Archives in Category: Cancer

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Doc Day #6

Posted on February 20, 2018

“Who decides how many treatments a patient needs?” I asked Dr. G in our weekly meeting. He had told me early on that my series would include 28 of one kind of “dose” and five of another. But

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Get Back to Work

Posted on February 19, 2018

I must confess my energy level is no longer what I’d describe as “perky.” It’s true I haven’t experienced the harsher side effects that were described in all the literature about radiation for breast cancer. But I feel

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It’s a Puzzle

Posted on February 18, 2018

Earl and I often pass the winter days doing jigsaw puzzles; they play to our strengths.

By that, I mean we each have our own way of seeing things: politics, religion, philanthropy. In fact, if you know what

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Up or Down

Posted on February 16, 2018

I don’t know what’s magic about the number 33, but that’s the number of radiation treatments I’m scheduled to have.  According to Earl, I’ve finished 23. But according to my calculations, I have ten to go.

I wondered

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Preliminary Report

Posted on February 15, 2018

It’s half-way through the month, and I am still monitoring the parking situation when I go for my daily dose of radiation. I won’t reveal all the details now, because I plan to share final observations at the

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One Day

Posted on February 14, 2018

Today Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day coincided. It’s the first time in over seventy years. The New York Times noted this with great hyperbole, as if you must celebrate one event by ignoring the other. I disagree. Why not celebrate

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Doc Day #5

Posted on February 13, 2018

As usual, I came armed with questions for my weekly visit with the radiation oncologist. This time, they were relevant to what’s happened since our last meeting.

There’s the rash on my right breast and chest area, as

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Liam

Posted on February 12, 2018

I haven’t mentioned Liam in a while; he’s the giant radiation machine that zaps me five days a week. I guess it’s because he’s becoming a routine part of my life and is not so unique. Which just

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A Weekend of Dancing

Posted on February 11, 2018

Yesterday Earl and I saw “A Chorus Line” in South Bend, and today a friend and I saw “The Greatest Showman.” The first was live theatre and the second was at the local cinema. What they had in common went

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Snow

Posted on February 9, 2018

If you’re wondering what it takes for a patient to miss a radiation appointment, the reason has to be pretty serious. A cold? No. An invitation to meet our Mayor? No.  Free tickets to “Hamilton”? Probably not.

But

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