Breast Cancer and Lymphedema


These post are all about having the breast cancer gene and getting a preventative double mastectomy and a oophorectomy at the same time (not recommended), then finding out one breast had three tumours, and cancer might have spread through the lymphatic system, so getting an auxiliary lymph node dissection, which left me cancer free but rocking lymphedema. Along the way, I learned an awful lot about how broken our health care system currently is. It's been a long strange trip. (These are all also posted in my Medium publication: Off My Chest, Literally

On Justified Worry - written just before leaving for the hospital - 10/16
On Recovery in All its Glory - reporting from the day after - 10/16
One of the Lucky Few - surgery went better than expected - 10/16
Just a Flesh Wound - what a double mastectomy feels like - 10/16
Now I'm Trendy, Dammit - on rocking a flat chest - 11/16
Preventing Ovarian Cancer Program Logistics - how it all works - 11/16
On Character - is it brave just to survive - 11/16
On Missing the Girls - adjusting to my new body - 11/16
A Genius Kvetching Ring - for dealing with the well-meaning but unhelpful - 11/16
Back to Work Boobless - a little daunting, but trauma-free  - 11/16
And the Saga Continues - finding out cancer might have spread - 12/16
On Cancer Doulas - finding out that I could have had way more help! - 12/16
Crazy-Making Cancer Treatment - lamenting the health care system - 02/17
On Becoming a Woman - Mid-Life Edition - on hot flashes and more - 03/17
Another Surgery Down - auxiliary lymph node removal - 05/17
More Doctors and Nurses - Less Waiting - fixing health care - 05/17
Another Trip to the ER - or why did my surgeon suck! - 05/17
On Mistakes - how we need to change health care so doctors can fess up about errors - 05/17
Taking Comfort in Stoicism - 06/17
Lymphedema: A Research Study Overview - 06/17
A Referral for a Referral for a Referral - damn the bureaucracy in health care!  - 06/17
On that Year that Kicked my Ass, and that Time My Ass Kicked Back - wild womening - 07/17
On Regret - lymphedema is a bugger!  - 07/17
Chest Tattoo with Side of Lymphedema - starting, then getting scared to finish a tat - 07/17
Prevention as an Ounce of Cure - one-stop shopping for everything I know about lymphedema -08/17
On the Absurdist Victory - All is Well - using philosophy to help myself cope with it all - 08/17

On Fosterig Illusions and the Qualitative Leap - when mistaken claims get in the way - 03/18
On Being a Gadfly or Just a Bitch - what to do in the face of pseudoscience - 07/19
Two Years Later - what I've learned about coping with lymphedema - 07/19

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