No Nonsense Wisdom

Say the Thing. Skip the throat-clearing.

  • Rebuilding

    We are a little over two weeks past the most recent reconstructive surgery which included a fat graft and reduction… As I stated, I went out of order about my original cancer journey. I should have discussed my plastic surgery consult prior to the mastectomy. I met with Dr. Rhemtulla while I was still newly… Continue reading

  • Cancer Removal Part II

    Well, we are two days post surgery on the lumpectomy.  Honestly,  I feel good.  My mom and sister came down to be there for the surgery and mom stayed to help out a few days.  Knowing I couldn’t do too much in the way of lifting and hard work, such as being in the garden,… Continue reading

  • Reconciling What I Wanted in Surgery vs. The Reality

    So, I survived the 6 months of chemotherapy. And honestly? I was eager for the next step. I’m that person who looks past where we are and immediately asks, okay but what’s next? I had my consult with my breast surgeon, and after how well I did in chemo, I was thinking, “hell yeah, lumpectomy… Continue reading

  • Wanting It to Work Isn’t the Same as It Working

    I am the type of person who people tend to spill their guts to whether I want to hear it or not. So, that opens it up for me to give advice here and there. One of the things I keep having to tell younger people is, pay attention to what is being said to… Continue reading

  • Poisoned on Purpose

    Well, the problem with being Stage 3 was that the only choice I had was to start with Chemo.  I’ll admit, I kept all my documentation from it, including the medicine consult that listed the meds, and what the side effects would be, but I am also too lazy to go pull them out to… Continue reading

  • Running the Testing and Treatment Gauntlet — and Surviving the Stress That Came With It

    As I mentioned in my previous entry, I initially wrote off the mammogram that started this whole journey as a weird anomaly, then later as some kind of insurance money grab. Unfortunately, I was very wrong. When the second mammogram confirmed what the first one found, I had some serious thinking to do. I went… Continue reading

  • What To Do When Everyone Around You Suddenly Becomes an Oncologist

    I’ll preface this by saying that most people who give you advice during your cancer journey are coming from a good place. They mean no ill will, and they genuinely believe they’re being helpful. But what they’re actually offering is unsolicited advice about what their friend, their aunt, or whoever they know once did —… Continue reading

  • Before Everyone Became an Oncologist

    I do not intend this to be a cancer blog.  However, this first series of entries will be about cancer and my experience/coping mechanisms. This is the first in a series about what it actually takes to get through a cancer diagnosis — not just the medicine, but the parts nobody tells you about, like… Continue reading