A few photos from yesterday's walkabout between appointments
Friday, November 11, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Luck of the Draw
Rod and I decided to go to the movies last Wednesday afternoon. Once there we realized we were an hour early so off we went for a walk. Many of our local parks have benches along the trails to honor the memory of someone. I always read them and as I passed one in particular, I was struck by a dedication to a 20 year old. I started thinking about some of the amazing moments in my life that have occured since turning 20 in 1965.
1967 ~ Bought my first car a 1963 VW Bus
1969 ~ Watched a man walk on the moon with my grandma Olive
1970 ~ Spent a month on the road exploring western Canada with my dog Charis as co-pilot, climbed Mt. Robson with some new friends I met along the way and experienced a glacier calving at Berg Lake
1967 ~ Bought my first car a 1963 VW Bus
1969 ~ Watched a man walk on the moon with my grandma Olive
1970 ~ Spent a month on the road exploring western Canada with my dog Charis as co-pilot, climbed Mt. Robson with some new friends I met along the way and experienced a glacier calving at Berg Lake
1972 ~ Visited the Colorado Rockies for the first time, the same month John Denver released "Rocky Mountain High" in the summer of my 27th year
He was born in the summer of his 27th year
Comin' home to a place he'd never been before
He left yesterday behind him,
you might say he was born again
You might say he found a key for every door…
1973 ~ Started what would be a 33 year career at the Bodega Marine Lab
1975 ~ Looked a grey whale in the eye as it raised its head up out of deep water next to Death Rock at Wrights Beach - I have witnesses
1981 ~ Met the love of my life at the Ft. Ross VFD music festival in Cazadero
Rod and Hazel Sit Down
1985 ~ Was present at the birth of my goddaughter Casey
1986 ~ Rod and I married at the haunted Gold Hill Hotel in Gold Hill, NV
1988 ~ Bought our first home and have been here 23 years
1988 ~ Bought our first home and have been here 23 years
1996 ~ Celebrated our 10th anniversary by renewing our vows at Gold Hill
2006 ~ Retired on April Fools Day with my best friend Trisha. We treated ourselves to 2 weeks in Hawaii and never looked back
2006 ~ Retired on April Fools Day with my best friend Trisha. We treated ourselves to 2 weeks in Hawaii and never looked back
Trisha, Rosie and Me in Waimanalo
2008 ~ Attended my 45th HS reunion and had lunch with some of the gang
Julia, Lynn, Laurie, Melinda, Gayle
Mary, Lynn and Taffy
2009 ~ Saw NYC for the first time
2010 ~ Attended the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, NV
2011 ~ I'm winning the battle with breast cancer and we're celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on December 21st
How lucky we all are to still be here looking forward. Just yesterday morning I was laughing out loud as several of us Mill Valley kids were on Facebook trying to identify our classmates in a 6th grade class photo from 19 ought 50 something.
Your homework: Initiate random acts of kindness, thank a Veteran and take care of your little corner of the world. Wealth is not defined by financial success, but how you spend the time you have, spend it well.
How lucky we all are to still be here looking forward. Just yesterday morning I was laughing out loud as several of us Mill Valley kids were on Facebook trying to identify our classmates in a 6th grade class photo from 19 ought 50 something.
Your homework: Initiate random acts of kindness, thank a Veteran and take care of your little corner of the world. Wealth is not defined by financial success, but how you spend the time you have, spend it well.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Day of the Waltzing Trees
So what did you do yesterday? We took 2 trees on a road trip.
Our long time neighbor Elder Tom passed away in late September. He and Rod were buddies and Rod has been maintaining his yard and fruit trees for over 15 years. We're now working with the executor of his estate.
Tom had two favorite trees in planter boxes. The one on the front patio is a Japanese maple. It was planted in a 30"x30" redwood box about 20 years ago when it was a wee sprout. It's now close to 18' tall and has a trunk about 8" in diameter. It's so root bound it needed to be watered daily and was starting to show signs of distress. The other is a 10 foot tall blue spruce that was at the corner of the guest room.
The spruce was the easy one, the Japanese maple proved to be challenge.
Chuck had to negotiate our power lines, a low hanging oak branch and thread his way between the blue spruce and our herb bed to reach the spot.
Oh, and the old apple stump we removed for the maple planting was relocated on a whim and a prayer to a place down with 2 other apple trees in the pasture. It had a little bit of new growth on it so we're hoping it will get a second chance. It was one of my favorite eating apples before the gophers got to it.
Our long time neighbor Elder Tom passed away in late September. He and Rod were buddies and Rod has been maintaining his yard and fruit trees for over 15 years. We're now working with the executor of his estate.
Tom had two favorite trees in planter boxes. The one on the front patio is a Japanese maple. It was planted in a 30"x30" redwood box about 20 years ago when it was a wee sprout. It's now close to 18' tall and has a trunk about 8" in diameter. It's so root bound it needed to be watered daily and was starting to show signs of distress. The other is a 10 foot tall blue spruce that was at the corner of the guest room.
The trees needed to be moved but there was no accessible place on Elder Tom's property to plant additional trees so we asked the executor if we could move them to our property as a memorial to Tom. He felt this was a a great solution so we called our friend Chuck at Apple Blossom Nursery to come up and give us a hand. He is a master on a tractor.
Chuck had to negotiate our power lines, a low hanging oak branch and thread his way between the blue spruce and our herb bed to reach the spot.
Root bound was an understatement for the maple. The redwood planter box had to be pried off and a breaker bar used to loosen some of the roots before it was gently lowered into its new home.
Several hours of watering and a B-1 feeding last night and a couple of hours of water this morning should get both trees on the path to recovery and growth. It's really cool to see them when I look out of my studio window. A variety of small birds are already exploring. The pictures are from early this morning.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Breast Cancer Journey - Off Season Training
I usually avoid traveling to the east side of Hwy 101 into Santa Rosa or Rohnert Park like the plague. I save up errands and appointments so I only have to go in every week or two. This week was an anomaly for sure, but all for a good cause ~ my future health!
I met with my Oncologist on Monday ~ reports are good, the tumor removed was about half the size they anticipated. I have positive estrogen receptors so it has been suggested that I start a regimen of Anastrozole to help lower estrogen levels ~ as if menopause wasn't enough! One of the possible side effect is hot flashes ~ Geeze Louise, I made it all the way through menopause with one night sweat and no hot flashes, so I'm hoping that whatever my body knew then it remembers now! Due to a long list of other potential side effects I've asked if I can start when I'm done with radiation. I should hear back in a couple of days. I don't want to hammer my body with too much all at once. Tuesday was a follow up mammogram to see if there were any residual calcifications. Report back from radiologist was that films were clean and clear. Oh Yeah!
