Jennifer Goodman Linn You Fearless

Monthly Archives: May 2007

05.31.2007 Posted 8:53 pm

May 31st – Who Wants to Have Surgery over the Summer Anyway?

I had my 3rd CT scan since I started this round of chemo and the great news is that the chemo continues to work. My tumors continue to shrink and I am showing “excellent response” compared to most patients. Of course, this is a huge relief.
I sometimes find that I have to catch myself from saying to the Doctors, “But I showed excellent response last time and you told me I was in the top 5% of responses from all patients and my cancer still came back!” Of course, this type of attitude is not productive. I just need to accept that every exam with an absence of bad news is, in fact, a step in the right direction. According to the Doctors, it doesn’t matter what chemo cocktail I respond to, as long as I respond to one. So, let’s hope the cocktail I am getting every Friday works for good.
I find that the more I learn about cancer, the more I realize how ongoing treatment is a science …

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05.13.2007 Posted 4:08 pm

May 13th – Looking for a Happy Medium

I just finished my 4th round of chemotherapy on Friday. I am sitting home dealing with the unfortunate side effects that accompany the first few days after my “big dose” treatment. The steroids I used to take would make me jittery and keep me up all night…however, they also prevented nausea. Since I did not like them, my doctor agreed to lower my dosage. However, now, I am up all night feeling nauseous! It’s a trade-off between insomnia and nausea and I chose nausea. At least this only lasts for a few days.
I have been very aware of the fact that I have been acting schizophrenic lately. Don’t worry, all of the treatments have not contributed to giving me a mental disorder. However, I feel like I am often giving mixed signals to people regarding how I want to be treated during this process. Most of the time, I want to be treated “normal” and I don’t want people to dwell on my disease. However, sometimes, …

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