I’ve watched my weight for as long as I can remember, right back to my teens. The roller-coaster of weight has been such a constant part of my life that I sometimes wonder if my body’s default mode is fluctuate. Up-down, up-down. Ugh. Looking back at photos of my younger self, I realize I wasted too much time disliking my thunder thighs and inherited cankles. I mean, no one but me cared. And I...
When I receive a slew of messages from friends around the world checking in with me, it’s a telling sign that I’ve been neglecting this online journal. So, deep breath in, deep breath out, this post is an attempt to update you on what’s been going on in my life these past few months since I last shared my musings on miracles and mystery. A new home A rather enormous event that took much of our...
Do I believe in miracles? I don’t know, really. What are miracles? Maybe miracles are just events and outcomes we cannot (yet) explain. But I am partial to this Albert Einstein quote: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. And I believe that the entirety of life as we humans experience it is indeed a...
On International Women’s Day, we come together to celebrate the achievements and strength of women around the globe. It’s a time to reflect on the journey of women everywhere. In this context, I think it’s appropriate to honor the resilience of women who live, or have lived, with cancer. This day is for the women (and men) who’ve shown courage, not just in overcoming a...
I made an astounding observation today. And it calls for another happy dance! From the beginning of my eye saga, now over a year ago, every ophthalmologist who reviewed any of the four sonograms of my left eye told me there was liquid flowing close to my optic nerve, and that this liquid was causing the dark grey cloud obstructing most (85+%) of my vision. And each of them advised me to brace...
On the day I was discharged from the hospital (ten days ago), I got news I had not expected. And it was not pleasant. The morning after the insertion of the radioactive plaque was uneventful. I woke up without pain. The nurse on duty dropped the various eye drops into my left eye and then served me a boring, tasteless breakfast. I felt hungry enough to eat most of it. My ocular oncologist’s...
TL;DR for family and friends:Last Thursday I underwent the procedure to insert a radioactive plaque in my left eye. The day was filled with a mix of emotions, a bit of confusion navigating the hospital, and lots of interaction with caring medical staff. Despite a few hiccups like getting lost and dealing with the hospital’s admissions process, the overall experience was positive, thanks to...
“You’re practical,” she said, when I told her I didn’t see any point in doing a biopsy of my left eyeball. My ocular oncologist readily agreed with me, and I think you may, too, after I give you more details. From there, she laid out my treatment course. First, why would I need a biopsy at all? Because after all the cancer diagnostic tests I’ve undergone in the past two and a half months—an MRI...