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In other news … I felt the wind in my hair when I went for a walk last night. I almost forgot what that felt like.  🙂

I made the mistake of looking back through my Instagram photos the other night. It put me into a deep dark hole of depression.

I stopped on this one photo because I realized it was taken almost 6 months to the day I was looking at it. This was the morning I woke up after my mastectomy.

I don’t think that lady has any clue what she’s in for … she spent so much time worrying about the surgery and what she really should have been worried about is the chemo.

What a difference 6 months can make on a person. This photo of me in the corset was taken a week before my mastectomy. That lady on the left has a GIANT golf ball sized cancerous tumor that is trying the kill her.

The lady on the right? Despite her bald head, scar and sickly look … she is actually in a much better position then the lady on the left. The lady on the right is kicking ass! 🙂

I don’t know why I’m talking about myself in the third person …

There was a photo of me and Gerry on the day of my mammogram. Neither of us had any idea what was about to happen to me that afternoon… that my mammogram would turn into a needle biopsy that diagnosed my cancer.

We’re just a couple of goofs in a waiting room messing around with our phones because we were bored …

My heart hurts so bad for those two goofballs … the rug is about to be pulled out.

Anyway … looking back through the photos broke my heart. I am not ready to look back yet. There will be plenty of time to reflect later.

When you’re IN the trenches fighting a war you don’t look back. You soldier forward.

Ugh.

The saving grace for me has been the weird weather. So many weird misty, cold, cloudy days and I’ve been loving it. I never ever look forward to the end of summer but this year I can’t wait until it’s cloudy every day.

The heat is not my friend. I don’t know if it’s the chemo, the chemo-pause (menopause) or what but I can’t handle any heat. My body doesn’t know what to do with itself so it just gets woozy.

On sunny days I am stuck inside hiding in the bedroom and counting the minutes till the sun goes down so I can go outside for a walk.

Lucky for me the weird change in the weather came at a perfect time. My lovely Niece Heidi came to visit me and because of the colder weather we were able to go out and have a little fun.

Heidi came with her best friend Emma. It was so funny watching them together… especially because it was only a few weeks ago that my best-bestie was here. They finish each others sentences and are like chirpy little birds. Ha ha. Just like me and Shoshi.

Trying to convince two teenagers to let loose and have some fun was a lot harder then I thought. Was I that difficult when I was 18? I think I was. Ha ha.

Before I knew it … it was time to send the ladies back home.

I was so very happy to see Heidi and spend some time with her. I wanted her to see that I am ok. That even though I was going through cancer treatment and that my eyelashes and hair have fallen out – that I’m ok. I’m still me.

Maybe it doesn’t even register with her that something catastrophic has happened to me. Maybe to her I’m just the same old weirdo Auntie. 🙂

Life has become a bit of a boring routine now that I’m on weekly Taxol. Thankfully there are less sick days then the AC chemo and as usual my life-coach Fergus is very good at keeping an eye on me and making sure I’m resting.

We have a regular routine/picnic for chemo now. I bring a jar full of cucumbers/carrots for munching on. A neck pillow. Some Smooze fruit pops for when my mouth tastes weird and my noise cancellation headphones.

Every week we set up our chemo picnic and Gerry and I watch Ink Masters on the ipad. It’s the perfect show for passing the time …

I’ve also started wearing ice-mitts. Oh god it’s horrible but it will hopefully keep my fingernails from falling off and help me from developing neuropathy. The cold is supposed to stop the chemicals going all the way to your finger tips …

It’s hellish. Have you ever tried to hold an ice-cube for an hour? Do it… It’s the worst feeling in the world.

There’s a lot of 6’s in my life this week. Not only has it been 6 months since my mastectomy but this week marked #6 of 12 chemos. I’m halfway done BITCHES!

… halfway done the chemo that is. Then I move on to radiation which is going to be a whole other mountain to climb but I’ll worry about it later.

It’s crazy how low I was feeling and then suddenly everything changed with a text. Our friend Trish (owner of Smoking Lily and longtime neighbour of Tattoo Zoo) gave us a couple of VIP Passes to Rifflandia.

Yippee!! Tomorrow night we are going to see Courtney Love perform!! I am so excited. I wish I could see more of the festival but I have to conserve my energy.

God. Life is such a roller coaster lately. Will things ever feel normal again?

