Wednesday, April 30, 2008

GooD BumP!

How crazy is this...got a call this morning...my tests have been moved up to next week!! Yippee!

Crazy crazy crazy!

Hugs,
Liz

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Island Living

Unusually silent.

Not so comfortable sharing life's journey anymore. I want to though...

Really can't know what someone is experiencing until you actually walk a mile in their shoes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The medical system...
will be...
my downfall.

Saw the specialist...hearing words I did prediagnosis -- "it is probably nothing" -- I now encounter timing delays with tests...and experience recurring health issues...daily

The medical system...
will be...
my downfall.


I am an island.


Hugs,
Liz

Friday, April 4, 2008

Truth

I have been under a lot of stress...LOL, that is an understatement. I am back to barely eating, not being able to sleep, sitting around on the couch for hours at a time, crying more, headaches, not sure how I am going to cope with everything...and so on. I have some other concerns on the back of my mind, too, but I see one of my oncologists next week so I don't want to mention anything at the moment.

I feel like for any kind of forward movement I have made, I have now been thrown back the same distance times 2.

I was on the Mayo Clinic site and I found some info on endometrial cancer. Here is what I read: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/endometrial-cancer/DS00306/DSECTION=6

"Stage IV cancer is the most serious and means that the cancer has spread past the pelvic region and can affect the bladder, rectum and other parts of your body...[w]hen discovered early, endometrial cancer is usually treatable. However, in some women endometrial cancer reaches an advanced stage before diagnosis...[i]f you have late-stage or recurrent endometrial cancer, you may be at decreased odds for successful treatment... "

Some observations I noticed when I read this:

#1. My stomach did not fall out from within me when I read this. That is awesome! I remember when I was learning about my cancer at the beginning of this journey and so many times I had to stop reading (well, I tried to stop myself but I could not stop the torture...I usually kept reading hoping that what I was reading about my disease was a sick joke and that it was not as serious as the material I was reading said it was) because of the overwhelmingly ill feelings I had.

#2. Stage 4 is serious. I am that "some women" who had their endometrial cancer reach the advanced stage.

I thought I would conduct some research into my cancer again because I have some adversaries stating in important documents that I am fine, my treatment was "successful," my cancer is not that serious, I am "too young" to have anything serious come about from this cancer and that my "illness" is treatable...and so on.

Ignorance is bliss.

I will not allow them to shade the seriousness of my cancer nor belittle it anymore. It is not a pawn in a game nor is it a playing card to be tossed out at their will and convenience. It is a fact of my life...and no one can shade it a different colour or attempt to define it OR my experience...especially as they try to make light of the situation.

Here is some food for thought:

"How many legs does a dog have if you call the tail a leg? Four; calling a tail a leg doesn't make it a leg." Abraham Lincoln

Hugs,
Liz