favorite magazines or crossword puzzles. Nice touch for your chemo bag for the sake of anyone volunteering to come with you for support. If you’re a chemo napper like me, your friend/loved one is going to need entertainment as much as you.

*Ok, ok so I know I cheated with #3 and listed 4 different things in a Top 5 list. You can write angry letters to the editor if need be. Spoiler Alert: I am also the editor.*

4.) Phone charger/Ipad or tablet Charger

I mean, if you’re there for a few hours killing time with non-stop Facebook and Insta-creeping you’re going to need to charge up.

5.) Sweater/Sweatshirt

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Maybe have a little bit of chill and don’t pack this one…

I’ve found that comfort and layers are key. The particular chemo drugs that I get make me immediately freezing then I wake up sweating bullets shortly after. Having an extra sweater to keep in your bag can help to manage that. Also if you’re low on magnesium and they add that to your IV, it tends to make people run a little warm

 

So there you have it, my top chemo staples for maximum enjoyment  okay-ness?

I purposely did not include water/snacks/meals because in my experience the infusion center has graciously provided that in all three hospitals that I have been in. If yours does not it never hurts to have a bottle of water to stay hydrated and a granola bar or fruit to keep your tum tum happy.

 

Cancer friends- what are your top chemo necessities? I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave your favorites in the comments.

 

 

 

Recovering as George

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First, I must thank you for the outpouring of support over the past week while I spent four nights in the hospital resolving the obstruction in my small intestine. The words of encouragement mean more than you know especially when you feel like much is out of your realm of control.

I was discharged on Wednesday and have been trying, successfully I might add, to proceed with a high level of self-care. I pretty much needed to fight all of my natural instincts. So basically I’m operating on the “Constanza Principle”…

 

  • Instinct #1: I haven’t been at work in many days and I have to go back on Thursday or the world will explode
    • Opposite action: I was strongly encouraged and well supported by my supervisors and colleagues to return on Monday when I was feeling better. I was admittedly starting to feel anxious as my inbox piled up with questions that I couldn’t necessarily answer from home so I made a compromise with myself. I slept in on Thursday and at my leisure went to my office for an hour MAX, closed my office door, knocked out enough to feel less anxious, and went home.
  • Instinct #2: I am discharged which should mean that things are improving. There is nothing to talk about.
    • Opposite action: The night I was discharged one of the first things I did was email Dana, my social worker, at the hospital and ask for an appointment this week to “debrief”.
      • I will write more about this next week but one thing I have learned time and time again and not properly addressed is that when you are hospitalized you have experienced a trauma (anyone who truly understands what it’s like to have an NG tube placed while you’re awake can give me a chorus of “amen sister!”). Trauma’s are not all blood and gore- you are in a vulnerable position, you are not in control of what is happening to you, it is a trauma, period.
      • I went into my appointment not fully knowing what I wanted to talk about. Truly, I walked in there feeling pretty stable. As I anticipated there are issues that bubbled up that started with the hospitalization and weaved into other concerns both medical and non-medical. This appointment was the best gift that I gave myself this week. To express certain concerns out loud, to validate feelings, to have a good cry in a safe space where I don’t feel inclined to edit my thoughts- it was truly healing. I’m glad I nipped this in the bud.
  • Instict #3: Resting = Sitting in pajamas and binge watching TV
    • Opposite action: 
      • Ok fine I totally binge watched The Wire and old episodes of Veep on HBO. BUT I honored myself in other ways too!
      • I invested in my body by booking a massage at the Alayne White Spa. I didn’t truly know how many knots existed in my back until I got on that table. At one point I was face down and was so relaxed that I dosed off. I woke up to my mouth gaped open like an idiot and I was totally drooling on the floor through that little face hole. I’m 99.9% sure I didn’t drool on the massage therapist’s sneakers. Fingers crossed.
        • Funny aside: As I was on my way out post-massage I ran into Heather (infusion center nurse manager) and Nancy (4th floor oncology nurse). They were there for facials that they won at a silent auction. One would think that any reminder of the hospital the day after a hospitalization would conjure up negative feelings. I was just so happy to see these lovely faces outside of a medical setting I had to fight back happy-tears.
      • In addition to the massage I also treated myself to some time in one of the more peaceful venues in Providence, The Duck and Bunny. I enjoyed a quiet snack of crusty break drizzled with olive oil with Narragansett  Creamery ricotta and a pot of chamomile tea. It was calming and so good for the soul.
  • Instinct #4: I’m out of the hospital which means I’m capable of doing things for myself
    • Opposite action: Sucking it up and letting people offer their help because it just makes life easier
      • Mom and Dad cleaned up and did my laundry so I could come home to minimal work (seriously, gems). Also after arriving home after 15 minutes of me trying to convince them that I’d “figure out” something for lunch, I gave in and let them indulge me in a sandwich from Olga’s. I would have probably made a PBJ so they called my bluff.
      • Katie “Mamamamamabear” Carlson gave me a ride to Beth and Brendan’s house to dye easter eggs with her family. Sure, I could drive myself but it was very nice to have a ride. (p.s. I’m not very good at dying easter eggs #jewishkidproblems)

 

So there we go, trying desperately to practice self-care that I speak so highly of but don’t often practice.

Off to spend the weekend with my parents and back to work on Monday, hello sh-normalcy!

 

 

 

Maximizing Chemocation

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As I sip on a delicious Rhody from Vanuatu Coffee Roasters I soak in the last 40 minutes of normalcy before heading into a new chemo cycle. Today is the big one- Taxol and Avastin. I expect to be pretty beat this weekend but as always I am hoping for the best.

To quickly recap last week’s chemocation I REALLY packed it in. I joined Aaron, the Director of Advising, for the 2016 NACADA Region 1 Conference in Portland, Maine. It is always refreshing to see what other schools are up to, absorb new best practices, discuss issues in higher education, and to also see what we’re doing well. As my Instagram account reflected, Aaron and I were pretty damn gluttonous in Portland. You just can’t not be. Our highlight was certainly tasting the tomato fennel soup, poutine, and salted caramel milkshake from Duck Fat.

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Needless to say, my return home has resulted in compensating with a lot  of fruits and vegetables.

Just when I returned home I pretty much unpacked just to pack again. My handsome, intelligent, mancrush everyday- Cory Tysoe had a birthday! He has now reached the ripe age of 28 which means that I am officially no longer a cougar (until January when I turn 29). To celebrate we utilized a holiday present from my parents and headed to Vermont to Mt. Snow. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t totally cooperative so Cory didn’t get much time on the mountain before getting pelted by hail.

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We spent a good majority of our time testing our relationship through Farkle and Risk. Anyone who knows me knows that I am generally not at all competitive. Like for real I bowled a forty the other day. FORTY. And that was better than expected. That said, there are a few things for which I am fiercely competitive- Scrabble, Risk, and Farkle.

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I was happy to cozy up by the fireplace and toss some dice around while ruthlessly talking shit to each other although next year I may join the toddlers on the bunny hill and give skiing a shot. We’ll see…

So that brings us to St. Patrick’s day, yesterday. Sarah, my former coworker Krystal, and I threw a St. Patty’s party in the Izzy Room at Hasbro Children’s Hospital. We decked out the room in festive green, Bob and Timmy’s donated SIX pizzas, and we offered crafts and cookie decorating. Although the party only yielded three physical attendees I would still call it a success. There were several children that were too sick or not allowed to leave their rooms. What we ended up doing was essentially creating a “party on the go”. We delivered pizza and some craft supplies to a mother of an 11 month old in the PIC unit. We also packed up pizza, cookies, st. patty’s swag, and crafts for parents and nurses to bring back to the rooms of families that wanted to be at the party but couldn’t. In any case the Izzy Foundation was able to bring a little cheer to people going through tough time.