My best-bestie came to visit me last week and it was JUST the tonic I needed. 🙂

I didn’t realize how depressed I was until Shoshana arrived… The AC Chemo that I was doing previously was SO HARD on me that I wasn’t aware of how much of a zombie it had made me.

I don’t go out during the day (because the sun/heat is too hard on me) and I try and keep busy puttering around the house but truth be told I don’t really do much and while I was doing the AC it was ok because I was so sick from the nausea that I couldn’t do anything.

But now that I’m on Taxol things are much better … but I’m still living like I’m doing the AC and it’s made me into a zombie. Sho’s visit brought me back to life. 🙂

We did what we always do. We talked. We ate hummus. We talked. I cried. We napped. We talked. We went for a walk. I plucked her eyebrows and we gossiped about everything and everyone. Having Sho here was exactly what I needed to get out of my slump.

I’ve known her since we were in daycare. That’s over 40 years!! She knows me better than anyone… and nobody can make me laugh like she can. At one point I was laughing/crying and peeing my pants. There’s a reason she was nominated by NOW magazine as “Person most likely to make you pee your pants”

Gerry says we are like chirpy little birds finishing each others thoughts. He says he can barely keep up with our conversations sometimes. 🙂

One night we pulled out the highschool year books (oh god) and went through them page by page. What I can’t remember – she can fill in and we talked about everyone we used to know or still know. It’s amazing how many people from high school are still in our lives …

Gerry isn’t friends with anyone from his school. Maybe it’s a Saskatchewan thing. 🙂

Here I am in 1985 being a dramatic camera ham. Not much has changed. Ha ha.

Me, Sho and Dewey in 1986 …

Shoshana’s husband Maury (who I’ve known since we were baby-teenagers) wasn’t able to visit but we did have a fun visit via FaceTime. I love living in the future!

Shoshana also came with me to my 3rd Taxol chemo. It was a little nerve wracking because they decided to no longer give me the Benadryl and the Dexamethasone with the Taxol. Both those drugs help me NOT react to the Taxol. My doctor wanted to see if I could tolerate the Taxol alone.

It was scary because I’m a bit suggestive. If you tell me I might feel dizzy then I’m going to feel dizzy. Ha ha. So when they gave me the Taxol we just had to sit there and wait and see if I had tightness in my chest or if my throat closed up. Eeep! 🙁

Luckily I had Nurse C who has been my nurse a few times … Sho asked her where she was from and it turned out she’s also a Saskatchewan girl so we sat and talked about the prairies for a long time.

I had a hot-flash during my treatment (hence the cold towel on my head) but I didn’t have a reaction to the Taxol. Yippeee.

Best part about it was that I wasn’t drunk on Benedryl like I normally am so I was able to drive home and didn’t need a nap or anything. The next day I didn’t have a drug hang-over like I normally do so Sho and I were able to run a few errands and even go for a walk on the beach.

My dear sweet friend Graham also came to visit me for one night. I’ve also known him since we were baby-teenagers and he is close friends with Sho & Mo. They are all in The Monkey Bunch together.

It is always so much fun for me to hang out with by my Regina-Mafia friends. So many inside jokes. So many … 🙂

Before I knew it … it was time to send my crazy friends on their way back home.

It was heartbreaking to say good-bye to them. As soon as they left I started bawling … I took Fergus for a walk and I think I cried for 20 minutes non-stop.

It’s hard to be so far away from my family of friends. They all live in Toronto now and I only get to see them a few times a year. Especially Sho. She’s my sister from another Mother. Nobody gets me like she does …

Speaking of dear friends … Jeanette Zeis send me this amazing tea-cup she made. I burst into tears (so much crying lately) when I opened the box and saw what she sent me. I love her work. It’s divine. Check it out HERE.

Since Sho left I’ve been trying to get out of the house every day to do something. Even if it’s just something small like visiting Gerry at work.

I also have another visitor … MY HAIR! It’s starting to come in and it’s hilarious. It’s like wispy fine baby hair. It’s so weird …

That visit was a great kick in the ass … and I know I’m feeling better because I’m already starting to think about re-opening the online portion of Sarah’s Place. Ha ha.  🙂 What do you think? Are you ready to shop?

4 Taxols down. 8 more to go…

Thank all of you who got in touch with me about my last couple of posts.

Reading your stories of struggling with body image and trying to navigate through life when triggers of your past bring up pain you think you’ve forgotten… It really helped me feel normal. Ha ha. What I mean is … it’s nice to know that I’m not alone.  🙂

I got a lot of response from the selfie photo I posted. My parents think it’s TMI (ha ha) but that photo was a spontaneous thing I needed to do for myself.

