Why Me? It’s normal but we all feel it anyway
March 12, 2026 I don’t think that anyone expects to have cancer; even those with a strong family history. Much like a car accident, stolen cars, or house fires – they all happen to other people. At the request of my geneticist, I reached out to my cousin to see if they had genetic testing.…
Ugh, I just don’t have the patience right now
March 11, 2026 Last night was a rough night. Not work, but physically; though the group error at work could have a little to do with it. I was more than just nauseated through most of work and as I sat down to work on this installment, I remembered that it was right about the…
Meet with the Geneticist
March 10, 2026 Today is the day – the emergency meeting with the geneticist. No one, including the surgeon, my family, or myself thought that the genetics test would come back with anything other than a negative result. We’re all shocked! The surgeon requested that the geneticist meet with me prior to surgery so this…
But I hates it
March 9, 2026 During my doom scroll last night, it should be no surprise that I kept thinking of search terms. Needless to say, when I woke up, the reality of my surgery being a week away and the uncertainty that it was going to happen. Thankfully, I no longer feel drugged/hungover but my stomach…
Weekend
March 6-8, 2026 The weekend is here which means I won’t be blogging as much because I won’t have any new information to share. I’ll start on the questions list for you; ok, add to and edit the questions list for you. I’ll put it in a printable PDF and you can choose to print…
Oh, Myyy!
March 5, 2026 I’m not sleeping 6-8 hours in one stretch but a couple 2-3 hour naps throughout the day. I suppose I could medicate to sleep in one full stretch but the effects on my memory are scary. Dylan and I were talking last night about how this is genetic and he will likely…
Hurry Up and Wait
March 4, 2026 I started out researching if prophylactic antibiotics were prescribed for partial/mastectomy and learned “recent studies show they may not reduce infection rates and should be limited to 24 hours post-surgery to avoid unnecessary risk”. This comes from the Artificial Intelligence summary on Google. Some facilities prescribe them automatically despite evidence to the…
Drowning in Paperwork
March 3, 2026 Did you know that at some point you become so tired that your body MAKES you sleep? I was able to get a few hours of actual “good” sleep and then slept as fitfully as usual. My usual work schedule is a regular Monday – Friday but instead of starting at 8am,…
Jumping Through Hoops
March 2, 2026 Two victories today 1) I got ANOTHER SIX whole hours of sleep (unmedicated) and 2) I got my first subscriber on this blog! :). The sleep is lovely but knowing that my journey was interesting enough that someone wants to follow is everything. My goal has always been to help people by…
Cancer is a full-time job!
March 1, 2026 I was able to get about SIX hours of sleep – YAY! I did take my standard ¼ of a gummy and let that kick in. It did help that I was up all night working and had expended some physical energy deep cleaning and moving furniture around in my recovery nest.…
Time is Arbitrary
February 28, 2026 I am now 26 days into my diagnosis. Well, let me amend that … 26 days since my first abnormal mammogram; only 10 days since actual diagnosis. I mentioned before that time seems all “timey-wimey” (any Dr. Who fans?) and it’s speeding along and standing still at the same time. Though I’m…
Ickiness and Weight Loss
February 27, 2026 This whole insomnia thing is horrible. After my Xanax yesterday, I felt so foggy, had a dry mouth, and some hoarseness. I placed a next day delivery of several supplements (remember, I prefer holistic – EmercenC, Zicam, and facemasks) to help shorten a cold because I don’t want to get sick and…
Scan Day
February 26, 2026 I just realized that my grandcat/house panther had a birthday on the 25th and I’ve been so wrapped up with my own stuff that I forgot. Yes, I am a crazy cat lady, I love my little old lady cat and the wild panther and I don’t normally do anything except post…
Sleeplessness and Uncertainty
February 25, 2026 The running theme of this whole health nightmare is sleep, or lack thereof. I finally fell asleep after 1pm which means my meeting at 5pm is going to be exhausting because I’m already exhausted. Our work team is smaller than it should be for the workload – and honestly, isn’t that the…
Staging and Scheduling Surgery
February 24, 2026 Today’s the day I meet with the surgical oncology team. I’m nervous but hoping that I can come out of the appointment with a plan. Everything starts like the appointment with the NP almost two weeks ago but thankfully they didn’t ask me to fill out paperwork identical to what is already…
Planning for recovery
February 23, 2026 I was up and out of bed just after 5:30 this morning. Since I didn’t get any errands done over the weekend, I purposefully scheduled a meet up appointment this morning to get me moving. I am scheduled to meet with a woman who bought one of the items I’d put on…
Another “Do Nothing” Weekend
February 21-22, 2026 This was a hard weekend. My first thing Saturday morning routine is a trip to Menards. I know, a very weird choice but they have EVERYTHING, and they’re open early, but I just wasn’t feeling like doing anything. I had a list for Meijer, Walmart, and Aldi as well. My appetite is…
Feeling better
February 20, 2026 I think I’m finally starting to get my appetite back after the stress of testing and waiting for a diagnosis because I am STARVING this morning. Lately my emotional comfort drink is hot cocoa (see recipes page) so I made a cup of that and while delicious, it did nothing to satiate…
One Day Closer to a Plan
February 19, 2026 I’ve just clocked out for the morning and need to be back at my desk by 6:30pm tonight. That extra hour and a half is usually pretty busy with people on the West Coast ending their day so I need to get a good day’s sleep. Looking at my “Critical Illness” Insurance…
Diagnosis Day
Wednesday, February 18, 2026 After I clocked out of work today, I decided that I really did need to go to the store. I have a thing with the Aldi Aisle of Shame so I just waited until it was close to their opening time before I headed out. It was pouring rain – I…
A Stab at Normalcy
After I punched out of work at 5am, I wrestled with myself to “just get moving”. I wanted to make something specific for dinner – quick and easy and both my son’s and my favorite – but after checking the fridge, I had everything except sour cream. Does everyone have a favorite brand of something…
Beginning of Week 3
February 15-16, 2026 Having regular discomfort due to rubbing, I ordered Axilla Pillows that arrived Sunday February 15th. I put on one of the larger cotton bras I’d purchased and slipped in the pillow. I kept trying to adjust it so it’d stop rubbing Mel and the area next to it with the “nick” and…
Day of Biopsy and MORE Squishing
February 12-14, 2026 My workday ended at 5am on Thursday, February 12th and I printed out FMLA paperwork and my disability specific paperwork for the insurance company. While it turns out I didn’t need to take the time as the morning was a whirlwind. I checked in with the Nurse Practitioner’s office and had paperwork…
More Fondling and Squishing
February 9-11, 2026 The instructions that I received from the Breast Center are similar to a regular screening mammogram, basically no deodorant, perfume, lotion, etc the day of the procedure. But they never said no caffeine. So I again wake to my alarm blaring … well, in all honesty, I didn’t sleep and was already…
Mammaries and Beyond 