Taking A Break

I’ve been taking a break from my blog. Well, actually, I’ve been taking a break from having breast cancer.

I know it’s breast cancer awareness month because everywhere I go I see pink ribbons–checking into a hotel in Palm Springs for a wedding huge digital pictures of pink ribbons adorn the outside wall of the entrance when we pull up; filling up the waiting room of one of my doctors at Cedars-Sinai in LA are huge pink balloon bouquets with huge pink ribbons; every time I get on the internet pink ribbons practically slap me in the face. It’s jarring to constantly see these huge pink reminders that I belong to this club. I keep thinking of that old Groucho Marx joke: I wouldn’t want to join any club that would have me as a member.

I’ve been in LA for three weeks now getting radiation treatments. Compared to chemo, radiation is practically a pleasure. I haven’t started feeling fatigued yet from the treatments and I can feel the chemo effects leaving my body, so for the first time in six months, I’m feeling like myself. I have some energy, I’m able to read again (what joy!) and I’ve started picking up my pen. I’ve been getting together with my wonderful friends and having fun, way too much fun for a gal who’s got cancer:>).

My hair is growing back. I’m engaged in my life. There’s still a long way to go: more surgery in December, Herceptin infusions until next May, estrogen blockers for who knows how long, follow up appointments every three months for two or three years. It’s the new normal. I don’t like it but it is what it is. And, I’m alive.

As usual, thanks for reading, and remember, don’t trust those mammograms!