I needed to see myself in a photo instead of a mirror. Sometimes it’s the only way I can REALLY see what I look like.

Plus I wanted to capture this part of my cancer journey – because my hair will start growing back soon so it seemed like the perfect time to pose.

I think the hardest part about this photo for me is that I’m not wearing any makeup. I don’t care about exposing my scar or my under-boob but the fact that I have zero makeup on is uncomfortable for me … my make-up is a mask I hide behind every day and very few people ever see me without it on. That felt more scary to me then showing my scar.

I seriously need to get the lyrics from THROW ME A CURVE by the Go-Go’s tattoo’d backwards on my forehead so anytime I look in the mirror and I’m feeling like I don’t measure up to how I think I should look … the words can inspire me to love myself a little more because exactly what I’ve got is so easy to adore! 🙂

ANYWAY! Chemo numero 2 wasn’t until 2pm so I slept-in late and had a good morning cuddle with my life-coach Fergus in preparation of 2 0f 12 of my weekly chemo.

There is nothing like a dog cuddle to make you feel better when you’re nervous. I wish I could bottle this feeling.  🙂

Before we went to the Cancer Center – we ran downtown to check my P.O. Box for packages… First package was a certificate of appreciation from Angel Hair For Kids – an organization that makes wigs for kids. I sent them my hair when I cut it all off before chemo started.

So if you see a little kid running around with a crazy salt & pepper Jew-Fro … that hair is mine! 🙂

2nd package was a book from my friend Arnold. We met via the Go-Go’s a few years back. He is the un-official official photographer for the band and he and his wife have become a really good friends of mine.

He and I buddy around at all the Go-Go’s shows together. He takes photos and I do social-media stuff for the band during the concerts. The best part is we both usually have All-Access passes so we get to hang out back-stage and watch preshow sound-check when the rest of the fans are standing in line outside. 🙂

He’s a great guy and it’s so fun to spend those special backstage moments with him. I’ll never forget sitting beside Arnold in San Francisco watching the band re-arrange a song during sound check. SO cool to watch the band work on something! Such a special moment.

I was so heartbroken that I couldn’t see the Go-Go’s play their 2013 tour this year … I love the band but I also love all the people who work behind the scenes. Arnold (of course), Art the tour manager, Norty the guitar tech, Leah, Bradford, Susan, etc etc. I see these guys every summer… I thought I’d be able to make it to at least ONE show this year but chemo had other plans.

You can see a lot of Arnolds photos on the Go-Go’s Facebook page but every tour Arnold puts together a collection of his best photos and gives the ladies in the band a copy of the book. These books aren’t available for purchase… band-only books. So when I opened my package and realize that he sent me my own personal copy of the 2013 tour book I started shaking with excitement.

Such lovely messages…

And sweet messages from the band. 🙂

I was started blubbering immediately and was completely overwhelmed by how much love I have in my life. I love my Go-Go’s family … Thank you Arnold. 🙂

When I got to chemo I had a happy grin on my face the whole time … nothing like good friends reaching out to say they love you to make you feel like you can make it through anything.  🙂

The chemo went well. No allergic reactions… but the Benedryl made me pass out again so poor Gerry was bored out of his mind sitting there beside me watching me sleep.

I love that they have reclining chairs in the clinic but they aren’t very comfortable. I just can’t sleep sitting up. If the recliner went flat … maybe I could do it. Gerry said I slept for a full hour in that recliner but it didn’t feel like it. 🙂 I don’t even really remember the drive home because I was so drunk on Benedryl. I climbed into bed and crashed for a few hours.

My friends Corey and Eckel are here visiting from the mainland. They are the best visitors to have. Corey’s has a family member going through chemo so she totally understands my chemo-brain and that I need to lay around. They don’t expect me to entertain them… it’s awesome having them here. 🙂

Today I woke up feeling pretty good. No nausea and I managed to tidy up the house a little before I settled down for my afternoon nap with Fergus.

I am feeling more hopeful and lighter in spirit this round. I think it’s because I feel so supported and loved by all of you guys. Plus not having nausea makes everything SO much easier to deal with. A little bone pain? A little fatigue? No problem as long as nausea isn’t attached. Nausea is the devil.

