Category: Breast Cancer
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Lingering Thoughts
Worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace. Randy Armstrong Cancer, as they say, is the gift that keeps on giving. Once it makes its way into your life, it has a way of permanently imprinting itself into your thoughts. With every “ouch” I hear, the fear of cancer sneaks into my…
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Imperfections
“Imperfection is the prerequisite for grace. Light only gets in through the cracks.“ Philip Yancey. I used to get upset when something in my house would get ruined. Seeing furniture scratched was my biggest pet peeve. I wanted my house to be immaculate. I guess throughout the years, experiencing life and especially after having kids,…
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The Pink Ribbon
“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” October was always the month of Halloween, and my parents’ birthdays. 1985. The year I was born and also the year that the American Cancer Society partnered with Imperial Chemical Industries (now a part of AstraZeneca producing a range of breast cancer medications).…
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Beyond a Mastectomy
You don’t always see the pain people feel. I am a person that googles A LOT, but I’m not sure what happened to me when I heard about my cancer diagnosis. Maybe it was the shock of it all, maybe I was in denial, or maybe I was too terrified… but I didn’t ask enough…
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Collateral Damage
Everything can change in an instant. Everything. And then there is only before and after. I had cancer. I actually had cancer. It has only recently truly dawned on me. It all feels pretty surreal actually. Most days are busy and I don’t get a chance to sit and think about it all. But when…
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Empathy In The Medical World
“Empathy is communicating that incredibly healing message of ‘you are not alone’.” Brené Brown Would you choose the world’s most renowned doctor to treat you even if they lacked empathy towards you? I personally would not. I believe that an emotional connection with a doctor is just as important as their medical expertise. I saw…
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5 Tips To Combat Stress
” It’s not stress that kills us, it’s our reaction to it.” Hans Selye Scanxiety, or any stress actually, can be very overwhelming. It makes you feel like you have lost control. To say I’ve got stress under control would be a complete lie. Some days my head goes at a million miles per hour…
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The Silent Scanxiety
There is a difference between general anxiety and scanxiety. Scanxiety is not about what might happen, it’s about what did happen. It’s not so much about worrying, it’s about remembering. Scanxiety… probably not an official word you will find in your typical dictionary, but it’s a word that is very real. The fear and anxiety…
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Hormone Therapy – A Bittersweet Ride
After my mastectomy, I entered the world of endocrine/hormone therapy. This is done to prevent cancer recurrence. I’ve been on hormone therapy for seven months now. Sometimes it feels like forever, sometimes it feels like I only just started yesterday. My cancer was highly estrogen and progesterone positive (ER/PR +). This means that the naturally…
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A Guide To Recovery Post Mastectomy – Essentials & Tips
A mastectomy is not a surgery you will ever feel ready for, but this guide will help make your recovery a little easier to handle. The recovery period is generally 4-6 weeks. It will take longer to heal emotionally. The list below includes both essential items and some tips that helped me personally- both physically…
WholeheartedlyBySandy 