Wednesday off to the Rohnert Park Cancer Center (RPCC) to meet with my Radiation Therapist and discuss preliminary treatment plan: five days a week for four weeks. We've got it worked out so I'll be done about a week before we take off on our 25th wedding anniversary adventure (destination pending ~ we keep getting new ideas).
I got Thursday off and didn't leave the property except to attend a concert at Studio E with singers/songwriters Tom Russell and Thad Beckman. It was an amazing evening full of laughter and outstanding music dedicated to my late friend Trisha and shared with family and friends.
Friday took me back to RPCC for a CT scan, to document my treatment plan, design positioning devices to keep me in same position for each session and tattoo my skin for positioning accuracy (we're talking four blue freckles here, nothing major). I met with nursing staff for patient education and got more homework. On Nov 9th they'll do a Sim Verification or dry run and perhaps my first treatment.
For anyone who knows me, Bobcats hold a special place in my life. As I walked into my Radiation Therapist's office and sat down I looked up at the calendar on the wall ~ there looking back at me was a Bobcat and the words of William Wordsworth "Let nature be your teacher". I no longer question these experiences, I just know my husband, friends and spirit guides have my back and are with me for the duration of this journey.
I met with my Oncologist on Monday ~ reports are good, the tumor removed was about half the size they anticipated. I have positive estrogen receptors so it has been suggested that I start a regimen of Anastrozole to help lower estrogen levels ~ as if menopause wasn't enough! One of the possible side effect is hot flashes ~ Geeze Louise, I made it all the way through menopause with one night sweat and no hot flashes, so I'm hoping that whatever my body knew then it remembers now! Due to a long list of other potential side effects I've asked if I can start when I'm done with radiation. I should hear back in a couple of days. I don't want to hammer my body with too much all at once. Tuesday was a follow up mammogram to see if there were any residual calcifications. Report back from radiologist was that films were clean and clear. Oh Yeah!
Wednesday off to the Rohnert Park Cancer Center (RPCC) to meet with my Radiation Therapist and discuss preliminary treatment plan: five days a week for four weeks. We've got it worked out so I'll be done about a week before we take off on our 25th wedding anniversary adventure (destination pending ~ we keep getting new ideas).
I got Thursday off and didn't leave the property except to attend a concert at Studio E with singers/songwriters Tom Russell and Thad Beckman. It was an amazing evening full of laughter and outstanding music dedicated to my late friend Trisha and shared with family and friends.
Friday took me back to RPCC for a CT scan, to document my treatment plan, design positioning devices to keep me in same position for each session and tattoo my skin for positioning accuracy (we're talking four blue freckles here, nothing major). I met with nursing staff for patient education and got more homework. On Nov 9th they'll do a Sim Verification or dry run and perhaps my first treatment.
Trisha's Bobcat ~ Cherry Camp Vineyard 2009
For anyone who knows me, Bobcats hold a special place in my life. As I walked into my Radiation Therapist's office and sat down I looked up at the calendar on the wall ~ there looking back at me was a Bobcat and the words of William Wordsworth "Let nature be your teacher". I no longer question these experiences, I just know my husband, friends and spirit guides have my back and are with me for the duration of this journey.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Oh If You Could Smell My Kitchen
We came in from the garden Wednesday afternoon expecting to sit down and watch the World Series, but Game 6 was called on account of foul weather. I went out to my studio to work, but after about half an hour the aroma from the kitchen drew me back into the house. Rod had decided that it was a good night for Pizza and I don't mean take out. We're talking homemade from scratch sourdough (thank you Nancy) with herbs and ingredients right out of the garden.
The Aroma Generator - Onions, Garlic, Oreganos, Tomatillos, Sun Gold and Heirloom tomatoes gently simmering for sauce.
The Aroma Generator - Onions, Garlic, Oreganos, Tomatillos, Sun Gold and Heirloom tomatoes gently simmering for sauce.
I checked back in about half an hour later and the sauce was beginning to take shape - color magnifico red.
Thursday is the day the waste management trucks come to pick up recycle, garbage and yard waste. They won't come to the top of the hill so we all wheel the carts down to one place on Wednesday night. This time the men of the ridge top and the three kids took off all at the same time so the gang found out about Rod's pizza making on the walk. Neither family was available to join us so he promised them each a pizza. They'll be delivered today "Meals on Heels" for reheat and eat!
Ingredients on hand from the garden: zucchini and crookneck squash, Asian pear, red bell pepper and herbs. Add to that asparagus, crimini mushrooms, mozzarella fresca, Parmesan and goat feta cheeses in various combinations.
Ingredients on hand from the garden: zucchini and crookneck squash, Asian pear, red bell pepper and herbs. Add to that asparagus, crimini mushrooms, mozzarella fresca, Parmesan and goat feta cheeses in various combinations.
Pizza #1 disappeared shortly after it emerged from the oven!
Pizza #2
Pizza #3
We'll have to tape Game 6 tonight cause we're heading out to one of our great local music venues called Studio E to see Tom Russell and Thad Beckman. If you ever get a chance to see them in your neck of the woods, don't hesitate.
Friday, October 21, 2011
How's Your Addition?
What do you get when you add up 64+6+4+4.5? You're saying 78.5 of course. These are not random numbers, but rather the combined ages of the "Top of the Hill Gang" which includes my husband Rod the Kid Magnet and our three adorable neighbors.
Truth be told Rod is really a 6 year old trapped in the body of a grey beard. So lose the 4 in 64. Age matters not when it comes a fertile imagination, a sense of play and why not do something creative instead of chores. The four of them built this dude while I was out running errands.
The straw from summer mowing is kept in a large pile just outside the garden for our composting bins. The four of them took the garden cart down to the pasture to bring up enough to stuff the shirt, head and pants. When they started moving straw they uncovered a whole new world of bugs and from what I hear got temporarily sidetracked on another learning adventure. Kids, dirt and bugs are a magical combination.
Once back up to the yard, Rod built the frame and the kids did all the stuffing. The face is an old canvas clothes pin bucket that had outlived it's prime.
The funny part is that we all do a double take when we drive in. Our scarecrow looks a little like Rod cause this is his usual gardening outfit, less the hay of course.
Power to the child in all of us!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Choose Your Attitude
I've always had a positive attitude: it could be genes, it could be growing up in a small town, or the shear luck of the draw. Whatever the reason my outlook on life is a key ingredient of my well being.
Life continually throws us challenges but how we choose to grow from the experiences are the important lessons. I lost my parents when they were in their 70's ~ far too young. Little did they know that the lifestyles sold to them as healthy in their youth would be their downfall. They were not of the generation who chose to question authority and trusted the family doctor without a second thought. What I learned is that we have to be our own advocates and take responsibility for our well being.
