ACROSTIC BREAST CANCER, DAY 13

DAY 13 of the #HAWMC challenge: Write a health "acrostic" (acrostic = a poem where every letter of a word serves as the first letter of a word or phrase) for my health condition. Since I write about breast cancer and reconstruction, I've combined them.

BILATERAL

RECONSTRUCTION:

ELECTIVE,

AGGRESSIVE

SURGICAL

THERAPY.

CANCER

ANNIHILATES

NORMALCY,

CREATING

EGREGIOUS

REPERCUSSIONS.

HOW I HANDLED THE BIG C NEWS, DAY 12

On DAY 12 of the Wego Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge, I'm asked a simple question: "If you could go back in time and talk to yourself on the day of diagnosis, what would you say?" Well, I probably wouldn't stop talking if I had it to do over again. The way it went down, I hardly talked at all that day. Here's why.

I waited about five days between biopsy and phone call. When the phone finally rang at lunchtime on December 8, 2011, I heard Dr. S. (my primary physician) say in a very upbeat voice, "Well, I have your test results!" 

And I thought: Oh good! In the nanosecond between his comment and mine, I really (no, really) thought he was going to give me good news, that the biopsy revealed nothing. I to this day can remember how my body suddenly relaxed.

But then he dropped the C-bomb...

CRAZY FOR TWITTER, DAY 11

Day 11 of the Wego Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge asks us to write about our favorite social network. 

I'm crazy for Twitter! Which is completely crazy, because until two weeks ago I was a Twitter holdout. But I folded up my fear and finally completed my account. My impetus? To participate in the Monday night #BCSM Tweetchat (yes, I'm impressed I even knew what #BCSM meant too!). 

On Twitter, #BCSM stands for "The Intersection of Breast Cancer and Social Media." This online community was founded in 2011 by Jody Schoger and Alicia Staley (both breast cancer survivors), along with Dr. Deanna J. Attai, a board-certified breast surgeon. In April of 2013, they created a BCSM blog, and posted a terrific article entitled, "Respect the Hashtag." Check it out to learn more about the proper ways to post on Twitter and #BCSM.

The #BCSM’s mission: "To help support, empower and inform women about issues related to breast cancer." #BCSM is an awesome group of women and men who have cancer, had cancer or have an interest in cancer. However, #BCSM Twitterchats are not for the faint of heart! They move quickly, and I am slowly getting the hang of thinking of short but relevant things to tweet. Join us every Monday night at 9 PM Eastern Time, 8 PM Central Time and 6 PM Pacific Time.

I know now why I was afraid of Twitter: I didn't understand it. I thought it was something I could only access from my smart phone. (Which I didn't even own until last Christmas. Silly me.) My world has been widened: I've since figured out how to "follow" folks (475 and counting!), and it's been great fun to watch as people "follow" me (150 and counting).

To follow me on Twitter, click here. See you Monday night!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, DAY 10

DAY 10 of the Wego Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge: It's Wordless Wednesday (YAY!) and I'm to post my favorite picture of myself. I chose this photo for five reasons:

1. It's a self-portrait 
2. It was taken post-cancer and represents my "new" life
3. It was shot at the beach (one of my favorite places!)
4. It was taken on a day I was hanging out with my friend R., who has metastatic breast cancer. When I see this image, it reminds me of her. (R. is doing remarkably well despite having mets for many years. She is feeling terrific. BIG shout-out to R.!)
5. It represents the mystery in me. You may have noticed that I'm rather shy about revealing who I am on my blog. That may seem strange since I'm certainly not shy about writing about breast cancer! But I find it more liberating to write from behind the shadows. Of course, this could change at any time. But that day is not today.

5 TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS, DAY 9

DAY 9 of the WEGO Health Activist Writers Month Challenge is about caregiving and to me that means easing the pressure on everyone involved. 

As a cancer patient, I've been on the receiving end of plenty of caregiving; as a daughter, I've been on the caregiving end to both of my parents at various times. Below are some strategies that fit both scenarios.
 
5 TIPS FOR CAREGIVERS...

SNAKES AND BREAST CANCER

DAY 8 of the WEGO #HAWMC asks: "If your health condition was an animal, what would it be?" A snake comes immediately to mind; specifically, a timber rattlesnake — aptly named C. Horridus. (I found that so apropos!)

This is a California rattler.

My 8 reasons why rattlesnakes remind me of breast cancer...

10 THOUGHTS ABOUT CANCER

DAY 6 dawns on the WEGO Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge. Last year, we were asked to write a letter to our 16-year-old selves. That was a toughie...

WRITING MY WORRY AWAY, DAY 5

I read an interesting article on the Huffington Post website yesterday that became the fire behind DAY 5 of my WEGO Health Activist Writers Month Challenge.

THE CHALLENGE: If time, money and physical restrictions were not an issue, what would my "plan" for breast cancer activism be? How would I direct my activist energies? My aspirations are rather simple. I want to write my way out of worry. And I want to show you how to work your worry away, too...

BREAST CANCER SURGERY TIPS

After my double mastectomy in February 2011, I compiled a list of things that helped me prepare both before and after surgery. I hit a nerve — it's my blog post with the greatest number of hits.