The three of us had a blast 🙂

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^ Mine is the one with the fuzzy eyebrows 

Last but not least, I met with Dr. Robison yesterday for the usual chemo exam. She was pleased with the outcome of using the steroid and gave me the green light to keep taking it in line with the chemo cycles if it is helping.

We won’t have an updated CA125 until later today or Monday so I’m not sure where that stands right now but she said that if it made a significant jump upward she would be inclined to scan me. If it is a small increase or lower/unchanged the plan is to scan this summer as we previously discussed.

Soooooo that’s all folks.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy weekend!

 

 

 

ROID RAGE! (or responsible use…either one)

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Holy 180! Since I last wrote I feel like a totally different person. Mainly because I’m ‘roiding out right now.

Let’s be perfectly clear-

Not this kind of ‘roiding:

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More like starting a low-dose, short-term steroid treatment to curb concerns regarding fatigue/poor appetite/nausea/vomiting. Thanks to the brilliant Donna MacDonald, a case manager at WIH, we put into action a 10 day dose of Decadron (Dexamethasone). Decadron also helps to treat inflammation in the body which, if the CA-125 is any indication, I have a boat load of.

Sidenote: Doesn’t Decadron sound like the name of a fictional planet from some sort of Sci-Fi novel? It does to me. Oh well, I digress…

I am to take two pills in the morning for the first five days then will taper back to one pill in the morning for the remaining five days. So far the magic is working!

  • I haven’t thrown up once this weekend
  • My energy levels are unparalleled. I am usually clinging to life on Mondays, today I feel as if I slept 10 hours and drank a cup of coffee in comparison to the norm.
  • I’m hungry! The thought of food is enticing instead of stressful/nauseating. For lunch today I craved a balsamic-pesto-grilled chicken wrap and housed over half of it (which is substantial for my eating patterns of late).

It’s amazing what one simple change can make. It is really just a testament to the support at Women and Infant’s Hospital. Between Sheila (nurse navigator), Rosa (chemo infusion nurse), and Donna (case manager) they had three different reasonable recommendations to assist me in the nausea/vomiting/appetite issue. All three contacted my oncologist right away and have put plans into action. They’re the best. Seriously, people who are genuinely concerned and get shit done. Period.

I’m especially grateful for this help because yesterday was one of my best friend’s. Katie Carlson’s, baby shower. It meant the world to me to feel well enough to enjoy her special day. As you can imagine, it’s hard to stay present and soak in the special moments when you’re nauseated/throwing up/exhausted. I felt pretty optimal for most of yesterday and seeing this face (and belly) was perfect.

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Go team!

Make Plans and Cancel Them (Maybe)

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We measure wellness constantly. In my world this is mainly accomplished by making me hold my breath while being shoved through an oversized donut (CT scan) or sucking blood out of my veins by a professional vampire (phlebotomist). Just last week my primary care measured wellness using a battery of blood tests that lead me to believe that she thinks I’m malnourished. BUT in the encouraging words of my PCP: (*clears throat for best thick Russian accent) “Just LEEETLE beeet more protein. You be okay.”

Not a week has gone by in recent years where I didn’t have some kind of medical test keeping tabs on me. Are my CA-125 levels up? How are my blood counts? How big are those tumors?

It wasn’t until just today that I realized there is another test of wellness, albeit a very simple and unscientific test…

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My willingness and ability to make BIG plans and keep them.

Now I don’t mean dinner and drinks on a Tuesday night after work (although keeping real pants on after 5pm is a drag). I mean looking six months down the road and saying, “Well, heck yeah! I’m absolutely down to fly to Iceland and explore aimlessly.”

Not that Iceland is set in stone but I use it as an example, a benchmark really, for my confidence in my body’s ability to behave for more than 10 goddamn seconds at a time. There was a time, not long ago, that the thought of leaving the country with this illness terrified me. What if I have an intestinal obstruction? What if I’m too sick to stick to our plans? Straying far from Women and Infants, my medical security blanket, seemed impossible.

Just a year ago there were days where I wouldn’t even commit to going to a restaurant in anticipation of throwing up endlessly and/or having my stomach explode.

