Adventures of the Poor, Little Boob

   This journal is about my journey with DCIS which began in January 2024. Ductal Carcinoma in Situ. A form of breast cancer. I didn't tell many people. Family, a handful of close friends. I didn't even tell my bosses at the museum where I teach. Somewhere along the line after much prodding and poking, I decided the My DCIS Journey was too boring so retitled the journal Adventures of the Poor, Little Boob.

The Poor, Little Boob has been cancer-free since June 0f 2024, and still has another year of taking hormone therapy and being monitored by an oncologist. My target date for ending the medication and this journey is June1, 2027

One thing that I want to mention, that I didn't mention last week, is my diagnosis was found on a routine mammogram and the cancer was caught in a very, early stage. I had no pain, no bumps, lumps. Nothing out of the ordinary. I had no clue anything was going on. So, if you're putting off getting that mammogram, don't! I urge you to keep up with the mammograms. I know it's a PITA, but I'm the poster child for routine mammogram and early cancer detection.

I finally got a call from my primary care and she went over the results of the biopsy and diagnosis. I told her that I would like to be treated at Dana Farber and she said she didn't think that was a problem. She thought many patients from the medical group had been treated there.

Now that my diagnosis was official, there were so many emotions that I felt. Worry, fear, and not knowing what was going to happen. Shock, sadness. Why me? The feeling of being lost at sea and anger because I was not going to have control.

My cancer was caught very early. So reasonable to assume a positive outcome. That also made me feel guilty. What I was going to go through wasn't close to what others had gone through. I had  Imposter's Syndrome. Like saying I had cancer when it really was a hangnail. So that's why I didn't tell many people I had cancer.

T Stands for I Wish

 

I was the cup and saucer. Today. would have been Robert Be Still My Heart Redford's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday, Bob.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth's blog to find out what the rest of the T Stands For gang is up to. If you want to play, include in your Tuesday post a beverage or container for a beverage. Don't forget to link your blog to Bleubeard and Elizabeth's page.

Monet and Miro, and Me

are resuming Two Old Ladies on the Road from the Ogunquit trip at the end of June 2026

27. June. I woke up at 6:30 am and thought TFE. Too early. I thought I'd just lounge in bed, but fell asleep. I woke up at 8:30. I had a leisurely breakfast of oatmeal and a bagel.

Mornings are luxuriously slow for us. Quiet. Minimal chatting. We each have downtime to work in puzzle books (Teague) or journal (me). 

For a late lunch, we decided to head North to the next town over in Wells. We stopped at Billy's Chowder House. It's on the Ogunquit River. We were seated at the window (I think it helps being old ladies) and had a nice view of the river and marshland. I had a salad and a cup of clam chowder.

After lunch we drove along the coast to Kennebunk. There were lots of beautiful beach houses to admire and dream about.

On the way back we stopped in Saco at Sherman's Maine Coast Book Shops. It was a nice shop to putter in. Books, souvenirs, stationery. I was glad there was a nice art and stationery area as I had forgotten to bring a pencil sharpener and my colored pencils were pretty blunt. I found a nice blue sharpener that would catch the shavings. I also found, to my surprise, a Micron Pigma Pen. The one I had brought was drying out.

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Around the farm. Lots of squash flowers, but no fruit. Some sort of pest has been after the plants so Himself sprinkled them with diatomaceous earth, a natural insecticide

A tomato plant took over this garden. It looks more like one of the sea monsters from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Red Amaranth

A green thing that looks like lettuce, but I don't think it is.

Asters

Brown Eyed Susans

Peaches though I think they should have been removed so the tree puts its efforts into roots and leaves for strong growth. At least according to Mr. Google

If you look very carefully, you can see one, small ear of corn

Nasturtium

Rocky, the knight I carved some 25+ years ago is still holding up

Goldenrod. I read some gardening thing that said when the goldenrod blooms, there are six weeks left until the first frost. Very sad face.

Beans and marigolds

Cherry tomatoes and nasturtiums

The moss rose has a companion and looks like the made a little moss rose

Sunrise

Sunset

Cucumbers and Brown eyed Susans

How does your garden grow?

Happy, Little, Time Wasters

 

Did you know you can laminate anything at home using nothing but a Ziploc bag?

The Friday Five Good Things

 Five good things that happened this week.

1. Himself had fried eggplant and zucchini. I put them together to make a Parmigiana. Himself went to get Italian bread because it was too humid to bake.

2. Leftover Parmigiana and no cooking for me

3. The Eldest and I took a ride to Hopkinton State Park. The lake was closed because of poor water conditions. On the way home Himself asked us to pick up a Powerball ticket ($9 M.) so we also got Iced Blue Coconut Matcha from Starbuck's

4. Errands and dinner at the Post Office Pub

5. Blood test, and 6 month oncology check up. 😊Out to breakfast

How was your week? 

TBT Reprints from CJ's Whine and Cheeze

   In 2003, Ma had a stroke. Dad was her full time caregiver until he he had a car accident that totaled the car. So in 2006, I became their chauffeur among other jobs.

At the time, to deal with the stress of running two households and working, I kept a blog entitled CJ's Whine and Cheeze. Egged on by some friends who enjoyed the first read through, you'll see your part when it comes by.

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Perfect Gift

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