I've lost close friends to disease and accidents, beloved pets when I made the choice to let them go with dignity. I've faced medical challanges for 20 years and have recently been dealing with breast cancer. Each experience has helped me grow, made me wiser and taught me how to deal with adversity. I've learned that exercise and changes in diet are the best things you can do for yourself at any age. But probably the most important lesson is that life is short: do what makes you happy, start work on your bucket list, keep people in your life who love you for who you are and make you laugh.
This brings me to a conversation with my surgeon when I had my stitches removed last week. Much of the information given to you regarding surgery and recovery tells you to rest and don't do much. I told her it wasn't my style to sit around and I was off and running (albeit carefully and with some common sense) on autumn projects around the house and at a neighbor's the day after my surgeries.
Life continually throws us challenges but how we choose to grow from the experiences are the important lessons. I lost my parents when they were in their 70's ~ far too young. Little did they know that the lifestyles sold to them as healthy in their youth would be their downfall. They were not of the generation who chose to question authority and trusted the family doctor without a second thought. What I learned is that we have to be our own advocates and take responsibility for our well being.
I've lost close friends to disease and accidents, beloved pets when I made the choice to let them go with dignity. I've faced medical challanges for 20 years and have recently been dealing with breast cancer. Each experience has helped me grow, made me wiser and taught me how to deal with adversity. I've learned that exercise and changes in diet are the best things you can do for yourself at any age. But probably the most important lesson is that life is short: do what makes you happy, start work on your bucket list, keep people in your life who love you for who you are and make you laugh.
This brings me to a conversation with my surgeon when I had my stitches removed last week. Much of the information given to you regarding surgery and recovery tells you to rest and don't do much. I told her it wasn't my style to sit around and I was off and running (albeit carefully and with some common sense) on autumn projects around the house and at a neighbor's the day after my surgeries.
She said to me "Your big picture perspective, positive outlook and sense of humor play a huge part in your overall health and healing". She drew a box in the air and then made a small box in the lower corner of that square. "You have chosen to perceive your cancer as only a small part of your life experience, it will never rule you. Unfortunately many patients choose to let cancer become their life, they become victims of their diagnosis rather than taking on the challenge and looking ahead".
No one said life would be easy, or fighting a life threatening disease would be a cake walk. I just want to encourage anyone dealing with cancer to remember your friends, family and a army of survivors have your back and are there for you. Call in the troops!
This morning's Press Democrat has a great article about cancer survivor Nina Sibert. Her cancer and treatments were far more radical than mine, but her outlook is very similar. Please read and share it. I hope to meet her someday. Here is the link:
http://cloverdale.towns.pressdemocrat.com/2011/10/news/pinktober-comes-to-cloverdale/
Now go outside and enjoy your day!
No one said life would be easy, or fighting a life threatening disease would be a cake walk. I just want to encourage anyone dealing with cancer to remember your friends, family and a army of survivors have your back and are there for you. Call in the troops!
This morning's Press Democrat has a great article about cancer survivor Nina Sibert. Her cancer and treatments were far more radical than mine, but her outlook is very similar. Please read and share it. I hope to meet her someday. Here is the link:
http://cloverdale.towns.pressdemocrat.com/2011/10/news/pinktober-comes-to-cloverdale/
Now go outside and enjoy your day!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Breast Cancer Journey ~ Bottom of the Ninth ~ Grand Slam
D Day Part Deux, Thursday October 6th
We awoke to thunder, lightening, rain, then sun and the news that one of our gang of "Usual Suspects" is moving home from out East. It was gonna be a good day, even with surgery scheduled around 3pm.
After reading the initial pathology report my surgeon suggested that we create a larger margin of clear tissue where the tumor was removed from my left breast. Just a little added insurance. There were no "wasp on steroids stings" (radio tracer injection) or wire guidelines this time. She had been down this trail just last week so it was a pretty simple procedure.
It's kept cool in the admittance room where you wait to get wheeled into surgery. They have you put on a huge, double layered soft paper gown/tent that ties in back and has a series of strange little vent holes in it. Much to my delight I learned there is a heat pump and hose that hooks into one of the vents and blows hot air into the gown to keep you toasty. I need one of these for watching TV in this winter! I was home by late afternoon with an appetite (18 hours with no food) and very little discomfort.
Friday I was supposed to relax and take it easy. Needless to say, sitting still is not one of my strong suits unless I'm totally enthralled in a book or at a music venue. Rod has gotten really creative, short of tying me down, with keeping me put. After breakfast he emptied our overstuffed piggy bank on the counter and said "sit, sort and count ~ right arm only". That kept me out of trouble for a little while.
He's pretty sweet for a tough guy. He's been fixing me fabulous meals and doing the dishes. How often is that going to happen? This morning he made us designer pancakes. I got a pony and a redwood tree and he made himself a dinosaur.
Just in, hot off the wire:
We've hit a grand slam out of the park ~ I just talked to my Breast Care Coordinator about an hour ago and the news is that my margins are clean. Game 1 is in the win column, but it's important to not lose sight of the fact this is an ongoing series, kind of like the playoffs. Once I talk to my oncologist on October 24th I'll find out more about my post-season training schedule of radiation therapy.
That said: just a reminder to never lose your sense of humor, always question authority, dance in the kitchen and walk in the rain. Let your mind out for a run around the block.
We awoke to thunder, lightening, rain, then sun and the news that one of our gang of "Usual Suspects" is moving home from out East. It was gonna be a good day, even with surgery scheduled around 3pm.
After reading the initial pathology report my surgeon suggested that we create a larger margin of clear tissue where the tumor was removed from my left breast. Just a little added insurance. There were no "wasp on steroids stings" (radio tracer injection) or wire guidelines this time. She had been down this trail just last week so it was a pretty simple procedure.
It's kept cool in the admittance room where you wait to get wheeled into surgery. They have you put on a huge, double layered soft paper gown/tent that ties in back and has a series of strange little vent holes in it. Much to my delight I learned there is a heat pump and hose that hooks into one of the vents and blows hot air into the gown to keep you toasty. I need one of these for watching TV in this winter! I was home by late afternoon with an appetite (18 hours with no food) and very little discomfort.
Friday I was supposed to relax and take it easy. Needless to say, sitting still is not one of my strong suits unless I'm totally enthralled in a book or at a music venue. Rod has gotten really creative, short of tying me down, with keeping me put. After breakfast he emptied our overstuffed piggy bank on the counter and said "sit, sort and count ~ right arm only". That kept me out of trouble for a little while.
