Monthly Archives: October 2010

no line on the horizon

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Emily

Following my hysterectomy in the early days of winter, 2008, my oncologist presented us with two treatment “options.” In my haze and numbness, I was largely unable to absorb information; Mike became my eyes and ears, as well as my … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, Death, fellow fighters, First Descents, Life After Cancer | Tagged acceptance, adoption, CA125, denial, destination, five-year survival rate, Grim Reaper, horizon, hysterectomy, Lemondrop, magical thinking, Mike, ovarian cancer, PATCO, realism, Sarah Sadtler Feather, scans, scopes, statistics | 8 Comments

a twisted blessing

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Emily

Two weeks ago, my delicious colonoscopy revealed no evidence suggestive of cancer, but something about my appendix struck my doctor as a bit curious. In the spirit of hyper-vigilance with which I am now and forever to be monitored – … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, medicine | Tagged agitation, anxiety, appendix, barium smoothie, bloodwork, colonoscopy, CT scan, IV, Nurse Sarah, pelvic exam, Penn Medicine, phone tag, reigmen, surveillance, test results | 2 Comments

never relent: thoughts on game six

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Emily

I could never/Give it up/I could never relent/And I can’t/Wait to see/ What will happen/To me next I will take my chances/’Cause anything can happen/I don’t believe it’s over/’Cause anything can happen Neil and Tim Finn Increasingly, over the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, First Descents, Life After Cancer, Philadelphia | Tagged 10K, 2008, beautiful sea of red, Denver, duck-fuzz hair, First Descents, Marhaba, neuropathy, NLCS, Phillies, possibility, Rock 'n' Roll marathon, scars, tears, treadmill, World Series | Leave a comment

when the hangover strikes

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Emily

During law school, my husband often talked about the hangover that would strike after the extreme stress and pressure of preparing for exams. You focus, you strain, you concentrate so hard, and once the exams are over, you find yourself … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, medicine, running | Tagged appendix, colonoscopy, confusion, Cooper River, CT scan, darkness, demon, depression, exams, genetics, Haddonfield, hangover, head-on collision, iPod, law school, optical illusion, running, suburbs, upper endoscopy | 1 Comment

these things help

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Emily

I am generally averse to lists. But on a Friday afternoon, shorthand is useful. And since I spent last evening processing my pre-scope anxiety in a rather more flowerly fashion than I’d originally intended, let me try to break it … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, First Descents, Life After Cancer, medicine | Tagged anxiety, Citizens Bank Park, fabulous husband, Fridge, giving cancer the bird, no-hitter, referrals, Roy Halladay, Shotgun, sunshine | 2 Comments

dreams, whiplash and pre-scope anxiety (oh my!)

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Emily

It is expected and logical that the eve of two surveillance scopes (lower and upper GI in a delicious one-two punch) would find me in a somewhat heightened state of anxiety. The psychological whiplash goes something like this: Spend an … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, Death, First Descents, Life After Cancer, medicine, running, Work | Tagged 10K, adoption seminar, anxiety, buzz-kill, colonoscopy, Dali, David Cronenberg, Denver Marathon, Dr. Chu, First Descents, going nuclear, HNPCC, NLDS, Nurse Sarah, Paul Thomas Anderson, recurrence, referrals, upper endoscopy | 1 Comment