Oh yeah. Check out the chemo-rings on my fingernails. Isn’t this crazy?? You can see where I’ve done my chemo. Chemo’s job is to kill fast-growing cancer cells but it also kills other fast growing cells like my hair/fingernails/skin. It’s just so weird that you can see it on my fingernails. Freaky!

Only 6 more days till chemo #3. Let’s bang these out and get them over with! 🙂

Gerry and I are SO busy doing chemo. It’s crazy how much time it takes … pre-chemo doctor visits, blood tests, the occasional unplanned visit to the ER, picking up prescriptions, etc etc.

The week before we switched to Phase 2 of my chemo – I realized that we had a small window of opportunity between chemo appointments (and my feeling healthy enough) to run over to the Mainland to visit our family.

I wish I could have seen all my friends while we were there.. I even thought about having a “meet me at this pub and come give me a hug” get-together but I am SO exhausted that it’s tough to even have a conversation one-on-one right now. So we only saw my Dad and Ger’s parents. And Bif Naked … but I’ll tell you about that in a sec.  🙂

We met my Dad for a quick lunch and a quick hello. Then Gerry and I headed to the hotel so I could nap. The drive over from Victoria to Vancouver zapped me of all my energy.

I live on Vancouver Island and in order to get from Victoria to Vancouver you have to drive 45 minutes to the ferry terminal. Then take the ferry across (1.5 hours) then drive into Vancouver (anywhere from 1-2 hours depending on traffic). It’s a haul!

So I had a good nap and then we went to meet my Dad again for dinner at Heirloom Vegetarian Restaurant.

The food was divine. The menu is a little pricey but luckily my Dad was paying.  🙂

It’s a beautiful restaurant and the menu had a little something that everyone (including my carnivore Dad) enjoyed. My fave was the Vanilla Cloud Cake. Yum!  🙂

Before we left the hotel I had tweeted where we were going for dinner at Heirloom and that if anyone saw me they should come over and say hi so my Dad would know what a big deal I was. ha ha. I was so happy when these lovely ladies came over to interrupt our dinner and say hi. They were so sweet.  🙂

I don’t know why … but I totally forgot to take a photo with my Dad. Dang it. We both look so cute with our matching bald heads. Oh well … next time.  🙂

Gerry and I headed back to the hotel and I sent a text to my friend Bif and asked if she wanted to meet us at the hotel for quick visit. Bif has been so UNBELIEVABLY supportive/helpful/loving/wonderful through my entire cancer ordeal (she’s been through it herself) and I wanted to give her a real-time hug instead of sending her cyber hugs.

Unfortunately I didn’t give her much notice that I was in town and she was busy so we messaged each other for a few minutes and then I went to bed and fell asleep.

The next morning Gerry and I woke up early and decided to go for a walk with Fergus before we hit the highway to go visit Ger’s parents. We wandered up and down streets with no real purpose. In fact Gerry said “want to go this way?” and I said “Sure”. We had no destination other then walking.

That’s when we heard someone yelling “IS THAT THE KRAMER FAMILY?”

I turned around and saw Bif running towards me with open arms. What?? 🙂

She had been randomly driving down the street when she saw us randomly walking up the street.

We hugged. We talked. We bitched about chemo and then I gave her a big hug and she was on her way. I love how the universe works.

Then we drove to Abbotsford and had a great visit with Gerry’s parents. They haven’t been able to come visit us for various reasons and we haven’t been able to come visit them because of all my chemo – so spending the whole day with them was awesome.

Before we knew it was time to head towards the ferry and get me home so I could rest up before Phase 2 of chemo starts…

I’m not gonna lie. I was really scared to start Phase 2 of my chemo.

Doctor B told me that the new chemo might be easier for me to handle then the previous Red Devil chemo but that Taxol comes with it’s own set of problems. One of them being an allergic reaction. As soon as she explained that to me – I started to panic. I feel like I’m crazy sensitive and if it’s going to happen … it’s going to happen to me.

Note to self: Yikes. That’s a terrible way to think Sarah. Try to be more positive please and flip the script.

So to quell my nervous energy I put on my best drag-eyebrows. Dressed up with crazy earrings and my favourite Fluevog shoes and headed down to the Cancer Center ready to kick ass! If I’m going to have an allergic reaction – I’m going to look FABULOUS doing it. 🙂

We got to the Cancer Center and because it was the day after the long-weekend the chemo ward was PACKED with people. They were running an 1.5 hour behind and sitting in the waiting room is really hard on me when I’m feeling this run-down/exhausted so I asked the receptionist to call my cell when they were ready for me because I was going upstairs to the library to relax.

