UGH THE DRAINS ARE BACK! but I'll get to that later. Second ever surgery in the books and I did my best to make sure that I learned from the last experience and I think for the most part, I nailed it. Last time - Took underwear off to change into gown. Felt weird. This... Continue Reading →
That's right, in 24 hours from now I will have a new shiny set of breasts. Never in my life did I think I would have silicone implants but as of Monday afternoon my sternum will officially be the silicone valley. When I was in my early 20's I had lots of friends who were... Continue Reading →
Last week I saw one of those "On this Day" Facebook posts showing me a photo from a year ago. It was the picture of the night that Tasha shaved my head and I officially joined the cue ball club. When I saw the photo pop up my immediate thought was, "it's already been a... Continue Reading →
(ahem, insert Jerry Seinfeld impression) What's the deal with side effects? You're taking one medication to cure you of a single illness and the pills you have to take make you sick in 12 different ways. You need pills to cure you from the pills. For real! I used to laugh at those commercials that you... Continue Reading →
I think this whole cancer treatment thing is kind of like doing a home renovation (stay with me here). First, you work like crazy to get the demolition done, you make a big mess and you have to step over a pile of drywall to get to the fridge. Then you do the big stuff like putting... Continue Reading →
The treatment vacation is coming to an end and boy, it's been nice. Now that I have been done with chemo for a month, the lingering side effects are slowly dissipating and my energy is on its way back up. It's funny, during treatment when I felt my best I thought that my energy was... Continue Reading →
Today was the 2nd to last treatment of cycle number 8. Number 8! Here's what that looks like broken down: May - July = 4 cycles of Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide (1 treatment every 21 days x 4) July - October = 4 cycles of PacliTaxel (1 treatment every week x 12 weeks) Eventhough it's administered... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Thanks For The Mammaries 