After the Cyclone….

“Midway along the journey of our life I awoke to find myself in a dark wood.” In 2007, at 45 years of age, I awoke to find myself in a dark wood, diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. I had always been healthy and I had lived a healthy lifestyle so this news came as quite a [...]

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I’m Hungry!

This is a significant development…..because I have not felt hunger for 2 1/2 years….not once! Until today! Initially, the tumor in my stomach prevented me from feeling hunger and then, the stomach surgery prevented the feeling. For two and a half years, I’ve eaten not because my body tells me that it’s hungry but simply [...]

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The Next New Thing…

First, I’ll report that there’s no news about my esophagram. Stay tuned for the latest developments. Second, thank goodness I’m well enough to stay on top of my health care! I called my oncologist’s office this morning….”I haven’t heard from you. Should I be coming in for a post-op and labs?”…..”Why, YES! How about tomorrow”. [...]

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Today’s Procedure

Hey!  I got to do something new today!!  I had an esophagram to see why I’ve been having problems swallowing.  I’ve had several incidents when I’ve choked on food….scrambled eggs, refried beans, salad.  The food gets partially down my throat and gets stuck, or, if it does continue down, it can be painful.  This usually [...]

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Dumping Syndrome

This fellow probably could have out-walked me today. I did pretty well though: 20 minutes on the treadmill this morning and two miles with Ava this afternoon. And then…. This is another one of those “Too Much Information” posts, primarily intended for those anticipating a partial gastrectomy. When Dr. Burke removed my tumor, he took [...]

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My Cancerversary

One year ago today, I found myself in the emergency room at Legacy Salmon Creek Hospital in Vancouver, Washington. I was in the Portland area at the time, house-sitting for friends and caring for their dogs while they were on vacation. I had Sophie and her second litter with me at the time and had [...]

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New Banner

My new banner, a field of poppies on Bornholm in Denmark (of course!), is in celebration of my “Cancerversary” tomorrow.  I originally began my blog with a Wizard of Oz analogy (see “My Journey With Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma” at the top of this page), as I (Dorothy) entered the Woods (Cancer) with Toto (Herbie) and good [...]

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Post-Op Appointment

I met with my surgeon yesterday for a post-op appointment. My incision is healing well and I’ve been OK’d to eat whatever I want and do whatever I want. I still have a lot of healing to do, of course, so I listen to my body which, for the most part, has been saying…..”REST!!!” A [...]

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Partial Gastrectomy

Lunch today was a hard boiled egg….and I was stuffed afterward! “The Daily Plate” on Livestrong.com has been a great tool for me to record everything that I eat throughout the day. It counts calories for me and tracks nutrient intake, too, so I can see where my diet has fallen short. Yesterday I somehow [...]

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I’m Home!

It’s so good to be home! I’m sore and I’m weak but doing relatively well. It’ll take a couple of months to regain my strength….and my appetite….but I should be back to normal in a few months, and ready to take some new puppies into the show ring. Thank you all for your support over [...]

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