All posts filed under: Cancer Club thoughts

Thinking out loud

I am officially Cancer Girl New Mexico

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As I was recovering from my hip replacement, my RA doc thought it might be time to try the biologic Actemra. It worked for me before hip issue. It was time to do it again. But, she said, first we needed to check out the change in my uterus that was noted on my hip MRI. She ordered an ultrasound of my uterus that included a vaginal probe (didn’t know they could do it.) Actually, she handed me the probe and told me to put it in. I did it. Results showed a thickened uterus consistent with tamoxifen use. It also showed a mass. Next stop was the GYN doc who thought it was a polyp not cancer since there was no bleeding. Next stop was outpatient surgery of a D&C and biopsy. She was optimistic. The results weren’t good. It is sometimes called Uterine Serous carcinoma, or uterine papillary serous carcinoma (UPSC), or serous adenocarcinoma. It is easily googled just writing serous cancer.My doc said she didn’t know much about this cancer. She referred …

CSN Cancer Support Groups New Mexico

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Cancer Support Now’s PEER-FACILITATED SUPPORT GROUPS   For contact information and details on support groups,                                                                     please call the Helpline Telephone: 505-255-0405, toll free 855-955-3500 New groups which have transitioned over from PLTC as of April 2016 are marked with an asterisk,*. 5/2016 Advanced Diagnosis Group * 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 1:00PM NE Heights Blood Cancer Group * For those dealing with a blood or lymphatic cancer 2nd and 4th Tuesday, 1:00-2:30PM North Valley Breast Cancer Group * Every Wednesday 6:00-7:30PM NE Heights Coloring & Creativity * All cancers, survivors and caregivers TBA Friends and Family Writing Together Journaling Support Group for Grief or Anticipatory Grief Every Thursday, 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM UNM Cancer Center Isleta Cancer Education and Support 2nd Tuesday of the month, 10:30-Noon Isleta Health Clinic Late Afternoon Breast Cancer Group Every other Wednesday, 5:00 PM to …

Cancer Club Thought of the Day: The Doctor Appointment

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All of us who have a serious disease that may be chronic or may be life threatening are a little nervous when we go for a doctor’s appointment.  We may get more bad news.  We may have to make another decision.  We may have an issue that requires us to be assertive, like questions about what is going on. And here we are:   in  The Doctor’s Office.  I do mean the place they park you after they get your weight.  It’s like being in a foreign land. I was thinking bus station, but maybe not.  There is the familiar computer. The chair for the Doc. The chair for you.  There is the exam table.  The sharps container is on the wall. There is the awful gown you are expected to put on. First tip The nursing  assistant takes your temp, BP and and asks all the standard questions.  Have you fallen in the last 30 days?  Do you feel safe in your home?  I do wish they would check the notes from the last visit.  …

Cancer Club Thought of the day: how about no choice in the matter

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Cathy, my very dear sister-in-law, and I were having one of our long conversations.  She is in New York.  I am here.  If we were in the same place, we would spend a lot of time together.  She was saying we have no choice but to carry on.  We were discussing difficult times and when someone says, “How’s it going?”,  she says what choice do we have but to say fine because we have to carry on. Her husband, my brother, died of metastatic colon(appendix) cancer about two and a half years ago.  She’s had a hard time.  They were married over 40 years. They were a good fit.  Being alone has been hard for her. I am always missing my brother so it has been hard for me too. I have two cancers.  I had to be tested, to have surgery, to have radiation treatments, to have new pills and then more doctors’ visits.  New news is shocking, life changing.  There is the adjustment period. Then  adaptation and just keep going.  With the nature …

Cancer Club thoughts-zoo music

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Shaggy bleached blond at 9 years old.  He was on the heavy side but solidly built.  Beat up old sports shirt. He stood solid in his shoes. He knew who he was and where he stood in the world and was fine with it.  He had a sureness about him many adults wished they possessed. He followed the rules. He did ask his mom if it would be okay if he walked around. Off he went with his cousin, a boy who also had a devilish glint. We are at zoo music. Paula Cole is the entertainment. Lounging in lawn chairs after a picnic of summer delights. Feeling good. Under the trees. On the grass. Surrounded by an amazing supply of people just right for people watching. Good to be with friends. I just finished my 6th week of Cancer Rehab at the Healthplex. I am stronger. I have better balance. The program is doing what I had hoped. I am rebuilding. I will be healthier or I will have more stamina for the next …

Cancer Club thoughts-helping

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Cancer victims have concrete problems.  Cancer makes a person face his mortality.  Suddenly life is no longer taken for granted.  Survival becomes an issue.  Add to that the  scary thought of the big C spreading throughout the body.  There is a feeling of loss of control. Unnerving!  Life becomes uncertain forever. Still, many cancer worries are  about everyday issues. Am I going to be able to function independently during treatment?  Where do I turn for help? How do I get to the pharmacy for prescriptions?  How to I make meals when I feel so sick?  What if I become very sick during the night, will I die alone?  How will I pay for my treatment?  Are my friends avoiding me because I have cancer? Cancer can be fatal. Some cancers can be cured. Cancer can also be a chronic condition. There are many cancers that cannot be cured but can be managed. These cancers require careful monitoring and intermittent treatment.  Cancer can recur. It can recur any time after treatment. It can recur after years of …

Cancer Club thoughts for the day

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It’s your fault that you have cancer. Wow! I started listening to a meditation tape on cancer given by a dear friend. The first thing this woman says on tape is it that it’s your fault you have cancer. I was shocked. Fortunately, I don’t believe it. It was still unnerving. Cancer starts with the change of one single cell in your body. If you caused cancer by being stressed, by being too fat, by not eating the right things, by not exercising enough, we would all have cancer, most of us anyway. It makes the assumption that we have more control than we do. Some people we encounter would love to think we did something wrong to get cancer. Then, the theory goes,  if they avoid that something, they will not get cancer. The randomness of cancer is all too scary. Cancer happens. The question is not what we did wrong. The question is how do we deal with it.  

Cancer club thoughts for today

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It is amazing how the little things in our lives determine just our our day is going to be. I’ll admit to cheap thrills. I am easy to keep happy. I love my first cup of coffee. I write in my journal and sip coffee while glancing at the colorful flower bouquet on my table. Feels good and is always a reason to jump out of bed. A good start to the day. Some  little things that I can do for myself include having my favorite coffee; journaling daily in long hand  ( Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST WAY); buying a $4 bouquet of flowers weekly at Trader Joe’s. Small things for a woman of little energy. I seem to have too many days where I have too little energy. I have always  been actively engaged. Feel good. Life is grand. Coping with fatigue, pain and fuzzy brain started with the sudden onset of rheumatoid arthritis and was completely foreign to me. Well, It is not a stranger anymore. My cancers seem to leave me the …

CA Attitude: Survive and Thrive

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My goal for this web page is to show others fighting the good cancer fight that there are wonderful resources to help you to  survive and to thrive. This site is new and I have a lot to add. A person with cancer does not have to be alone. There are endless individuals, organizations and also professional who would love to help you on your journey. My plan is to introduce you to many in Albuquerque. We have much more than Breaking Bad. If you are looking for something now. Email me at:   marymann@comcast.net and maybe I can point you in the right direction. You do have to do the work to survive and you are surviving by being here. Thriving is a challenge too. A little more fun than surviving but both are equally important.