He's pretty sweet for a tough guy. He's been fixing me fabulous meals and doing the dishes. How often is that going to happen? This morning he made us designer pancakes. I got a pony and a redwood tree and he made himself a dinosaur.
Just in, hot off the wire:
We've hit a grand slam out of the park ~ I just talked to my Breast Care Coordinator about an hour ago and the news is that my margins are clean. Game 1 is in the win column, but it's important to not lose sight of the fact this is an ongoing series, kind of like the playoffs. Once I talk to my oncologist on October 24th I'll find out more about my post-season training schedule of radiation therapy.
That said: just a reminder to never lose your sense of humor, always question authority, dance in the kitchen and walk in the rain. Let your mind out for a run around the block.
Rain Couple
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Dew Drop Inn
A foggy autumn morning drifts in without a warning
I cannot see across the pasture
But spiders have begun to gather
Strings of pearl strung about the yard
and a little sun on the liquid amber
Like four aces to a gambler
we have a stunning visual card
Go outside and play
live each day
as if it was your last
tomorrow is only the future
and yesterday is just the past
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Breast Cancer Journey - Top of the Ninth
A little rain today, the air smells fresh and I'm on one of my inexplicable tears about the house: cleaning out drawers, rearranging my studio, switching pictures on the walls and delivering a Jeep load of cool stuff to our VNA Hospice Thrift Store.
I'll bet you're saying to yourself "What is she thinking she just had surgery on Wednesday?" Well the first couple of days I took care to keep my left arm close to my body. I'm mostly a "pullover shirt" kind of girl but I inherited some beautiful button up shirts, so like Napoleon (wrong arm, but you get the picture) I was able to tuck my left hand in between the buttons and be good, at least for a couple of days.
I have felt really good, none of the side effects listed as possibilities ever showed up. For me it has been therapeutic to be doing what I've been doing, albeit very carefully. Ye olde sports bra was the best discovery of the journey: it applied pressure, shielded me from ice packs, protected the area from arm movement and kept my tatas from dancing around on my daily walks.
The highlight of my Saturday was a long hot shower ~ four days is a long time for this Pisces to be out of water, but I did okay. Camping has educated me on the art of the sponge bath. There are stitches and steristrips holding the incisions closed and then a huge patch of sterile gauze for cushioning and protection. The stitches and steristrips stay in place and you remove the pad to shower. The part they don't tell you about is that the tape to keep that pad in place is seriously akin to duct tape - Everyone should have a roll in their toolkit! Ouchamaymucho!
Update: My surgeon called this afternoon to say that my lymph nodes and vascular system are clean as a whistle which is excellent, cool beans, and just plain outstanding news.
However, though the pathology report doesn't come out and say it directly, she said there is some concern that the margin, the extra area around the tumor that is removed, was not clean, that some of the cancer cells could be at large. We talked about it and decided the best approach is to go back into the incision and remove additional tissue. Since I already have an appointment on Thursday we'll take care of it then. Get to skip the dreaded radio-tracer bee sting and needle localization and go directly pass go to surgery for a gentle sleep and a little more tuck and roll.
I will still need to follow up with radiation in a month or two, but feel I have been dealt an amazing hand. I owe a lot to the women who took this journey before me, including my mother and a number of friends. I stand strong with my sisters around the world who are now on the same journey. Remember attitude is everything and don't hesitate to ask questions or get a second opinion.
A Promise to Pay it Forward: 10% of all my Etsy and craft fair sales this fall will be donated to Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Their website at http://ww5.komen.org/ has a lot of helpful information and ways to get involved.
I'll bet you're saying to yourself "What is she thinking she just had surgery on Wednesday?" Well the first couple of days I took care to keep my left arm close to my body. I'm mostly a "pullover shirt" kind of girl but I inherited some beautiful button up shirts, so like Napoleon (wrong arm, but you get the picture) I was able to tuck my left hand in between the buttons and be good, at least for a couple of days.
I have felt really good, none of the side effects listed as possibilities ever showed up. For me it has been therapeutic to be doing what I've been doing, albeit very carefully. Ye olde sports bra was the best discovery of the journey: it applied pressure, shielded me from ice packs, protected the area from arm movement and kept my tatas from dancing around on my daily walks.
The highlight of my Saturday was a long hot shower ~ four days is a long time for this Pisces to be out of water, but I did okay. Camping has educated me on the art of the sponge bath. There are stitches and steristrips holding the incisions closed and then a huge patch of sterile gauze for cushioning and protection. The stitches and steristrips stay in place and you remove the pad to shower. The part they don't tell you about is that the tape to keep that pad in place is seriously akin to duct tape - Everyone should have a roll in their toolkit! Ouchamaymucho!
Update: My surgeon called this afternoon to say that my lymph nodes and vascular system are clean as a whistle which is excellent, cool beans, and just plain outstanding news.
However, though the pathology report doesn't come out and say it directly, she said there is some concern that the margin, the extra area around the tumor that is removed, was not clean, that some of the cancer cells could be at large. We talked about it and decided the best approach is to go back into the incision and remove additional tissue. Since I already have an appointment on Thursday we'll take care of it then. Get to skip the dreaded radio-tracer bee sting and needle localization and go directly pass go to surgery for a gentle sleep and a little more tuck and roll.
I will still need to follow up with radiation in a month or two, but feel I have been dealt an amazing hand. I owe a lot to the women who took this journey before me, including my mother and a number of friends. I stand strong with my sisters around the world who are now on the same journey. Remember attitude is everything and don't hesitate to ask questions or get a second opinion.
A Promise to Pay it Forward: 10% of all my Etsy and craft fair sales this fall will be donated to Susan G. Komen For the Cure. Their website at http://ww5.komen.org/ has a lot of helpful information and ways to get involved.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Breast Cancer Journey - D Day Done
09/28/11 ~ To borrow a phrase from my two favorite Marines (the real Ken Rodgers and the mythical Jethro Gibbs from NCIS) OOORAH!
We got up when it was still dark and Rod took me out on the front porch to show me the sky. Long ago, when my parents passed away, we assigned them each a constellation, the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. Both were visible, one right off the front porch and the other behind redwoods out back, so they too were part of my posse.
No coffee, no food = torture!
First stop to Nuclear Medicine for the radio tracer injection, said to feel like bee sting. I didn't feel the needle at all, but on the bee sting scale I'd say the injection was akin to a giant wasp on steroids. Take comfort in the knowledge it was only long enough to chant the F bomb to myself seven times.
Next stop to have what they call a needle localization. Numbing injection didn't hurt at all. The radiologist inserts a small tube with a small gauge wire down to the tiny marker placed when I had original biopsy. The wire guides my surgeon to the exact place.
