Author: c cawston
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genetics
I have previously shared that I have triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). This was one of the lovely additions to the wonderful world of “You have Breast Cancer” . As my husband will attest, when I do things, I do them fully…so hey, why not add TNBC into the mix. On my first meeting with…
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grateful
When this journey started and I was still in my google habit, I looked up “How to make it through breast cancer”. At that point, I was looking for a magical document that would help me sail through what was ahead because that is what google is for…right? In my search I found that there…
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shake
I have shared in earlier posts that my first chemo session resulted in a less than pleasant introduction to Paclitaxel. On that first poke, my body clearly indicated the dislike to the drug within 5 minutes of meeting the prescribed poison that is intended to eradicate my cancer and I am fairly certain there is…
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hair today, gone tomorrow
One of the impacts of chemotherapy is of course the loss of hair. The typical area of chemo related hair loss is your head (hair, eyebrows, nose, and eyelashes) and areas such as underarms. I got a little cheeky when sitting with my Oncologist and I leaned over to quietly mention to my husband that…
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loss
Well, it happened; I lost my taste. I realized something was off when I looked down at a half-eaten cheeseburger with the pickle sticking out and a bite missing. There was no familiar briny dill flavor in my mouth; there was also no tang of the mustard or ketchup or even a sense of the…
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chemo 2.0
March 7, 2022 and we were back for chemo 2.0. Yup, figured I would come back and try again (this is me thinking I have options in this situation). Main goal with session two…make it less exciting than session one, and I have to say…..we succeeded! We arrived already knowing that this should be a…
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turns out, i’m normal
As I sit here on chemo eve (yeah trying to make things festive), I am thinking about all I have learned in the past six days. Here are just a few of my world shattering lessons of the week. 1. I’m normal (who knew)….. So, on day one post chemo I was fairly certain I…
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first poke
With chemo 101 in the books, the next step on the path was to actually start the chemo treatment. Simple right? You would think, however things are not always what they seem. Before I move forward, please allow me to share a thing or two with you so you can understand how they play into…
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chemo 101
February 28, 2022 marked the day where my path through this journey lead to my first chemotherapy appointment. Now, in our lives there are many first; first smile, first tooth, first step, first love, first heart break, first marriage (we are going to just skip THAT one) and so on. However, I have to say…
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muga
When I was told that I needed a MUGA scan, my head immediately went to a stranger standing in a dark alley looking for his next purse snatching victim. Turns out there is no alley, no sketchy guy, and my purse is just fine. A MUGA scan is short for a Multigated Acquisition Scan. For…
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negative is not positive
When I got my original diagnosis, I naturally got excited when I saw a lot of “negative” on the biopsy report. Everyone knows the word negative on a biopsy is positive ….RIGHT?! Well, it turns out that when dealing with breast cancer, three negatives are in no way a positive. Let me share a little…
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telling my kids
When I reflect back on the past few weeks, difficult conversations have become the norm. However, there was one that was the hardest and the one that broke my heart; telling my children that I had breast cancer. Those who know me understand that I am one of those parents who feels it is important…
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otter have a cancer mascot
I have been told that having something that brings you comfort or joy is important to keeping positive as you walk through your cancer journey. I can quickly say that my amazing network of family and friends meet that need in spades, which is something that not everyone can say. However, I have decided I…
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the voice
I have talked a lot about the compassionate and caring voice that I keep encountering as I move from appointment to appointment. I actually have started to truly appreciate this voice as it has made each step easier to take when the messages are delivered with sensitivity and acknowledgement of the impact. Oddly, I have…
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new words for my life dictionary
Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). Bit of a mouthful and not really a combination of words that a person would normally use in day-to-day discussion. I really cannot see being out with friends for lunch, sitting on a patio, enjoying a seafood salad with a glass of wine and saying, “hey, did you hear about Invasive…
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the first step on the path
I knew I had cancer when I had my mammogram on January 13th, 2022. You may think this is odd, but let me explain. Prior to starting the scan, the technician went through a script telling me about how the results would be sent out within two weeks to both my doctor and me. She…
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me
It dawned on me that, as much as this whole blog site is really to share my experience (and be a bit of personal therapy) through this cancer journey, there may be some who stumble upon all of this and who have no idea who I am. So, as much as my parents told me…
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dr.google
So I am certain that everyone knows that google is great for finding information on a million and one REALLY important things that you need to know in life, including where to find vegan friendly underwear, if you can die from having the hiccups (there is not direct link to hiccups and death, honest…google it)…
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boob squish
Ah the boob squish, also more formally known as the mammogram. I will admit that at 51, I have only had 2 mammograms in my life. The first was in November 2013 to look into a small dot that appeared on a CT scan for an unrelated issue; and the second was at the start…
A Path Through 