Today (August 4th) was my first dose of Paclitaxel (Taxol). After 4 rounds of the previous drugs and living a life of a Pepto Bismol commercial...heart burn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea...not to mention all of the other glamorous side effects. I was understandably full of nervous coughs and feeling unsure and unprepared for a whole... Continue Reading →
Half Way There
Last Thursday (July 14th) was my final dose of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (for those of you that are not oncologists or have not pumped these cocktails into your veins, these drugs are the red devil Kool-Aid and the one that makes your nose feel like you snorted wasabi off of a Dynamite Roll at the dumpy All... Continue Reading →
Your changing body
These last few months are doing quite a number on my already less than pristine temple. Surgery, recovery, chemo, steroids (don't worry, not the Jose Canseco or Alex Rodriguez type) and inactivity due to all of the above wrecks havoc on all of your insides and outsides. So, in attempting to "own" everything about this... Continue Reading →
I’ve got those Back to School Blues
You know that feeling when you were a kid and you started to see the Back to School commercials on TV? There was that Staples Office Supplies one with "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" playing in the background while some incredibly jovial parents skipped down the stationary aisles grabbing pencil crayons and... Continue Reading →
The Round 2 Fog has Lifted
Well that was just as much fun as the first time around. The biggest difference this time was the addition of a few sweltering hot days up in our 3rd floor apartment when the nausea was worst. I couldn't tell if I was sweating because of the heat or because of the 'trying not to... Continue Reading →
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
It's started. 2 weeks to the date after my first chemo treatment my hair is starting to fall out. Like every other girl out there I shed like Chewbacca in the shower and have even been known to stick the hair on the shower wall with the good intention of throwing it away after (but leaving... Continue Reading →
Normal is as Normal Does
It's been 12 days since the first chemo session and I am back to feeling like myself. Days 1-6 were unpleasant* but since then I have steadily been feeling better and more like normal Arielle. I go back for the next round of chemo next Thursday (June 2) but until then I am doing my... Continue Reading →
Ding…Round 1
I was nervous and anxious going into Thursday. I didn't know exactly what to expect and the unknown is tough and scary. We arrived at the Fraser Valley Cancer Clinic (at Surrey Memorial) at 9am on Thursday, got checked in and was brought back into the chemo room (after a round of nervous coughs). I... Continue Reading →
The Calm Before the Storm
A co-worker I ran into yesterday brought to my attention that it's been a while since my last post. She started off with a nice, "I like your blog" before cracking the whip telling me to get back at it so here we go. I haven't posted since my Gratitude post because not much has... Continue Reading →
Gratitude
As a little kid I remember opening Christmas gifts and my mom saying, "go say thank you and give a hug and a kiss". Regardless of whether I LOVED the gift or embarassingly tolerated opening "day of the week" underwear in front of my whole family I always said thank you followed by a hug... Continue Reading →
Thanks For The Mammaries 