Next stop outpatient surgery clinic for admissions and chats with my operating room nurses, anesthesiologist and surgeon, all while lounging in a comfortable bed with back and knee supports and warm blankets. All I needed was a stuffed teddy bear. The atmosphere was relaxed and calming. I wasn't nervous at all. They hooked me up to IV for fluids and I presume sedation, because the next thing I know I'm in recovery with my eyes half open. While I was there my surgeon went out to talk to Rod. She is really confident that she got it all, and the sentinel node was very small which is a good sign. Tissue and nodes are in for biopsy so we'll know for sure in a couple of days. The stay in recovery about an hour and a half and then we were on our way home.
Next stop our favorite Chinese restaurant to pick up a couple of orders of hot and sour soup (our version of chicken soup) and the video store for a few movies. I parked myself in one of the barcaloungers: Rod ceded the remote to me, served me soup and with an ice pack chaser and left me to rest for a couple of hours.
The movie we watched last night was Rango. The animation, writing, and constant play on words keep us laughing out loud. Lucky I didn't pop a stitch. One of the lines we wrote down (we listened to twice so I think we heard it right) was "it's a puzzle, it's like a big old mammogram". Somehow appropriate for this adventure, wouldn't you say? If you haven't seen it, rent it.
09/29/11 ~ I've had very little discomfort today, haven't needed any pain medication. I am one lucky rascal. I owe a huge hug to my posse of friends from near, far and other dimensions who have been sending me energy and positive thoughts all along the road. My friend Nancy just dropped off home made cookies and my neighbors down the hill brought me a dozen yellow roses! Sweeet! Well back to the barcalounger: soup, movie, ice and a foot rub on the menu tonight. I'm pretty easy to please.
We got up when it was still dark and Rod took me out on the front porch to show me the sky. Long ago, when my parents passed away, we assigned them each a constellation, the Big Dipper and Orion's Belt. Both were visible, one right off the front porch and the other behind redwoods out back, so they too were part of my posse.
No coffee, no food = torture!
First stop to Nuclear Medicine for the radio tracer injection, said to feel like bee sting. I didn't feel the needle at all, but on the bee sting scale I'd say the injection was akin to a giant wasp on steroids. Take comfort in the knowledge it was only long enough to chant the F bomb to myself seven times.
Next stop to have what they call a needle localization. Numbing injection didn't hurt at all. The radiologist inserts a small tube with a small gauge wire down to the tiny marker placed when I had original biopsy. The wire guides my surgeon to the exact place.
Next stop outpatient surgery clinic for admissions and chats with my operating room nurses, anesthesiologist and surgeon, all while lounging in a comfortable bed with back and knee supports and warm blankets. All I needed was a stuffed teddy bear. The atmosphere was relaxed and calming. I wasn't nervous at all. They hooked me up to IV for fluids and I presume sedation, because the next thing I know I'm in recovery with my eyes half open. While I was there my surgeon went out to talk to Rod. She is really confident that she got it all, and the sentinel node was very small which is a good sign. Tissue and nodes are in for biopsy so we'll know for sure in a couple of days. The stay in recovery about an hour and a half and then we were on our way home.
Next stop our favorite Chinese restaurant to pick up a couple of orders of hot and sour soup (our version of chicken soup) and the video store for a few movies. I parked myself in one of the barcaloungers: Rod ceded the remote to me, served me soup and with an ice pack chaser and left me to rest for a couple of hours.
The movie we watched last night was Rango. The animation, writing, and constant play on words keep us laughing out loud. Lucky I didn't pop a stitch. One of the lines we wrote down (we listened to twice so I think we heard it right) was "it's a puzzle, it's like a big old mammogram". Somehow appropriate for this adventure, wouldn't you say? If you haven't seen it, rent it.
09/29/11 ~ I've had very little discomfort today, haven't needed any pain medication. I am one lucky rascal. I owe a huge hug to my posse of friends from near, far and other dimensions who have been sending me energy and positive thoughts all along the road. My friend Nancy just dropped off home made cookies and my neighbors down the hill brought me a dozen yellow roses! Sweeet! Well back to the barcalounger: soup, movie, ice and a foot rub on the menu tonight. I'm pretty easy to please.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Breast Cancer Journey - D Day
Yikes, lumpectomy surgery is tomorrow but my proverbial ducks are lined up and my questions asked so I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Taking notes really helped! Kaiser staff and doctors played a huge part in preparing me for this journey and lessened my fears of the unknown. There is the great interactive program on their website that walks you through each step and what to expect at https://my-emmi.com/
The X Factor: The biography I wrote for my 40th Tamalpais HS reunion (2003) was entitled "My Middle Name Should Have Been Serendipity". If you've read any of my blogs you'll begin to understand this cosmic force of nature has been a huge part of my life's journey. I found out today that not one, but two of my friends had the same surgeon and said she was the best. Works for me!
My knight/chef will be there at every turn and has promised to spoil me rotten and give me foot rubs while I heal. Friends from near and far have checked in with good wishes, healing thoughts and humor. What more could a girl ask for?
D-Day starts early
At 7:45am I head to Nuclear Medicine for an injection in my breast of a blue and/or radioactive tracer that travels along the same path cancer cells travel as they spread. I've been told the injection can be uncomfortable (might sting a bit, uhuh!) and asked if there was something available to mitigate the discomfort. Found out there is topical compound that will numb the area and asked for a prescription. Never be afraid to ask about options!!!
That done, I'm off to the mammography clinic. My tumor is so small it cannot be felt so I'll be having something done called a "wire localization". The area will be numbed with a local and then using ultrasound or x-ray images a very thin wire will be guided to the tumor. My surgeon can then follow the wire to the tumor during surgery. When the tumor is removed the surgeon will also take a margin around it to be tested.
My cancer is called "invasive ductal carcinoma" which means it has escaped the duct wall and may have moved into the lymph system. If it has reached the lymph system, the sentinel lymph node, the one that is the brightest blue or has highest level of radiation from the tracer injection will be removed for biopsy along with a few others.
The ideal scenario would be to find that: (1) the margin will test negative, meaning no cancer cells have spread from tumor and (2) sentinel node will confirm no cancer has reached the lymph nodes. I'm voting for this one. A possible scenario is that the margin is positive and/or nodes are involved. If that is the case additional surgery may be required. I'll know stage and next steps in a few days. Surgery will only take a couple of hours, then a couple of hours in recovery and I can go home. I can't wait for Thursday because that will mean Wednesday is history!
Yes, I'm a little nervous, but whatever the outcome I know I have a dedicated posse riding shotgun. This is just a bump in the road, or maybe one of Petaluma's infamous potholes, but my ponies have always been 4 wheel drives, so out of my way world I'll be back in the saddle in no time.
