Maybe it’s the rum or the sun or the fresh food or the cool breeze or the sleep I’m finally getting, but I’ve been a little bit melancholy on what should have been an awesomely happy trip. There’s been a day or two when I just needed some gentle reassurance that I’m okay and that I can actually have fun if I want to, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall in a bunch of ways and I can’t…
(Original title: The Polyjuice Potion) I’ve been thinking a lot about death for about the last month or so, ever since my Pall Care doctor (henceforth known as “Dr Hubble”) raised it with me. It’s actually been a little longer than a month, probably two. It’s not that it’s “time” to think about specifics, but more that he is preparing me for the inevitability of my situation and checking in on my general mental health and gauging my reactions…
(Original title – The Duelling Club) Today is an anniversary of sorts. Today, one year ago, was when I discovered the weirdness on my breast and made a doctor’s appointment. Today is the anniversary of a small and insignificant event that has completely changed my life. If someone had told me that the worst part of cancer was the fatigue back when I was diagnosed 345 days ago, I would have laughed at them. I would have said no, it…
(Original title – The Burrow) So, this should have been an update about my surgery and recovery going well and blah blah blah. Instead, this will be a story of how cancer does not go to plan. On Wednesday, I went to see my oncologist. It had been four weeks since I’d last seen her properly for an appointment, and she needed to review my blood work and check out my rack and give me an opportunity to speak to…
(Original title – The Worst Birthday) The one thing I did when I found out that I would be having session number seven of Chemo was check when session number eight might be, and book flights to Adelaide for the weekend afterwards. Come hell or high water, I was going to get the fuck out of Melbourne for a few days and pretend like I wasn’t sick for a while. I had a pretty stressful pre-flight episode when I left…
(Original title – The Sorting Hat) So, I’ve been sitting on this for a couple of months now, waiting for the right moment to a) tell everyone; and b) start sorting through my actual feelings about the whole ordeal. This post is about news in two parts: Part One – I have metastatic breast cancer. It’s lurking in my liver and in five vertebrae in my spine (T11 – L3 for those of you playing along at home). Part Two…