11 Years with Breast Cancer: Someone Forgot to Send the Break-Up Text.

Sunday Update: I'VE GOT THIS! Drafted Friday. Interrupted Saturday. Wrapped Sunday. (If you make it to the end, the Challenge Question awaits — plus the scandalous story of what sidetracked me on Saturday.) Good News First: This Round Is Manageable First and foremost: This round of chemo has been so much more manageable that I can honestly say — no hesitation — I can tackle the next two rounds . Not saying it’s a stay at the Four Seasons, but compared to the last three...if this is the pattern, I’m in. After each of the first three rounds, I spent 21 days wondering: Do I really want to keep poisoning myself? Are there any alternatives? Could I sweet-talk my way out of chemo? This time? Defensive and a little proactive = I’ve got this . Hydration, Meds, and Mood: Crushing It Hydration: ✅ Crushing it. Meds: ✅ They finally nailed the cocktail. No crying this round — not even once. The real MVP? Olanzapine — technically an anti...

Car Crash of January 2025 Since what I now refer to as the "Car Crash of January 2025," everyone around me has become C ollateral Damage . It's like I was cruising along, faithfully following Waze, obeying all the rules, when suddenly— BAM! —someone T-bones me at the intersection of Life and Seriously-WTF Avenue. Now everyone's stuck handling the fallout—family, friends, insurance, even the nosy bystanders whispering, "Ooh, what happened ?!" But hey, amidst this chaos, I actually had a pretty "normal" weekend. I'm cautiously optimistic this round and have narrowed it down to a few possibilities: A) I caught a stomach bug alongside chemo session #3. B) They finally nailed the right combo of meds. C)  The weather D) ALL OF THE ABOVE Who cares which one it is—I'm claiming this victory and running with it! IV Fluids & Tea Tricks 🧋 Friday was another glamorous three-hour session hooked up to IV fluids (...

Chemo Tuesday: Part 4 How It Started... I wasn’t planning on writing today because — and let me say this VERY CLEARLY — uneventful chemo days are exactly what I’m aiming for. But between the texts, the calls, and people just showing up with food, treats, and love (which I genuinely love and appreciate), I figured I owed everyone a little update — especially since my last blog was a bit of a novel. So if you haven’t read it yet... what are you even doing here? Go catch up. But spoiler alert: → Chemo #4... CHECK. The Weekend Recap: Turkey Cures Everything? This past weekend was actually okay. I felt tired (normal) as I geared up for round four.  But  Monday was great ! Borderline amazing . Energy was back, spirits were high, and the highlight of my day was a full-blown faux-Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. I don’t know what it is, but I swear turkey dinner is my chemo superfood. We used to do these random turkey nights more often, but with everything...

M-U-C-O-S-I-T-I-S: Did I Miss the Memo or Is This the New Word of the Day? Let me just start by saying this: I fully intended to post  this blog days ago.  Last week’s blog went out on a high note. I felt good. REALLY good. The kind of good that makes you look around suspiciously like, "Wait... am I allowed to feel okay right now?"  I’m proud to report there were no Sunday blues , no scaries, no emotional meltdowns about laundry or life. Just some cautious optimism and the strange feeling of being... dare I say... okay-ish heading into Week 3 of this chemo cycle. Maybe even a little great? Let’s not jinx it, but I’ll take this moment while I can. My plan was to post a deep dive on mucositis. Instead? My week got away from me. Instagram got the mini-updates, the behind-the-scenes chaos, and my blog? Sat here, tapping its little blog foot, waiting for me to catch up. Because just as I was recovering from last week's disaster, feeling borderline functional... Chip ...