Original Posts:
A Journey of Another Kind 08/23/11
Nobody Told Me There’d be Homework 09/06/11
Required Reading:
Just Laugh Out Loud 09/09/11
The X Factor: The biography I wrote for my 40th Tamalpais HS reunion (2003) was entitled "My Middle Name Should Have Been Serendipity". If you've read any of my blogs you'll begin to understand this cosmic force of nature has been a huge part of my life's journey. I found out today that not one, but two of my friends had the same surgeon and said she was the best. Works for me!
My knight/chef will be there at every turn and has promised to spoil me rotten and give me foot rubs while I heal. Friends from near and far have checked in with good wishes, healing thoughts and humor. What more could a girl ask for?
D-Day starts early
At 7:45am I head to Nuclear Medicine for an injection in my breast of a blue and/or radioactive tracer that travels along the same path cancer cells travel as they spread. I've been told the injection can be uncomfortable (might sting a bit, uhuh!) and asked if there was something available to mitigate the discomfort. Found out there is topical compound that will numb the area and asked for a prescription. Never be afraid to ask about options!!!
That done, I'm off to the mammography clinic. My tumor is so small it cannot be felt so I'll be having something done called a "wire localization". The area will be numbed with a local and then using ultrasound or x-ray images a very thin wire will be guided to the tumor. My surgeon can then follow the wire to the tumor during surgery. When the tumor is removed the surgeon will also take a margin around it to be tested.
My cancer is called "invasive ductal carcinoma" which means it has escaped the duct wall and may have moved into the lymph system. If it has reached the lymph system, the sentinel lymph node, the one that is the brightest blue or has highest level of radiation from the tracer injection will be removed for biopsy along with a few others.
The ideal scenario would be to find that: (1) the margin will test negative, meaning no cancer cells have spread from tumor and (2) sentinel node will confirm no cancer has reached the lymph nodes. I'm voting for this one. A possible scenario is that the margin is positive and/or nodes are involved. If that is the case additional surgery may be required. I'll know stage and next steps in a few days. Surgery will only take a couple of hours, then a couple of hours in recovery and I can go home. I can't wait for Thursday because that will mean Wednesday is history!
Yes, I'm a little nervous, but whatever the outcome I know I have a dedicated posse riding shotgun. This is just a bump in the road, or maybe one of Petaluma's infamous potholes, but my ponies have always been 4 wheel drives, so out of my way world I'll be back in the saddle in no time.
Original Posts:
A Journey of Another Kind 08/23/11
Nobody Told Me There’d be Homework 09/06/11
Required Reading:
Just Laugh Out Loud 09/09/11
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Eight Friends, Dinner and a Movie
We spent last Sunday afternoon in Santa Rosa at a private screening, for friends and supporters, of a powerful documentary made by our friends Ken and Betty Rodgers. It's about the 26th Marine Regiment, Bravo Company and the Siege of Khe Sanh, Vietnam in 1968. It is an incredible story told by those who lived it, survived it and are sharing the experience in their own words. The title is:
"Bravo! Common Men, Uncommon Valor"
For a link to the project blog and trailers please go to http://bravotheproject.com/
After the screening, eight of us gathered for dinner at a Thai restaurant on lower 4th St. called Khoom Lanna, a short walk from the 6th Street Playhouse. As Betty and I looked around the table we realized this group of friends, old and new, from all walks of life had been drawn together by a common thread, our late friends Vince and Trisha Pedroia. We could only smile at the synchronicity of that moment and the serendipitous chain of events that brought this film from an idea to a realized dream. There be magic afoot.
The opening of a dialogue
After my husband Rod and I got home we started talking about Vietnam. I was a college student in my early twenties and pretty much out of touch with the realities of the war, perhaps by naiveté or by choice I don't remember. Rod had tried to enlist several times, but because of a medical condition was turned down.
We all need to think about the cause, effect and consequences for the generation, our generation, who was in the middle of it. I believe the film will provide new understanding and long overdue healing: for those who lived through it, for those who kept the home fires burning, for those who protested it, and for those too young to understand it.
The Vietnam War tore this country apart. No matter what your opinion was, it's now time to open your hearts and minds to the men and woman who did what their government asked of them. One of the terrible things about the Vietnam War was that our returning soldiers were not treated as heroes as are today's veterans, but as pariahs, spat upon and called baby killers. I hate the concept of war but I will always support the men and women who serve.
Unfortunately history continues to repeat itself and the same mistakes are made over and over again: A government of old men sends children to war and then looks the other way at the pathetic care provided for veterans and their families. The Ship of State following its Train of Thought over a cliff.
It's time for a sea change, a transformation of our thinking as human beings. Perhaps today’s young men and women can get it right and find another solution to the unending cycles of war that seem to stalk each generation.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
September Song
One morning you wake up at your usual time and realize the sun's not up yet, what's up with that? It's getting dark earlier too and the leaves are starting to change.
Oh wait, it's September. Shoot another summer bites the dust which means another year has passed, AGAIN! Okay so we're getting older, can't stop time, but you can enjoy the season. We often get our best weather this time of year.
Autumn means less work in the garden as summer crops begin to fade and bulbs are pulled up and stored for spring.
Autumn means less work in the garden as summer crops begin to fade and bulbs are pulled up and stored for spring. September is the beginning of our craft fair season, which is a lot of hard work, but loads of fun. Tomorrow is our first, the 2nd annual Much Ado About Sebastopol Renaissance Fair. License to dress up and play make believe. How many adults do you know that get that chance?
For us it also becomes "nesting" season as in "let's clean out the nest and auxiliary storage nests and reduce the amount of stuff we possess". Henry David Thoreau said it best:
"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined.
As you simplify your life
the laws of the universe will be simpler."
As you simplify your life
the laws of the universe will be simpler."
We used to take things to the flea market and make a few bucks, but who wants to waste a day anymore? We now donate items we no longer use to local charities to support their missions, all needed in these times.
So start with a drawer, start with a closet, start with room. Doesn't matter where, but just start. You'll be amazed at how good it feels, and you might even create a great new space for your favorite feline to snooze.
Closet Cat
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
It Comes in Threes - Part Deux
I just wrote about Omne Trium Perfectum in mid July and here we are again. My first thought was now what have we done to piss off the goddess of the manor? But then I realized humans aren't the only things that age and have parts wear out.
One – Hmmm, I wonder how long it's been since we changed the filters on our water system. Much of Sebastopol's well water harbors bacterial iron and other minerals so it's a given that things get will get funky on a regular basis. One should change filters annually. Check the paperwork - oh crap - it's been two years. Hey Culligan Man! Filter change quite reasonable, but what's that you say the compressor's shot too? Whoa $760 is an expensive lesson, but we’re trainable and a filter change is on the calendar for next summer.
