When a Picture is Worth 1000 Words

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In Interlude,

Julie

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Third Time is the Charm!

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  Yesterday, on November 27th, 2024, I underwent my last infusion, successfully completing 15 months of cancer treatments. I am proud to say that, although I definitely did not want to undergo the regimen Dr Moore laid out to me last year, I did it! I did every last thing she told me to do, and actually still am, as I am on a not-so-fun estrogen inhibitor for the next five years. Tomorrow I get to have my port removed - yay! - and in less than 2 weeks we head off to California to snowbird for the winter. Life is looking a hell of a lot more livable this Thanksgiving than it did last: rejoice! Reflecting on my coining of the term "interlude" when this all began, I'm not so sure it fits as well as I hoped. I feel forever changed by this experience. It's definitely a demarcation point. Yet perhaps it still fits... second acts are never the same as firsts, are they? The best I can do now is to tuck away my three certificates, praying to God they are my last, and remind my...
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Why Interlude?

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  It's predawn on an October morning. I love October, this should be one of my favorite Octobers ever, as a recent retiree finally able to enjoy autumn full time. October was one of those things I was most looking forward to... but it's currently a bit of a bust. As was August and September, actually... cancer definitely is a pro at busting things up!  Yet, it's also a pro at shining a light on what actually counts in this transient life of mine. Connections, vitality, gratitude, discovery, contemplation, anticipation... I've decided my mantra for this experience is going to be "interlude," acknowledging this pause in the action, while implicitly signifying there is still life to be lived in my second act. I've decided to start this blog for two reasons, First, for anyone who might want to know updates but might be afraid of "bothering me," though I'd like to assure everyone it's not a bother at all to hear from you. In fact, it's sus...
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The Big C Lowdown

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Interested in what the medical side of a cancer journey is like?  Mine started with a routine mammogram this summer, which disclosed a suspicious area that had to be biopsied. On August 11th, I was diagnosed with noninvasive stage 0 DCiS, a very common diagnosis, and opted for the lightest course of action recommended to me, which was a lumpectomy followed by radiation. I was assigned a cancer navigator, who helps me coordinate all my care. Unfortunately and very surprisingly for me and my medical team, the surgical pathology results from my lumpectomy came back with a serious and rare form of invasive cancer: HER2+ ER+ PR+ Grade 3 micropapillary invasive carcinoma. Suddenly, everyone's demeanor became very serious. I then had an MRI and a second surgery to remove my sentinel lymph nodes, which thankfully came back clear. My tumor was small, 6 mm, and caught very early, so I’m at stage 1A, which is very curable. But my oncologist told me it's possible that it may have spread un...
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