Now, I’m in a place where I feel well-enough, more often. Not great all the time, far from it. But well-enough to take greater control of my desires in life and the confidence to carry out those plans. So when Cory pitched the idea of researching Iceland, my first thought wasn’t “holy crap what will I do if I’m too sick?”, it was “holy crap I totally need to save every spare penny to make this happen.”

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One of the best pieces of advice that I have continually soaked in from other cancer crushers is “make plans and cancel them”. Look to the future, always, but give yourself permission to back-out without guilt if you get there and your body isn’t cooperating.

So aside from the tumor markers and scans, my newest (and possibly most important) measurement of wellness is the frequency and manner in which I look to the future and make big plans. To plan beyond the everyday is certainly indicative of a slow and steady increase in wellness, quality of life, and most of all- PROGRESS.

See you under the northern lights.

La Vida es Buena

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I have a lot to report on so you should probably grab a snack and a cocktail and get comfy.

So far 2016 has brought some great energy and experiences. I could probably ramble on for a few thousand words but you have lives to get back to so I’ll try to condense as much as possible.

 

Quick Thanks to Choose Hope Inc. for seeing Emily Nason sport their headband at the NOCC walk and reaching out to her. As a result of that they sent me a TON of merch and a beautiful handwritten card for encouragement. They are fantastic champions for cancer research and support so please check them out.

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Health Update:

Prior to departing for La República Dominicana, I received the BEST news that my CT scan was stable and one of the pelvic tumors had even reduced in size. It was like getting an elementary school report card with comments like “Your tumors have been very well behaved and much improved! Plays well with others.”

When I returned from vacation I had a routine check up with Dr. Robison. Much to my surprise she wanted to talk to me about next steps and potential treatment modification for the near future. So here is one possibility to consider:

-May-ish would mark the one year point of being on this treatment plan. She is going to scan me again around that time. If the scan is still stable (unchanged) or tumors are shrinking she is willing to let me make the decision to opt out of Taxol (the chemo part) and just do Avastin (the antibody) once every 3 weeks. That is an AMAZING prospect!

She is leaving this in my hands. We know Taxol works so if it would make me feel more secure to stay on it, that’s fine. From a quality of life perspective I’d be interested in testing the waters with just Avastin. If I become symptomatic again we can just throw me back on Taxol, no problem. She assured me that it would not impact Taxol’s ability to still work if I go off and on again if we needed to. Sounds pretty good to me! The next few months will be critical.

After this past scan I wasn’t even going to bother to ask about my CA-125 because I figured it would still be high. Sheila texted me today to let me know it went down from 785 to 723. What a pleasant surprise 🙂3478638

Vacation:

¡Ay dios mío! We had a REAL vacation! Cory and I spent the last week in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and it was 1000x better than I even imagined.

We initially hit a few snags. We had a flight from Providence to Newark that was delayed by several hours due to a mechanical issue. For that reason, we missed our connection in Newark to Puerto Plata and could not leave until the next day. After a lot of fighting with United Airlines (that had the most atrocious customer service) they begrudgingly sent us to Newark that day and put us up in the airport Ramada for the night with a couple food vouchers.

Thank GOODNESS I was with Cory who totally kept his cool because I was so frustrated with United I flew into a blind rage and had to walk away. To be clear, I have the true inability to “pop off” on others, especially people in service positions so “blind rage” translates to me hysterically crying and trying to pull it together crouched behind an ATM.

It wasn’t so much the disappointment about losing a day, it was truly the rude way in which we were spoken to and lack of problem solving on the part of United that drove me over the edge. The first woman we spoke to had an attiude that translated to “Well, not our fault. Go home.” Additionally, when I’m at the airport talking to United I should not have to CALL A CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER to resolve a problem only to be told that we shouldn’t be calling and need to talk to the ticket counter.

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On the flip side, Expedia’s customer service was unparalleled. I called while Cool-Calm-Collected-Cory dealt with United.

