The Thing I Didn’t Want for My Birthday But Got Anyway
TL;DR:
Navigating when to tell people about a “bad” diagnosis is hard. I’m opting to over communicate.
The diagnosis is not the beginning or the end. It’s the messy middle.
To my closest friends who read this, I wish I could have told each of you in person. I’m sorry that I couldn’t do so.
I turned 49 yesterday. My birthday wish list this year included the following:
To NOT have cancer
A new beaded or silver apple watch band
A jelly roll pan for the toaster oven to replace one mysteriously lost in the move
A baby wipe warmer (I wash my face with baby wipes every evening and as the weather gets colder I want them warm)
I got everything on my list except number 1.
Last week, I shared that I would be mid-procedure to continue the diagnostics of whatever was going on with my body when the newsletter published. Thanks to the magic of scheduling and automatic releases, that is indeed what happened.
The procedure I was having was an endometrial biopsy which is done via a procedure with the acronym D & C - dilate and curettage. The news coming out of the procedure was pretty clear - and it was confirmed on Thursday. I have cancer.
The good news is that it is Endometrial Cancer, Grade 1 which is the best possible grade to get diagnosed at. The next good news is that it is potentially - and I’m even saying likely - going to be fully treated by a surgery I was going to ask my doctors about anyway - a hysterectomy.
This past week was rough. From the fog of anesthesia to some minor post procedure discomfort to hearing it was likely cancer on Monday to waiting for what felt like months to get to an actual diagnosis to the relief that it is grade 1 and is likely treatable through surgery. And, I managed to pass out again this week and Gayle and I made yet another trip to the ER. Kudos to the Noblesville and Westfield first responders who got here and enormous gold stars to Gayle for coolness under pressure.
I debated sharing this here, but I want you all to know why I might go quiet for a bit as I navigate appointments, more procedures, and tests. Right now, I’m scheduled for the oncologist in two weeks which feels like an eternity. I am also going to share my journey pretty publicly, although not here first. From here forward, except when it ties in directly to a topic I want to talk about in this article, you’ll find the full details over on my blog and in the What I Published section below. Which needs to get way more active. I need to write. Badly!
I’m going to do my best to redirect the newsletter back to our normal kinds of topics on improving your life through simple ideas and tips. This forum will not be about my cancer journey but if you are inclined you will still be able to follow along.
If you’re wondering what you can do to support this journey, I’ve got a whole section below about that. I also welcome all the prayer, positive vibes, and good energy you care to send my way.
For now, I’m enjoying all the time I possibly can with my family and friends. Kona is doing his level best to heal me through his love and devotion. And Gayle has already earned the BEST friend for life award. Please keep all of them in your thoughts as well. Cancer is a walk you don’t make alone.
Some Things You Might Find Interesting
Want to follow along with my writing: I need to write again. So, hopefully this week there will be a good amount of output - including Gayle and I finally posting our trip report from our Europe trip (that will be on I Wanna Be Me When I Grow Up blog). Check my writing out at all these places. Some stories are original only to one place and some are included in all the places I write:
Monarch Strategies LLC -
https://www.monarchstrategiesllc.com - click on the link to the blog
I Wanna Me Be When I Grow Up -
http://www.iwannabemewhenigrowup.com - click on the link to the blog
If you are a part of my community on circle, you’ll get all the Medium articles posted there as well since Medium has a paywall.
Filterbuy.com - We fired up our furnace this weekend and it also moved getting new furnace filters back up to the top of my priority list. Rather than buying filters one-off at the store, I love doing a 6 or 12 month subscription to Filterbuy.com. You get great quality filters, shipped right to your home. If you want you can even sign up for them to remind you to change your filter. I started using them at my previous house because the filter size was one that was hard to find in the store, but now it’s just so convenient I just want to stick with what I know to work great. And this isn’t an affiliate thing - I just really love their service. Check them out - http://www.filterbuy.com.
Water Beads - In the land of fun things I didn’t know existed, enter water beads. In all my reading this past week about ways to reduce stress and anxiety, I came across the idea of making your own “snow globe” type bottle filled with these water beads. You put about a teaspoon of them into a bottle or jar, fill with water, wait a bit and then you can play with the sensory toy you’ve made. This seems like it might be a cool grandma/auntie (or grandpa/uncle) activity to do with the little ones to make fun holiday gifts for a special adult in the little one’s life.
Keep Bugs Away With Peppermint Spray - Taking Kona in and out both the front and back of the house allows six and eight legged intruders into our home more easily than I’d like. I just saw you can spray a mix of 10 - 15 drops of peppermint essential oil and a cup of water around doors and windows to keep bugs out. Haven’t tried it yet but it’s going to get done this week. I may report back. Have any other bug tricks?
It’s marching band season in Indiana so I thought I’d share a marching band video with you this week to round out our tips.
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