The Savvy Survivor

I had a telephone conversation with my Oncologist's Nurse Practitioner, yesterday. The news she gave me was amazing!! Merry Christmas to me! I've been taking Femara , since September; and she told me my tumor markers were significantly lower than when I first started taking it. Before I started taking Femara, my markers were in the mid-100's; they are now in the 70-80's range! I'm having to deal with six side effects, but just hearing the news that the drug is working, gives me the energy and determination to continue dealing with those side effects. Tumor marker levels in the 30's are considered normal; I'm almost there! No need for chemo, yet! Roughly two years ago, I told my Oncologist that I wasn't willing to go the conventional treatment route, anymore. The last drug combo (hormone blocker and chemo drug) I was on caused me 14 side effects, and I was miserable!! I told him what I had planned to do; he supported my decision, and said if I needed him...

For the last 8.5 years, I've been battling Stage 4 breast cancer; in that time, I have, unfortunately, developed a few more health concerns. In the next few blog posts, I'm going to focus on the other health concerns; sharing with you the research I've done on how to manage/care for them. The newest health concern of mine is a peptic ulcer; I had to have abdominal surgery, to repair a perforated stomach, because the ulcer had become a life-threatening situation. I didn't realize I even had an ulcer, until I was told my stomach had ruptured. That's what's known as a "silent ulcer"; they're caused by overuse of NSAIDs; and there are no symptoms. For years, I've been taking too much Ibuprofen (1K mg at a time), too often (multiple times a week); you could say I was addicted to it. It became the only pain reliever I could use, that didn't make me feel loopy, like narcotics do. Having become addicted to it, my stomach reacted and formed the ulce...

Happy Thanksgiving to my American fans; may this day find you blessed and healthy ! To all of my fans, wherever you are, I count each and every one of you as a blessing; and I am grateful to have you in my life! This year has been a very difficult year for everyone; what we thought was going to be another "flu season" has endured the entire year; it has caused more deaths, unemployment, and hardships than any other pandemic in history.  But, those of us who have survived this year, have that to be thankful for...we're still here! There is hope, on the horizon! I am especially thankful for the breath in my lungs, considering I almost died back in August ! It is crystal clear to me, that my journey on this planet is not completed, yet. And while I can still draw breath, I have decided to make the most of the time that has been given to me. Bonus points to anyone who can tell me what movie I just referenced! As you navigate though your day, whether you are with your loved on...

I haven't blogged in a rather long time (sorry!), because I've been taking care of life; but today, I feel the need to speak out about feelings. First, I want to say, it's ok to express your feelings. And it's perfectly alright to be sad, anxious or depressed, at this point in time. The entire world is sick; and we're all dealing with a lot, right now. But I didn't need to be shamed, for how I feel; and that happened, this morning. A Facebook page I'm a fan of asked how we were all dealing with the Easter holiday; and I answered them. Someone thought it was their duty to scold me for not being thankful that I have someone to spend the holiday with, even though my son can't be with me. I am thankful to have my daughter and grandchildren around; but I'm dying of a terminal illness, so having my son near me, as well, is a blessing! Not counting the holidays we lived through, in separate states; this is the first holiday I've had to endur...

This blog has nothing to do with breast cancer, or healthy eating; but the subject is near and dear to my heart. And I was told, knowledge does no one any good, unless you share it; so, this is my Christmas gift to you! Christmas has always been my favorite holiday, ever since I was little; but I was never really excited about history class, while growing up. I only began getting excited about history, when I learned about it, beyond the boundaries of my text books. It’s very liberating, when you discover the truth! All of us who grew up in church, were taught that Jesus is the reason for the season; he is God in the flesh, and was born to save us all from sin. One of my favorite images, this time of year, is the Kneeling Santa. I just love the symbolism...it’s beautiful! But, truth be told (John 8:32 says the truth will set us free), Christ’s birth is not the true reason; he wasn’t even born in December. Shepherds wouldn’t be tending their flocks outdoors, that l...

I was fat-shamed by a stranger, this afternoon. Typically, I wouldn’t give two shits about what anyone thinks of me, but he blindsided me. What he said hurt me; and it shouldn’t have. Back story….yesterday, I commented on the health and environmental benefits of going vegan, on one of the Facebook pages I'm a fan of, and had all manner of replies from a few people, which I dealt with; it was a heated exchange of opinions vs. facts. However, nobody has said anything else in that conversation thread, for a while; then, suddenly the fat-shamer shows his ugliness. Not only did this person insult me, belittle me, and call me out for being overweight (as if my being fat was the sole cause of everything that was wrong with the world); he also used my portion of the thread against me. He twisted everything I had previously said to the others, and made it all about how much I don't deserve to feel that way....because I'm fat. This was my reply to the attack... " In cas...

On April 30th, I met my new Oncologist....and fired him. Actually, I didn't fire him, I just told him I was tired of doing things the conventional way. I need a break! We talked about what I had in mind to do, as far as alternative modalities, and I asked him if there was any way to monitor my progress without causing me any further anxiety or unwellness. I explained to him, that the last time I had a scan I was physically ill, the entire rest of the day; and my body doesn't seem to want any more Rx drugs. I asked him about monitoring tumor markers, and he told me that since that's not a reliably accurate system, he's reluctant to use it. He said my markers could be down, but if I have any inflammation in my body, they'll show as being elevated, when they're not. He told me the only reliable way to monitor my condition is by way of scans; I can't do those, anymore. I can't lay flat. At the end of our conversation, he said if I need him again, he's ...