Even if we aren't conscious of these traumaversaries, they have an impact on us. Because—on some level—we remember the pain and connect it with that time of year.
breast cancer diagnosis
An Upcoming “Birth”day: Three Years After Cancer Treatments
April 24th is a kind of birthday for me. It's the day I completed breast cancer treatments. And fittingly, this year's local Relay for Life is on April 25th. So I'm looking at this year's Relay event as a "birthday" celebration of my third year as a cancer-free person. But I'm not only feeling celebration … Continue reading An Upcoming “Birth”day: Three Years After Cancer Treatments
The Two Year Mark: In a Funk
I'm in a funk today. I have been all weekend. And I know why. It's because tomorrow I have a mammogram. I'm at the two-year mark after my breast cancer diagnosis, and that means checking to be sure I'm still cancer-free. And that also means anxiety, which is manifesting for me this weekend as a … Continue reading The Two Year Mark: In a Funk
The 18 Month Mark
Yesterday was a day of seroma aspiration followed by mammogram followed by ultrasound. It was 18 months to the day after my breast cancer diagnosis and a check-up to see if everything is okay. And everything IS okay, I'm very happy to say! According to my doctors, the first two years after a cancer diagnosis … Continue reading The 18 Month Mark
Those One-year Anniversaries
Everybody has them, those one-year anniversaries marking significant events in our lives. A wedding. A death. A birth. A move. A new job. A retirement. Typically we mark beginnings and endings. Those of us who are cancer survivors mark them both. Ask any of us the date we got our diagnosis. We can tell you … Continue reading Those One-year Anniversaries
Broken
This weekend, I feel broken. When I think on the last year, I know I am broken. I am not who I was last August. My upcoming mammogram tomorrow along with the reminders of this season are all making me reflect on this past year. What I feel now is brokenness. When I look in … Continue reading Broken
Terrible and Wonderful: A Year Passes
What can happen in one year? Well, as someone who has gone through breast cancer treatments, I can tell you that a lot can happen in one year. You can endure and survive one of the most difficult times of your life. You can even thrive and flourish. It was a year ago on a Wednesday … Continue reading Terrible and Wonderful: A Year Passes
Celebration of the end of treatment – and reflection and thanks
Today I had my LAST radiation treatment! The gremlins were at work to make sure I stayed nonattached to this being my last day when they made the radiation machine have a glitch which required a computer restart and delayed my treatment for a while. But the computer came back up and synced properly with … Continue reading Celebration of the end of treatment – and reflection and thanks
Books that expanded me in 2011
Though this post isn't in completely in keeping with my health update posts, it feels appropriate for me to look back at the books that sustained me in the last calendar year. Even before my breast cancer diagnosis, my reading has mostly been in the realm of the spiritual. Here are some of the books … Continue reading Books that expanded me in 2011
Birthday postsurgery
Today is my 53rd birthday, which makes me think of the passage of time and how my perceptions have changed. At my last birthday, I had no idea I'd have breast cancer and would be having surgery the day before my next birthday. But that's what life has brought me. I'm learning not to try … Continue reading Birthday postsurgery
eddies and currents 