Two - White Fang the Jeep ~ the extremely comfortable, 5.9 liter, deep throated and trustworthy beast I've have had for almost 12 years. She just turned up 180K so I was banking on a major tune up this week which is an ouch by itself at $550, though well worth expense. I trust my mechanic!
But life isn't always simple is it? I notice a small leak on my front differential and make a note to show him the next day. I take off to go workout and start hearing a really strange noise. I'm thinking this isn't good and since I was less than a ½ mile from home I turn back. It started getting louder. As I start up our road I'm chanting "Come on baby just get me home, just get me home". On the second to last corner of the driveway I hear a loud "thunk" and all of a sudden I'm driving a Mack truck with no power steering. I park in front of the house and open the hood. Yikes, no serpentine belt and fluids hemorrhaging everywhere. I walked back down the road and retrieved the belt.
Because the Jeep is a 4X4 a flat bed tow truck is in order to get it to my mechanic. All of a sudden I’m really glad we have AAA (first time I’ve actually had to use it). The guy shows up about 7:50am with a 26 footer and his first words are "I can't turn around up here". I said "Of course you can, bigger trucks than this little puppy have turned around here". He gave me a really testy look.
By then my neighbors up are because their kids heard the big truck and all are out watching. They're kind enough to move their vehicles so the big guy could get turned around in their driveway at the end of the road. He loads up and off he goes. About 30 minutes later I get a call from AAA to verify the address where he’s supposed to go (the street is like 3 blocks long). I call my mechanic to see if he's arrived. Kathy, his wife says “No but I just saw the tow truck go by he'll figure it out eventually.”
She called back the next day and said "Well, we expect things wear out with this much mileage, but not all at once". At that point we just burst out laughing. The front differential needs R&R, water pump replaced, power steering repair and major tune up. The job is done and I pick the Jeep up this afternoon. The invoice is only $1,968.79.
This is what my friend Trisha would have called an “Oh Well” moment. It a huge amount of money, and really inconvenient, but even this is really "small stuff" in the big picture.
Three – Oh well, oh well!
It seems the cement pad that surrounds our well head and holds the pressure tank is slowly crumbling and heading down the hill (It's over 40 years old and had a falling tree rock it's world about 6 years ago). Our well guy suggested we might want to replace the slab prior to winter. Preventative maintenance called for here, so let's stay one step ahead on this one. Estimate is about $500, seems like chump change at this point!
Messages here:
One – Hmmm, I wonder how long it's been since we changed the filters on our water system. Much of Sebastopol's well water harbors bacterial iron and other minerals so it's a given that things get will get funky on a regular basis. One should change filters annually. Check the paperwork - oh crap - it's been two years. Hey Culligan Man! Filter change quite reasonable, but what's that you say the compressor's shot too? Whoa $760 is an expensive lesson, but we’re trainable and a filter change is on the calendar for next summer.
Two - White Fang the Jeep ~ the extremely comfortable, 5.9 liter, deep throated and trustworthy beast I've have had for almost 12 years. She just turned up 180K so I was banking on a major tune up this week which is an ouch by itself at $550, though well worth expense. I trust my mechanic!
But life isn't always simple is it? I notice a small leak on my front differential and make a note to show him the next day. I take off to go workout and start hearing a really strange noise. I'm thinking this isn't good and since I was less than a ½ mile from home I turn back. It started getting louder. As I start up our road I'm chanting "Come on baby just get me home, just get me home". On the second to last corner of the driveway I hear a loud "thunk" and all of a sudden I'm driving a Mack truck with no power steering. I park in front of the house and open the hood. Yikes, no serpentine belt and fluids hemorrhaging everywhere. I walked back down the road and retrieved the belt.
Because the Jeep is a 4X4 a flat bed tow truck is in order to get it to my mechanic. All of a sudden I’m really glad we have AAA (first time I’ve actually had to use it). The guy shows up about 7:50am with a 26 footer and his first words are "I can't turn around up here". I said "Of course you can, bigger trucks than this little puppy have turned around here". He gave me a really testy look.
By then my neighbors up are because their kids heard the big truck and all are out watching. They're kind enough to move their vehicles so the big guy could get turned around in their driveway at the end of the road. He loads up and off he goes. About 30 minutes later I get a call from AAA to verify the address where he’s supposed to go (the street is like 3 blocks long). I call my mechanic to see if he's arrived. Kathy, his wife says “No but I just saw the tow truck go by he'll figure it out eventually.”
She called back the next day and said "Well, we expect things wear out with this much mileage, but not all at once". At that point we just burst out laughing. The front differential needs R&R, water pump replaced, power steering repair and major tune up. The job is done and I pick the Jeep up this afternoon. The invoice is only $1,968.79.
This is what my friend Trisha would have called an “Oh Well” moment. It a huge amount of money, and really inconvenient, but even this is really "small stuff" in the big picture.
Three – Oh well, oh well!
It seems the cement pad that surrounds our well head and holds the pressure tank is slowly crumbling and heading down the hill (It's over 40 years old and had a falling tree rock it's world about 6 years ago). Our well guy suggested we might want to replace the slab prior to winter. Preventative maintenance called for here, so let's stay one step ahead on this one. Estimate is about $500, seems like chump change at this point!
Messages here:
- Due diligence on preventative maintenance whether it’s your body, your home or your vehicle.
- Set up an automatic amount to go in your savings every month (no see ‘em, no spend em), no matter how small it adds up and can save your proverbial bacon.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff because most of it is small stuff.
- See the humor in everything.
- Now go treat yourself to a massage, you've probably earned it!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Today
Today is not for
I should be
I'm supposed to
I need to
Today is for
Saying thank you to those who serve
Hometown Heros
Opening a door for someone
Smiling at a stranger
Taking a walk outside
Calling a friend
Planting a tree
Dancing in your living room or
Making a child giggle
Remembering
Those no longer with us
Never Forgetting
How precious life is and
How lucky we are
Life is too short to sit around and let happen: follow your heart, chase your dreams, and do what makes you happy. Rain or shine step outside for a few hours. It's amazing what awaits you on the other side of the door!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Just Laugh Out Loud
Did you know that:
Laughter relaxes the whole body and relieves physical tension and stress?
Laughter boosts the immune system by increasing infection fighting antibodies, decreasing stress hormones and improving resistance to disease?
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals that promote an overall sense of well-being?
A Mature Woman Buying a Bathing Suit
When I was a child in the 1950s, the bathing suit for the mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift, and they did a good job.Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.
The mature woman has a choice, she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus that escaped from Disney's Fantasia, or she can wander around every run-of-the-mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of fluorescent rubber bands.
