Hot damn -- gonna be fine!

     Yeah -- I'm going to be fine!  That's how I feel right now.  That will change in a few minutes. :)
     I went on this roller coaster once before with my mother.  She was diagnosed with skin cancer when I was in my mid-20s.  Then breast when I was in my late-20s.  Then lymphatic when I was 30.  Then lung, which killed her when I was 33.
     Me?  I was speeding along Blissful Ignorance Highway with my hubby, until a tightness in my chest sent me to emergency room.  Turned out to be gut issues that were easily treated with probiotics, but it was about that time that my husband and I decided that the emergency room didn't make for a good "personal doctor," so we went doctor-shopping.  We finally found one we could stand - that was in June 2016 - and she ordered a bunch of standard tests.  Within the past 4-1/2 months...
     ...hubby's had an emergency cholecystectomy (gallbladder-ectomy), and then a ventral hernia repair, then was catheterized, which infected him until he was toxic (bacteremia), and he ended up in the hospital with his brain floating in amonia.  He was totally septic but, after 12 days in the hospital, he was discharged to come home -- just in time for ...
     ...the worst of my several operations, that have included polyps removal from my intestine ("pre-cancerous"), 2 basal cell carcinoma removals (forehead and shoulder), and a bilateral mastectomy last week (breast cancer) that -- by the grace of God -- "should" have me cancer-free.
     So Mom had skin, breast, lymph, and lung cancers over about 13 years, and I was diagnosed with 3 of those 4 within about 30 days (plus one other).  Yeeeesh!
     Yes, I'll admit it:  I'm terrified that they'll give me that last diagnosis (lung).  But I'm fighting with everything I have, including all the typical changes in habits (Don't even smoke within a mile of me!), diets (Sugar is evil!  No joke.  Except blueberries...), exercise (Walk -- just walk, damnitall!), and self-prescribed laughter (Find a good sitcom.) or play Catch Phrase or Balderdash.
     We have a camping trip with our best friends scheduled for a few weeks down the road.  Gotta get rid of 4 drains and bulbs first.  Can't go camping in a robe, and that's all that fits right now.  I try to laugh at my 2-maxi-pad bra.  Actually, it really is sort of cute, considering I was a 42 G (<-- not a joke) before the surgery.
     Dunno if I'm supposed to make suggestions here, but I'd strongly recommend a documentary on Netflix called "Sugar Coated."

  • Hello Nytyngale,

    Thanks for sharing your story. We love your spirit and your sense of humour! You certainly have been through a lot - what a rollercoaster and I am sorry you lost your mum to cancer. You have had so many operations and I hope all will be fine for you with that last lung diagnosis. When do you find out more about it?

    Self-prescribed laughter is always a great idea and you are doing well to go on a camping trip with your friends. I am sure you will have lots of fun!

    Keep us updated on how things go for you - and tell us more about that camping trip when you come back. I hope you will get to chat to others here who are in a similar position to you. It always helps to share experiences with others who completely understand how you are feeling at the moment.

    Best wishes,

    Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator