Chemo Side Effects: Temperature RegulationI’ve been on chemotherapy in one form or another for almost 8 years straight now. Anyone living with cancer has undoubtedly heard people say how terrible chemo is, that it’s...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
What They Didn't Tell MeIn the 3 years my partner Steph and I have spent as residents in advanced breast cancer, we've received advice and sat through many teachings meant to help us. But...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Cancer Scanxiety: My Personal StoryI have been a breast cancer patient for almost 10 years now. I was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, which is the most advanced stage. As someone who has gone...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Chemo Brain: Losing Another Piece of Who We AreMy initial cancer treatment, back in 2017 when we thought I might be Stage II versus Stage IV, was the combination of Cytoxan and Adriamycin (also known as the Red...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Sex, Intimacy, and Metastatic Breast CancerA metastatic breast cancer (MBC) diagnosis brings many physical, mental, and emotional changes. Sex and intimacy will also likely look different, now and in the long term. It is still...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Stage 4 and My RelationshipSometimes I wish people had told me how different my relationship with my spouse would look after I got diagnosed. Balancing life post-diagnosis is difficult, but its a lot more...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
What Is Metastatic Survivorship?In recent years there have been tremendous advances in cancer treatment. Thanks to better treatments, many people with metastatic cancer are living longer. As of 2018, experts estimated that more...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Metastatic Breast Cancer in My LiverIn 2020 I began to have severe lower backaches. I called an ambulance to ER. Had CT scan, liver was pushing on my spine and a large mass was inside...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Pride Month, An Ally's PerspectiveThe month of June is set aside and known as Pride month, commemorating the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in Manhattan, which was a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Previously Held ExpectationsI think it’s pretty common, but before I became a parent, I had VERY specific ideas of what kind of parent I would be. I wouldn’t use electronics, no fast...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Should You Share Your Cancer Story On Social Media?I think it was only a few days after I discovered I had metastatic breast cancer that I shared it on my personal Facebook page. Mainly because my social media...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Cancer BubbleHow do you cope when it feels like your life is all about your cancer diagnosis? It's hard to believe that life could go on normally after you receive a...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Prepping for an InfusionThere is only so much information I can absorb at a new medication teach. Most of the time, these meeting type-situations occur after spending hours on whatever floor you are...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Author Q&A: From Whispers to Shouts: The Ways We Talk About CancerAs a breast cancer patient and advocate, a former oncologist and a journalist, Dr. Elaine Schattner was well placed to write the history of cancer from the times of very...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Chemo Side Effects: Bleeding, Bruising, Runny Nose and Sleep IssuesLet’s just jump right into it here. I want to talk about a few chemo side effects I regularly experience and some of the ways I’ve learned to find relief...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Genetic Testing and Receiving Counseling from Your Healthcare TeamJanice Cowden is a passionate patient advocate living with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer since 2016. Janice feels very fortunate to have No Evidence of Disease (NED) after having a complete...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
I Don't Do "What Ifs"I was diagnosed with stage IIIA (3A) cancer in 2020. I had surgery in January of 2021. I completed 20 cycles of chemo; 8 cycles of doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and 12...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Accepting the Skin I'm InI had a preconceived belief that people living with cancer were thin and frail in appearance; they looked sick. Most understand that chemotherapy can be brutal. It makes people sick...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Cancer Ghosting: Navigating the Loss of RelationshipsIt's a topic that isn't often talked about, but it's something that many cancer patients experience: Cancer Ghosting. This is when friends, family, or loved ones become distant or cut...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Do Not Be Scared To Ask Your Healthcare Team QuestionsRecently I have been having an increased amount of pain in my knee, and it's been weighing on my mind. I would ask myself, "Can cancer go to the knee?"...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments