Jennifer Goodman Linn You Fearless

Monthly Archives: July 2007

07.30.2007 Posted 7:40 pm

Giving Surgery a Good Name

I am happy to report that I am getting better each day. I have sworn off the Vicodin and am now getting by on tons of Tylenol and sleep. The appetite is starting to come back and I have been doing a ton of walking which has gotten easier every day. What is so nice about recovery this time is that it is taking place during the summer! My last two surgeries were in December and January so I had no choice but to stay indoors. Now, I can get out a bit more. I have had a really great time “rediscovering” the city through my walks. I have been seeing lots of friends by making dates to walk in Central Park or to “escort” my friends to their jobs in midtown. If anyone is looking for a walking companion, just call me up!
I have been so, so touched by all of the wonderful “get well” messages I have received! Dave and I are constantly reminded of just how wonderful …

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07.24.2007 Posted 9:57 am

There’s No Place Like Home!

It is Monday and it is so good to be home! I spent more time in the hospital than I had planned (6 days) and was very anxious to get back to my own bed. I am still very, very sore and my stomach is very distended (I tried to smile when someone wished me “good luck” with my pregnancy today!) but I feel progress every day. After a week or two recuperating at home, I should be as good as new!
Although it stinks to be in the hospital, all in all, it was a really good experience. The surgery was very successful according to my Dr’s (we will find out more next week) and I was beyond lucky to get a huge, private room during my 6 night stay. I had visits from tons of family and friends, received a few wonderful foot massages, and met some really inspiring patients as I conducted my daily walk around the floor (after stomach surgery, Dr’s make you get up and start …

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07.17.2007 Posted 4:40 pm

July 17th – Update

Posted 5:00PM by David Linn
Hi Friends and Family!
Our star patient is recovering very well from surgery. Jen is in some pain and is very tired, but overall she is doing great. She’s been resting most of the day, but she did get up for 2 slow walks today with her IV.
Some of you asked about visitors. Yes, Jen is up for visitors although we all need to make sure she is getting enough rest. She is open to visitors this week at the hospital, but she is particulary interested in visitors next week when she’ll likely be at home with a bit more energy and mobility.
You can reach me by email or cell phone, or you may be able to reach Jen on her cell phone. Those are better options than the room phone since it doesn’t have caller ID, making it tough for me to screen your calls 🙂
Seriously, feel free to call either of us at any point, but I’ll try to keep adding updates to this …

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07.16.2007 Posted 9:55 pm

July 16th – We Need to Stop Meeting Like This

10:30PM Posted by David Linn
Today was another stressful, but happy day in our fight against cancer.
This morning, Jen blasted a bunch of Rocky music to get in the right frame of mind. There’s nothing like “Eye of the Tiger” to start the day off right! Then, as we walked out of our apartment, Jen saw that our neighbors had posted an inspirational sign on their door that said, “WE HATE TUMORS TOO!” Jen was now definitely ready for her surgery. Thanks, Nick and Erica. The sign was perfect.
As some of you know, the surgery is not an easy thing to go through. Jen wasn’t able to eat for almost 48 hours, and she had to wait at the hospital for about 6 hours before she was brought into the operating room.
However, I’m very happy to report that the surgery went well. The doctors removed the two tumors in her abdomen area. They did not see any other areas of concern.
Jen is very tired and in quite a bit of pain, …

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07.15.2007 Posted 9:32 am

July 15th – Three Times A Charm

Dave and I found out this past Thursday that I will be having my third surgery this coming Monday, July 16th. The surgery was always expected but I thought it would be later on (around September). The good news is that the chemo is working really well and the reason for the surgery being pushed up is because my surgeon is thinking that if we wait much longer, the tumors will be completely gone and he won’t be able to see and “study” anything.
I told my team of Doctors that I wanted to do the most aggressive thing possible…and that is surgery.
So, overall good news but the short notice was totally unexpected! I rushed back to the office Thursday afternoon to make the most of the 1 day I had to get things set. I will likely be out of work for at least 3 weeks. My Dr’s are confident that this surgery will be fairly straightforward (like the last one). I will most likely be at MSKCC for …

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07.7.2007 Posted 6:07 pm

July 7th – I am So Tired of Dealing with This!

The last few weeks I have been very sad. Although I try to put on a happy face most of the time, it would be unrealistic for me to be cheerful all of the time. Dave and I have made it our intention to not give in to cancer. We refuse to change our lives because of this horrible disease. We go to work, we socialize with friends and we get chemo once a week. It has just become part of our lives…something that we need to fit in to our busy schedules. Although we prioritize my health, the minute we begin to accommodate it too much, it means that the cancer has won…and we refuse to let that happen.
However, living our lives this way does not mean that there aren’t moments or days that we are very in touch with how much it SUCKS. How much I HATE the fact that every Friday afternoon I have to show up for chemo. How much I HATE that the drugs’ side …

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