In the library they had a Fatboy. Oh my god they are so comfortable. I had no idea. I wish I could lay in one of these while I do my chemo. That would be amazing!!! HEY FATBOY!! Send over some beanbags for us to lay on!

Then it was my turn for chemo. It went without a hitch … they give you IV benadryl prior to the Taxol just in case you have a reaction and the only reaction I had was falling asleep. Benadryl knocked me out cold.

I’ve had a MUCH better time with this new chemo. My nausea was a 2 out of 10 instead of 11. The hardest part so far has been the fatigue. It’s hard for me to get my body to move. I feel like I’m stuck in a vat of Molasses.

Plus some bone pain. My hips and my ankle joints ache but some Acetaminophen helped chase that away and doing yoga helps too.

Fergus likes to help me by coming over and putting the FULL WEIGHT of his chest on my forehead and then he snuggles/licks my face until I can’t breath.

So Phase 2? So far so good but I don’t want to jinx it by being to cocky about it (I am such a weirdo). I’m cautiously optimistic that things will continue to be ok.

Next Sunday my bestie-best friend Sho is coming to stay with us for a few days. I’ve known her for over 40 years … Pretty amazing. 🙂

I can’t wait to see her … Although I fear she may not recognize me with all this Chemo Induced Alopecia and I’m pretty sure I’m going to burst into tears as soon as I see her.

God. I’ve been crying SO MUCH lately … It’s becoming ridiculous. Gerry rubbed my feet the other day I exploded into tears because I was so moved by his sweetness. I pretty much have a cry-jag/melt-down every night. It’s pretty funny.

Is it the steroids? Or the chemo-induced menopause? Whatever it is … I’ve never cried so much in my life.

And with each tear falls another eyelash. I’m almost eye-bald AND I have no nose hair left so my nose runs 24-7. It’s a comedy of errors over here. 😉

This is me… today. #fuckcancer

I’m gaining weight. It’s not a big deal. It’s only a few pounds (7!) but I think the steroids and the fact that the chemo is putting me into menopause are to blame. Plus I can’t be as active as I was before chemo because I’m so tired … and ARGGGHH!!

It’s messing with my head. 🙁

I’m really struggling to feel comfortable in my body at this weight. I’m a petite 5 foot 1 lady and a few extra pounds on me (especially 7) feels uncomfortable.

This isn’t a post about fat-shaming or about how I’m not fitting into a cookie cutter mold… It’s about how I feel in my body in this moment.

The last 6 months I’ve had to deal with some radical changes to my body. Having the mastectomy has been a total mind shift and I am slowly starting to accept my scar. But it’s not easy to love something that’s brought you so much anguish.

Then I lost my hair. Ok. Deal with that.

Then my skin and nails started to get weird with the chemo. Skin discoloration, dryness and now this stupid weight gain is making me feel crazy self conscious.

I’ve maintained a pretty steady weight for most of my adult life. I feel like it’s a healthy weight for me and it feels like the weight I should be.

Truth be told … I never weigh myself. I had a bit of an obsessive/compulsive issue with the scale. In high school my parents got a digital scale (oooh fancy) and I started weighing myself 8-10 times a day. It became a bit of a problem … so I stopped weighing myself.

I weigh myself once or twice a year (when I visit my parents and their dastardly digital scale) and I’m always about the same. I feel like if I can fit into my pants and I feel comfortable in them … I feel like that’s the weight I should be.

Here’s the problem. Every-time I go to the cancer center for a check-up they weigh me. I ask them not to tell me what I weigh but then my high school compulsion kicks in and I cheat and look. The scale is steadily on the rise and it’s freaking me out!

I can’t change my eating habits because I’m finding it difficult to eat. That Red Devil chemo killed my appetite/desire for food so I have to make sure that when I do have an appetite that I’m putting quality food in my body … and the occasional perogie. Ha ha.

I’m trying to increase my activity not just because of the weight but also because it makes me feel better. Pre-Cancer I used to walk from work and back home every day (3 km) plus we’d go hiking on the weekends, etc etc … now I’m lucky if I have the energy to walk 5 blocks. I have managed to do yoga every day for the last 2 weeks so that’s exciting for me. My body is so happy to stretch.  🙂

I know that weight is the last thing I should be worried about but I can’t stop thinking about it. That scale has triggered my 1980’s body issues and I’m feeling yucky about myself but it’s not just about the weight. My eyebrows are falling out. My eyelashes are almost gone.