What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room.
The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which gives the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you would be protected from shark attacks. Any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.
I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place I gasped in horror, my boobs had disappeared! Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other but finally located it flattened beside my seventh rib. The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is now meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.
The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fitted those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom and sides. I looked like a lump of Playdough wearing undersized cling wrap. As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, "Oh, there you are," she said, admiring the bathing suit. I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.
I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two-piece that gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring. I struggled into a pair of leopard-skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane having a rough day. I tried on a black number with a midriff fringe and looked like a jellyfish in mourning. I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear them.
Finally, I found a suit that fit, it was a two-piece affair with a shorts-style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured. When I got it home, I found a label that read, "Material might become transparent in water."
Laughter relaxes the whole body and relieves physical tension and stress?
Laughter boosts the immune system by increasing infection fighting antibodies, decreasing stress hormones and improving resistance to disease?
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals that promote an overall sense of well-being?
Laughter protects the heart by improving the function of blood vessels and increasing blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack?
Inside Joke
The author of the following story is unknown but no doubt an audacious and fearless woman of my generation. I rarely share things forwarded to me but when I read it I laughed so hard I had tears running down my cheeks.
A Mature Woman Buying a Bathing Suit
When I was a child in the 1950s, the bathing suit for the mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift, and they did a good job.Today's stretch fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.
The mature woman has a choice, she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus that escaped from Disney's Fantasia, or she can wander around every run-of-the-mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of fluorescent rubber bands.
What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room.
The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe, by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot, which gives the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you would be protected from shark attacks. Any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.
I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place I gasped in horror, my boobs had disappeared! Eventually, I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other but finally located it flattened beside my seventh rib. The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is now meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.
The bathing suit fit all right, but unfortunately it only fitted those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom and sides. I looked like a lump of Playdough wearing undersized cling wrap. As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from, the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain, "Oh, there you are," she said, admiring the bathing suit. I replied that I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.
I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape, and a floral two-piece that gave the appearance of an oversized napkin in a serving ring. I struggled into a pair of leopard-skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane having a rough day. I tried on a black number with a midriff fringe and looked like a jellyfish in mourning. I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear them.
Finally, I found a suit that fit, it was a two-piece affair with a shorts-style bottom and a loose blouse-type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge-friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous search had a successful outcome, I figured. When I got it home, I found a label that read, "Material might become transparent in water."
Oh My!
Thirties Bathing Beauty
So, if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water this year and I'm there too, I'll be the one in cut-off jeans and a T-shirt! Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain, with or without a stylish bathing suit!
Ladies Dancing in the Rain
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Nobody Told Me There'd be Homework
Information: Kaiser and the American Cancer Society provide copious amounts of helpful information for patients to read: explanations of diagnosis and treatment, different procedures and therapies, how to understand pathology reports, integrative health and healing services resources, post operative exercises, living smart and more. It’s all good, but a bit overwhelming. So where do you start?
What's Next: At my age memory isn’t something that can always be relied upon, so I decided type up an outline and make a list questions to ask doctors. Several of my friends who have been through this offered to provide me with additional questions that I may not have thought about. I intend to use all resources offered.
On the Horizon: Due to an annual mammogram the cancer was caught early and the consensus is that it is Stage I, confined to a small area. My decision is to have a lumpectomy and radiation rather than a mastectomy. Surgery is scheduled for late September, followed by a radiation therapy for a minimum of four weeks. The game could change some if we find out that lymph nodes are involved, but the answer to that question will have to wait until surgery day. My take is to keep a positive attitude.
Community: This has become a community excursion. Countless women have made the journey before me, and others will find themselves in the shoes of the new kid on the block as I did, all members of the club no one wants to join. I am happy to have a sisterhood of strong women along for the ride and hope by sharing I can help take the thunder away from someone else’s fears.
Get Organized: I sat down one morning with all the booklets and flyers, a yellow highlighter and post it flags and began the task of educating myself. This is going to be an ongoing adventure so I figure it’s in my best interests to stay on point.
A binder sounded like a good start. I setup tabs for questions, notes, schedules, pathology reports, doctors, anesthesiology, post operative care, resources and a section for communications received from friends, acquaintances and total strangers who have sent humor and positive thoughts, offered to answer questions and forward information to help me on the journey. I also taped my team's business cards to the front inside cover for easy reference.
What's Next: At my age memory isn’t something that can always be relied upon, so I decided type up an outline and make a list questions to ask doctors. Several of my friends who have been through this offered to provide me with additional questions that I may not have thought about. I intend to use all resources offered.
On the Horizon: Due to an annual mammogram the cancer was caught early and the consensus is that it is Stage I, confined to a small area. My decision is to have a lumpectomy and radiation rather than a mastectomy. Surgery is scheduled for late September, followed by a radiation therapy for a minimum of four weeks. The game could change some if we find out that lymph nodes are involved, but the answer to that question will have to wait until surgery day. My take is to keep a positive attitude.
Community: This has become a community excursion. Countless women have made the journey before me, and others will find themselves in the shoes of the new kid on the block as I did, all members of the club no one wants to join. I am happy to have a sisterhood of strong women along for the ride and hope by sharing I can help take the thunder away from someone else’s fears.
Stay positive and dance your cares away.
Check out some amazing art in my latest Etsy Treasury
Saturday, September 3, 2011
The Unexplained
Sometimes things happen you can't explain ~ I know it as synchronicity. The term was first used by Carl Jung who defined it as "the coincidence of events that seem related, but are not obviously caused one by the other". A group of my friends are well acquainted with such phenomena and we no longer question it. We simply enjoy the ride and share knowing smiles.
A Facebook post from a friend in Oregon caught my eye this morning and I felt it was worth sharing. Dealing with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and the journey to come, I found the quote both relevant and timely. Doing a little research I found the words were from philosopher Karl Marx, as applicable today as in the 19th century.
"There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all life is too short to be anything but happy."
A Facebook post from a friend in Oregon caught my eye this morning and I felt it was worth sharing. Dealing with a recent diagnosis of breast cancer and the journey to come, I found the quote both relevant and timely. Doing a little research I found the words were from philosopher Karl Marx, as applicable today as in the 19th century.
"There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it and surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all life is too short to be anything but happy."
Wake Up Each Morning and Choose Your Attitude
As I was writing this post, an instrumental came on the radio that just made me stop, listen and smile. I found out it was "Water Song" from Hot Tuna. I think it will be the first addition to my "healing play list".
So now it's time to go outside and enjoy the end of Summer ~ my gladiolas need to be dug up to make room for some fall and winter vegetables. Your mission is to go outside and play in the dirt too.
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