Some of these tips apply before your surgery, some during, and some afterwards. With some minor tweaks to update a few items (for example, I combined shopping tips and added a photography section), here are my TIPS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR BREAST CANCER SURGERY. I hope it helps you or someone you know. Please feel free to share! 

5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BREAST CANCER

Day 2 of the Wego Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge has dawned — and it's Introduction Day! That's when I share my encounter with Breast Cancer and the 5 things I want you to know about it. 

1) My first blog post was about the mammogram that would change everything. Next, I wrote about hearing the words You Have Cancer (that's here), how I broke the news to my husband here, why we chose to keep it a secret here (and the lesson I learned from that here), and how I kept myself from going completely off-the-wall ballistic here and here. 

2) And all that happened before a scalpel ever touched my skin. If you've ever had cancer (or been through it with someone close), you know exactly what I'm talking about. (I can hear your shaking head from here!) If you've recently been diagnosed, the above links will help you. A lot...

FEAR FACTOR, DAY 1

Today is Day 1 of the 2013 Health Activist Writer's Month Challenge (HAWMC). I took part in the challenge last year, too, so this is my second time at bat. The daily writing process last year was challenging and invigorating yet also very fun. My favorite part was bonding with other breast cancer bloggers. And I hope some of them will join me again this year! The HAWMC challenge forced me to write faster, and more frequently, and since I have trouble with both, it pushes me to be a better blogger. So I'm jumping in again and looking forward to where the month will lead! Let's get to it...

TO SUFFER & BE STRONG? SUBLIME!

To my many bloggy friends near and far who are seeking strength right now (no matter the reason or the season), I dug up some right fine wisdom from the right and honorable (and always inspiring) Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Though both of these poems may be familiar to many, I don't recall ever reading them before. When viewed through the veil of grief or cancer, they are especially poignant. Both were written in the 1830s.

OF FUNERALS AND FRIENDS

We had a death in the family. My husband's only sibling died suddenly three weeks ago. He was not young; he was not old. He was middle aged. And his death sent shock waves throughout the family. 

(Copyright © 2013 The Big C and Me)

Which reminded me that the rituals surrounding death, while varied, exist for a reason: Society has been following mourning rituals for thousands of years — because they work. No matter what those rituals are, they're important, and they're in place to help soften death's blow. These traditions have vast intrinsic value in helping to push us gently along our own pathways of grief...

ROBIN ROBERTS RETURNS

(© Michael Appleton for The New York Times)

I got up early this morning to watch Robin Roberts' return to Good Morning America following her five-and-a-half-month hiatus.

For those not in the know, Robin was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and underwent lumpectomy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, in June of 2013, Robin announced she developed Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) as a result of chemo. Treatment for Robin's MDS included more chemo — and a bone marrow transplant. But first, she needed to find a donor. She was fortunate to find a perfect match in her sister, who agreed to donate her healthy bone marrow to Robin...

A POETIC CANCER

(Copyright © 2013 The Big C and Me)

I read a wonderful poem recently about cancer written by Maryland's poet laureate, Stanley Plumly, in the Los Angeles Times. I am struck by it's lyrical, imaginative and original nature, and inspired to write some poetry of mine own.

But not today. 

Instead, allow me introduce you to...

I HATE CANCER

(Copyright © 2013 The Adventures of OBB)

“Courage isn't having the strength to go on — it is going on when you don't have strength.” ―Napoleon Bonaparte

I just learned this morning that another blogging sister's cancer has returned: Kate over at The Adventures of OBB. Her husband posted the news this morning.

If you have a moment, please pop over and show her some love.

I hate cancer.

IN MEMORIUM

Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of Rachel Cheetham Moro. There will be many tributes to Rachel in the blogosphere today...

RASHES AND SCARS AND CANCER, OH MY!

I saw this quote the other day, and in keeping with my last blog post (and subsequent discussion) about feeling invisible, I wanted to share. I'm working on getting rid of a few of my little monsters... ***In other news... if you haven't seen Breast Cancer? But Doctor... I Hate Pink! lately, please stop by and visit Ann's wonderful blog. She has written an important post about feeling abandoned; you can find that post here.  ***And in still other news, I am seeing my plastic surgeon, Dr. C., this afternoon to show him my rash. Yes, the RASH... 

FEELING INVISIBLE?

One of the reasons I love reading other cancer blogs is they remind me that I'm not alone in how I feel.  

(Copyright © 2013 The Big C and Me)

I comment on these blogs when I can, sometimes just a few words, but sometimes my sentences turn into missives. And that's when I know I've touched an internal nerve, the one that says, You have to blog about this!

That's what happened this morning. I was reading a new blog by Lisa Quintana, someone I discovered via the Facebook page of the ever-insightful Nancy's Point. Lisa blogs over at...

A FALLEN STAR

I am very saddened to hear that Debbi Chapman Dempsey passed away this past weekend. 

Debbi and I connected via our breast cancer blogs. When I started mine in April 2011, I was writing into the ethers — until June 26, 2011. That's the day I received my very first comment on a blog post. And that comment was written by Debbi. 

Since that day, I followed her blog (aptly named A Too Sassy Gal)...