I bumped into a neighbour from my building in the hall the other day. She said “Is that you Sarah? You don’t look like yourself.”

And she’s right …

So now I don’t leave the house without putting on a make-up mask. I don’t want anyone to see what I really look like because I look like someone who’s really sick from chemo (yes I know I sound crazy).

I caught a glimpse of my un-made up face in the mirror last night and gasped. I look like a ghost. My face is slowly disappearing and I don’t recognize who’s looking back at me anymore.

The person I feel like on the inside is not the person I see on the outside and it’s freaking me out.

I know this is only temporary. That once the chemo is over and I can start moving/exercising/hiking/eating/living my normal active life again that this phase of my chemo will seem like a tiny blip.

But here. Now? It feels just awful. 🙁

BLARGH! I’m losing my mind. I feel like a dink of even writing about any of this … it’s such a minor issue in the grand scheme of things but it’s bothering me. Anyone out there have this experience? I’d love to hear from you.

My dear friend Melisser has the most adorable Chi named Strummer …

Strummer is probably the sweetest little 2lb chihuahua you will ever meet.  🙂

Unfortunately she was recently diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her tiny chest.

Strummer’s surgery is going to be about $3000 so Melisser has set up a fundraising page to help with the surgery costs.

You can read all about Strummer and donate to her upcoming surgery HERE.
Please help if you can.  😉

Well … I had a meeting with my oncologist and she thinks I am having an allergic reaction to the chemo (hence my shortness of breath that put me in the ER) so she has decided I don’t have to do my 4th and final Red Devil chemo and I can move on to the next phase.

WHAT? Holy shit. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am not to do another round. I seriously barely made it through 3 … I really didn’t think I could do a 4th. So when she said no more Red Devil I just about fell at her feet and kissed them.

My heart goes out to anyone who has to do more than 3.

So here’s the story. Remember when I was complaining about my oncologist etc etc etc (read about it here). Well it turns out she’s not an oncologist but the BC Cancer Agencies Cancer GP.

It’s a little confusing (so bear with me) but I had my first initial meeting with oncologist Dr.B and she was the one who explained my treatment plan to me.

I immediately liked her. She has a dry sense of humour and is a very smart scientist. And she’s part of my tribe. She talks with the same cadence as the rest of my Jewish family… 🙂 … so I immediately felt comfortable with her and the way she talks about my treatment.

I have had 2x pre-chemo visits with this other doctor who I thought was an oncologist filling in for Dr.B while she was away or something. Turns out she’s the GP and her job is to make sure I’m ok  before I continue with treatment.

OHHHH. Nobody told us that. We thought we were talking to another oncologist.

So when I had complications and went to the ER for my shortness of breath Dr.B was informed and she set up an appointment to see me right away. I asked her why I wasn’t seeing her instead of the other doc and that’s when she explained that the way it works is the GP fills in the gaps so she can focus on the serious stuff.

If I have a minor issue like my fingernails turning black (don’t ask) then the GP takes care of that. If it’s something serious (like my lungs failing) then I see Dr.B.

OK. This all makes sense now … but here’s the thing. I told the GP multiple times that I had issues with my breathing after each chemo. Dr.B checked my file and there is no mention of my lungs in either write up of my visits.

That … is a problem.

So Dr.B has booked me with her when she can fit me into her schedule and she has changed me to a different GP for the other check-ups.

Phew! That was exhausting to explain. Ha ha. I hope it makes sense. 🙂

So the next phase of my treatment plan is I have a couple weeks of recuperation time and then first week of Aug I start with my new chemo. This chemo will be 1x a week for 12 weeks. According to Dr.B it’s easier to handle. Nausea is not a part of this chemo … and I should have an easier time (knock on wood).

Talking things out with Dr.B was excellent. I made a list of my issues/concerns and we talked it through. So I am feeling a bit more optimistic about everything and feel like I have more support from my doc.

So bottom line. No more Red Devil chemo. We are moving to an easier chemo. I am ready for phase 2. BRING IT!

Just got word through the Vic West Grapevine that an old friend from “back in the day” was just diagnosed with a similar breast cancer to me.

She’s undergoing surgery today and I don’t have any way of getting in touch with her to send my love and support but I know she reads my blog… 🙂 … so GIRL! Get in touch with me!! sarah@govegan.net