First things first, I want to thank you all for always leaving me comments on my entries. It's sometimes really hard to answer because I get all wrapped up in my own head, but I cherish them all so very very much. It's hard to explain how important it is to know you're still in your friends' thoughts. So, thank you ( Read more... )

Here's an update: I have two medical exams in September, but today my oncologist checked my breast, said the illness is indeed progressing as we feared, and she changed my meds on the spot. I had to wait a couple of hours but they sent the new medicine up, and luckly I'm not allergic to it (remember the first chemo? good times), so today we ( Read more... )

I'm back! It's been some month. The shady thing was indeed shady, and I was supposed to start that new cycle of chemo a couple of weeks ago, but then I told my oncologist I've been feeling a lot better lately, and stronger, and she decided to wait another month, do more tests, and then see. Me, I've accepted the idea I need to do that new chemo and ( Read more... )

Sorry for disappearing on you, but it's been a crazy month. I had the usual pet scan, and most things look great and one thing looks, in their words, 'shady'. So I got another big scare, and had to do a lot of additional exams, including a very, very painful one that got me stuck in bed for two days straight afterwards. It was awful. Now we're ( Read more... )

So you've probably wondered where I disappeared to. I was in the hospital for the last ten days. Three days after the latest trip to the hospital I developed a crazy fever, vomit, shaking, the works, and had to be rushed to the first aid. I spent a few hours there hooked to liquids, and just when it looked like I was getting better, I had a sort of ( Read more... )

Here I am! Sorry for the wait but the side effects this time around were vicious. No wonder this was the last time, my body literally could not have endured another one. I spent saturday night hugging the toilet, and these meds do not even cause nausea, that's how bad it was. And I spent the last 48 hours with diarrea. After the chemo last ( Read more... )

Sorry for disappearing again, it's just been a busy couple of weeks! I had the most wonderful time back at home in Venice, even with all the usual side effects. My aunt stayed for the weekend, then Tati took her place as De Facto Mom, cooking me meals, reminding me to take my meds, and basically spoiling me rotten. The wonderful siblings who own ( Read more... )

I got big news. On tuesday I had a pet scan, the first one after three months of chemo. I was hopeful, but very nervous. After two days my oncologist rang me on the phone to tell me she'd just read the results, and they were great. I cried, I was stunned, I'm just not used to getting good news from oncologists, I just didn't know what to do with my ( Read more... )

My hand is doing a lot better. I have a weird set of little orange scars in the shape of my fingerprints on my palm, but otherwise it doesn't hurt and it works perfectly. Yesterday I went to my weekly check-up of the cvc, and when I sheepishly told the nurse what had happened, she replied "those who have nothing happening to me are those who do ( Read more... )

The fifth chemo yesterday went smoothly. The best part was halfway through when I went to the bathroom, and bumped into my oncologist, who I hadn't seen since November (I have a main oncologist assigned, and then do check-ups every three weeks with the junior doctors). She asked me how I was doing, and was so ecstatic to see how well I was she ( Read more... )