Month: February 2023
51. Goodbye, Portacath!
January 17, 2023 Update. Today’s milestone: portacath was removed this morning. Woohoo! Recall that the portacath was placed back in May 2022 so that I could avoid having an intravenous line (IV line, or IV access) placed at every session for chemotherapy. Since IV access will not be needed at regular, frequent-ish intervals anymore, my […]
50. A Lola (Grandmother) Day
December 22, 2022 Update. I had a “lola” day (in English: “grandmother” day): fatigue and more pronounced joint pains. Recall that joint pains are one of the most common side effects of anastrozole, which I have to take for 5 years. No, I did not need to take any pain medicine, but as I powered […]
49. Performing Arts Medicine Around the World
November 19, 2022 I participated in this webinar representing the Philippines, and learned so much from the experiences of a diverse group of healthcare professionals from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Norway, Romania, South Africa, Singapore and Australia. The webinar is available here, although at this time it may only be accessible to members […]
48. Walk It Out
November 16, 2022 Update. The RCA cable I bought online was finally delivered today, and made for a much better Wii gaming experience for my recovery and rehabilitation from the laparoscopic THBSO (recall that the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries were surgically removed on November 3 – tomorrow marks 2 weeks since surgical menopause started). […]
47. Cording, Human and Otherwise
November 15, 2022 Update. Today’s theme is cording, both medical and otherwise. Cording, also known as axillary web syndrome (axilla = armpit), is a common side effect after breast cancer surgery. Since breast cancer often spreads from the breast to the axillary lymph nodes, surgeons often have to disrupt and/or remove the lymph nodes and […]
46. THBSO Recovery is Going Well + Anastrozole
November 10, 2022 Update. Long-ish post. Today is post-operative day 7 after laparoscopic THBSO (refresher: the uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries are gone) and I am now in surgical menopause – as opposed to “natural menopause” when your ovaries just stop pumping out hormones due to aging. Went for my follow-up clinic visit and of […]
45. Discharge Home: the Long Goodbye
November 4, 2022 Progress: Out of bed Walked around Tolerating diet well Urinated multiple times (goal met) Passed gas twice! (goal met) Discharge home today! But discharge paperwork is taking forever. Doreen is tired and so am I!
44. Returning to the Room & Waiting to Pass Gas
November 4, 2022 Update. [Late post – wrote this about 6 hours earlier today] Good morning! Finally in hospital room at 2:10 AM [early Friday morning]. Got anesthesiology and ob-gyne clearance to leave the recovery room at 11 PM or so, but of course babies being born could not wait and the delivery room complex […]
43. Goodbye, Lady Parts. Doreen is Here Too.
November 2, 2022 Update. Warning: long post. Bottom line: please send prayers and good vibes for successful surgery and recovery Admitted to the hospital today (Nov 2nd, Wedensday), for tomorrow’s laparoscopic total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (LTHBSO). Long fancy words describing the surgical procedure to remove the uterus and ovaries. Doreen is here too. There’s […]
42. Radiation Therapy, Session 20 of 20 (100%)
September 26, 2022 Update. Done with radiation therapy, 100 percent! 20 of 20 sessions. On Sunday afternoon, I was a bit worried about whether Monday morning’s radiation therapy session would push through. Tropical storm Noru (Philippine name: Karding) rapidly became a super typhoon Sunday morning with “explosive intensification” – quotable, almost poetic words from the […]