Expedia was totally apologetic and didn’t put the burden back on us. They not only called the resort for us but they also refunded us for the night we missed. They were unable to re-schedule our shuttle from the Puerto Plata airport to the resort so instead they gave us a $50 credit which was more then the value of the shuttle. After this experience I would 100% use Expedia again. Here’s to you Expedia-

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In a nutshell once we got there, the vacation was great. Our resort was small and had a nice community feel. We even made friends with a few of the other couples there. So I should thank Gabby, Alan, Nicole, Paul, Brian, Jen, Rob and Rachel for enhancing an already great experience (and being the best cheer section- explanation to come).

Highlights:

  • The fact that we asked of a king sized bed but were instead given two queens pushed together to form a MEGA BED! Sprawling commence! Cory hated it, I loved it.

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  • They also stocked the rooms with a gallon of water every day so people wouldn’t get sick from the tap water. Restaurants and bars also always had water from a jug, never from the tap.
  • Parasailing for the first time. How unreal! Incredible views of crystal clear ocean, mountains, and reefs. We were the only ones that went at that time so we had an extra long ride. I’d say we were in the air for at least 30 mins. I must do this again stat. I highly recommend the Seapro company for anyone visiting Playa Dorada in the near future.
  • Getting a $10 massage on the beach while I sipped on a piña colada and stared at the ocean.
  • Full day catamaran trip to two reefs in Sosúa for snorkling
    • Side note: It is the beginning of the whale migration! We not only spotted the first whale of the season but it came right up to our boat. It was like standing next to a school bus. Simply breathtaking.
    • Below are Cory and I soaking in the sun on the front netting of the catamaran on our return trip back to Playa Dorada:

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  • Sea kayaking (total redemption from my last attempt in Australia when Matty K and I capsized and nearly drowned)
  • Winning 2nd place and a bottle of rum in the Blue Bay Villas Doradas Ideal Couple Contest with Cory. Basically we were dragged on stage and had to do four “double dare” like challenges. It was a close race but we lost ever so slightly to a Slovenian couple. I thought we crushed it. I was also so happy to look into the audience and realize our new friends were all there cheering us on. Totally unlike Cory and I to do something like this but it was ridiculous and memorable for sure.

Yes, photos exist. Will I be posting them? Jury is still out on that one.

  • Our general routine of wake up, read a little and sip on a coffee by the spa pool, breakfast buffet (with our favorite waiter Rafael), beach time until 2 or 3ish, open air lunch, pool time/swim up bar/contests/activities around the pool until about 5:30, nap, dinner, show, bed. (So remind me again why we came home? Do advising positions exist in Puerto Plata? Surely they need a lighting salesman with all of those resorts. Hmm- Cory- let’s bone up on our Español and rethink our living arrangements…)

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  • The service as a whole- The Animación Crew (entertainment crew) was amazing. They constantly were hosting games, contests, dancing, and engaging all of the guests. Huge shout out to our boy Alfredo (the most enthusiastic dancer I’ve ever seen), Coca Cola, James Bond, Veronica, and Barbie. It felt nice that everyone from the entertainment crew to the servers to the bartenders got to know you personally.
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…and our not so secret handshake

Cory has at least 700 pictures/videos to sort through so unfortunately I don’t have many more to post right now but hopefully this will give you a little taste of the paradise we were so fortunate to experience over the past week.

I’m oozing with gratitude to be in a position to have this experience. I feel that my batteries are totally recharged, I am relaxed, and I am ready to take on the next few months.

¡Adios amigos y amigas!

 

Twenty-Eight

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As of yesterday I am officially 28 years of age and it feels…pretty good, actually.

Some people hate their birthdays. Understandably comparing carefree youth with bills and perpetual acid reflux would sour anyone on getting older. Being that I am only 28, I am not a wise old owl in the position to tell anyone how to feel about birthdays but I am happy to share with you how I have come to regard my own.

From the age of 24 my body has been forced to share space with cancer- an asshole roommate that doesn’t pay rent and ignores eviction notices. I’m not one for focusing on survival rates and cancer stats because they’re not conducive to a positive frame of mind. Let’s just say, the stats are not typically in the favor of women with late stage ovarian cancer. That said, every birthday after 24 is more important than the last. Each passing January 4th is a trophy. It is a symbol that cancer isn’t winning.

Hey cancer- go kick rocks, I’m racking up birthdays here.

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On Sunday my parents passed through Providence for birthday lunch at Red Stripe. Anyone that knows Providence well can appreciate that a chilly-day calls for Red Stripe tomato soup and grilled cheese (with pesto, pear, and prosciutto…nom nom nom). They also kindly treated me with gorgeous flowers and a fruit tart. It was a really nice time to catch up with one another. Who better to kick off your birthday with than the folks that were there since the beginning- you know, that day when the stork dropped me off at their doorstep.

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Celebrations will resume this weekend but my actual birthday was just a quiet day at work followed by a quiet evening. Call me boring but after all of the fun and travel surrounding December’s holidays I’m happy to stay put and have some downtime. The festivities will resume this weekend with friends.

I was so touched by all of the phone calls, text messages, emails and facebook well-wishes yesterday! I am a very lucky girl to know so many thoughtful people.

Reading all of the kind birthday messages left me feeling like Ron Swanson on Snake Juice. THANK YOUUUUU!!!

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Centering mind & body with family & pie

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I hope that everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday! Hopefully you did not have to rush off to work just yet (sorry Jacque! Retail is a buzz kill).

Thanksgiving this year was different than usual. Because I was scheduled to receive chemo the day after Thanksgiving, it would just be too much for me to drive back to Torrington and home again in 24 hours. Despite the gracious offer to join my cousins, my parents and I had a modified low-key Thanksgiving together on the Cape. We had a phenomenal four course traditional meal at the Daniel Webster Inn. Afterward, my mom and I whipped up a delicious apple pie and a loaf of banana bread using the secret family recipe. I have yet to eat banana bread that rivals my mother’s so it was nice to share this piece of our family history with her.

We ended the night with a marathon of Rummikub. To keep things interesting, I forced my parents to adopt silly rules and claimed them to be “new house rules”. This involved making by parents flap their arms like birds and yell “caw-caw, caw-caw!” whenever they had two tiles remaining.

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I adore my family and do not get to see them often as we are a bit spread out in a few states. As much as I would have liked to share this holiday with my extended family I think it was in my best interest to have a quiet break from life for a couple days in Mashpee. I was able to decompress and recenter myself. I can honestly say I feel much better than when I last wrote.

As I mentioned, today began yet another new cycle of chemo. I received both Taxol and Avastin. I am thrilled that W&I was able to fit me for an early afternoon infusion so that I did not have to rush back from the Cape early in the morning.

**Bonus** There was a therapy dog today! So many kisses and snuggles were had by all!

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Today I receive the updated CA-125. The numbers came back as just over 600, meaning it has doubled since the last reading. Considering the infection that I’ve been fending off, stress, and feeling rundown I am not at all surprised that my numbers shot up. That said, I’m not upset either (and no, this isn’t one of those times where I’m putting on a brave face but secretly sad on the inside. I’m very legitimately okay with this). I chalk this one up to a ‘not-great reading’ and hope that my body is in better condition for the next one.

In the interest of remaining focused on a more positive frame of mind, I want to share a gift from one of my students:

(I appreciate Kim providing me written consent to share her name as well as this gift with you.)

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Relay for Life 2015- Nelly (left), Kim (center), Me (right)

The context surrounding this gift is that before Kim became my advisee, we had crossed paths through Relay for Life and the Izzy Foundation. We bonded over our common experience of being young with cancer and that evolved into her joining my caseload in Advising. She is a stellar student and has a big heart for those around her. I can happily say that she is now cancer-free.

Through Kim, I met another wonderful girl named Nelly. Nelly was a patient at Hasbro with Kim and they became the best of friends under horrible circumstances. Nelly had been fighting Ewing Sarcoma but her suffering came to an end last weekend when she earned her angel wings.

Kim was the first to share the news with me and all weekend I worried about her. When someone close to you passes it is quite obviously devastating. When someone close to you passes of a disease you can relate to there are complex levels of emotion- fear, anger, mourning, survivor’s guilt, etc. It can be hard for some to process.

On Monday afternoon I returned from lunch to find a purple gift bag on my office chair. It contained a card and the framed picture above. Kim had written on every square inch of this card. It then dawned on me that while I was worried all weekend about her, she was also concerned for me.

Below is an excerpt from her card. It helped me to find perspective and I think it can speak to all of us on some level:

“I made this frame myself. There are many flaws and even some scratches, but they represent scars. When I first made this frame, it gave me issues, so I re-did part of it. I didn’t start new because I felt as though the scars (scratches) tell a story, just as all of our do. I kept it like this to show how perfection isn’t everything. Our lives are far from perfect, but we still manage to survive and get through every day.”

I think we can agree that my student is wise beyond her years. There are no accidents in life and this card arrived at a moment when I needed an influx of reminders that it’s okay not feel strong all the time. Beauty still exists within our imperfect worlds.

I consider myself so lucky to work with students with such heart. When people say to me: “I don’t know how you work through all of this!” I wish I could let them be flies on the wall for these kinds of moments packed with such genuine human connectedness.

So in short (HA! Right…) I feel that I am slowly returning to a more centered frame of mind. I am not currently feeling the stress and sadness that lingered over the past few days and I am getting excited for the weeks to come both in and out of work.

Cheers friends, have a happy and safe weekend!

ENJOY ALL OF THOSE LEFTOVER TREATS!

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Three Years

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About 20 days ago I posted a letter to myself in the form of ‘Dear Former Self’. It was an emotionally charged tribute to success in light of illness caught at a moment when I actually felt like I had my shit together. I meant every word of it and I am glad that ’20 days ago’ Jessica wrote it because ‘today Jessica’ really needed a reminder.

Today marks exactly three years since the diagnosis that re-charted my future. I can and do frame this anniversary as a celebration of life and thriving in spite of adversity. Honestly though, ‘today Jessica’ and ‘yesterday Jessica’, and ‘day before that Jessica’ are feeling pretty run down. Exacerbated by another week of chemo and an antibiotic in my system, I feel weak and worn out. My body aches, I’m exhausted, and my stomach is torn to shreds. Moreover, strong emotions float to the surface of my mind.

I left work a little early, curled up with my favorite blankets and watched a mind-numbing amount of Netflix. It turns out this was the best decision I could have made to honor myself today.

 

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(My friend Kerri emailed this to me at work today and it couldn’t have been more well timed)

If I try to pull myself up by my bootstraps any harder I’m going to put my entire foot through the sole. So today, I take the advice of my parents, Cory, my friends, co-workers (and all of the other highly perceptive people that have nudged me to be kinder to myself).

On this third anniversary I do three things:

1.) Re-read ‘Dear former self’ and pat myself on the back for making it this far in spite of crummy circumstances.

2.) Allow myself to be sad (for now). This disease has a thousand silver linings but actually replaying delivery of diagnosis in my mind is incredibly painful and can be difficult to ignore. If only I could use ‘chemo brain’ to selectively forget that moment.

3.) I rest. I shut off my work email, silence my phone, and just allow my body to be still and comfortable. It is working on overdrive to fight the disease and super-overdrive to keep up with the unfair demands I put on it constantly.

 

On a final note, I cannot thank everyone enough that has stood by me over a long three year period of highs and lows. Through the fear, successes, disappointment, and hopeful moments I have never once felt truly alone. I thank you for every pep talk, prayer, or kind “how are you holding up?” check in.

From the bottom of my heart,

Thank-you 

 

Drop it Low

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I’m going to be perfectly honest.  I have hit a wall today where I am beyond exhausted. I’ve spend the majority of the day sleeping during and after chemo. SO I’m going to keep this short and sweet:

CA-125 decreased from 455 to 337 !!!!!!