One of the most frequent questions I get asked is about my treatment plan, and why chemo is happening before radiation instead of the other way around. Until it was posed to me, I hadn’t thought to even ask about the order. It turns out, practical, evidence-based reasons apply, though it still surprises me how new some treatment recommendations are. The order of operations really is tailored to individual circumstance.
Read moreTag: Running with cancer
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Marking time … and racing again.
This week has been one of milestones and moving forward. It’s been six months since I was diagnosed, four months since surgery, and with Tuesday’s infusion behind me, I’m half way through the chemotherapy portion of my treatment plan. When my mind goes to ‘when will all this be done?’ it’s a useful frame to remember everything that has happened already. In training terms, I’ve been putting in the work. And with that work, comes a reward … of sorts 😉
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T words: Triggers and trauma
As much as my experience with chemotherapy is better than I imagined it might be, this journey comes with its ups and downs that can be exhausting in their own right. It’s surprising what can upset your equilibrium.
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Fueling for the long run
I asked my medical oncologist today if this first cycle of chemotherapy could be looked at as a baseline — would it be repeatable over the next five rounds or should I expect something different each time? I was delighted when she said this should be the pattern and my experience should be similar each cycle. With the exception of two days of bone pain, and some general tiredness, I haven’t been bothered by a lot of the usual side effects.
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Finding a (new) baseline
When I signed up for my first half-marathon years ago, the idea of creating a training plan seemed daunting. But slowly, the plan did come together, helped by advice from my BFF, and other runners who had half-marathons and longer distances under their belt.
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Pre-race jitters: Chemo starts this week
I did a thing this last week — posting on my Facebook page about my diagnosis and what comes next with treatment. Though I’m not the biggest Facebook user these days, it seemed the best way to let my really wide circle of friends and colleagues know about what was going on in my life. I wanted to be able to tell my story first hand. It was also starting to feel weird that Facebook was the one place where I wasn’t talking about my diagnosis, and I didn’t want to be self-censoring my choice of platforms anymore.
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Everything changes
This post started last weekend, celebrating my first run on the mountain — a glorious way to spend Easter Sunday. After testing my legs on the treadmill at the gym, I was ready — though nervous — to see what it might feel like to run on the trails for the first time since surgery. And it was lovely, in all the ways you imagine.
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Souvenirs and self-image
Today marks four weeks since my surgery. I don’t know why that seems like an important date, but that is how it feels. More so because I’m still in that liminal space between diagnosis, surgery, and discovering what comes next based on a still unknown pathology report.
Slowly, my incisions are fading into what will be stories to tell to future training partners. It never occurred to me that these external marks would be a talisman of sorts — a reminder that my body can do hard things and heal from trauma that wasn’t invited in.
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Milestones and mild weather
Two Fridays ago, I unlocked a post-surgery milestone — I walked a 5k loop I’ve run many times before. I was surprised that I didn’t feel left out because I couldn’t join the evening runners who were out on the same route. Rather, I was enjoying the movement and that I wasn’t thinking about the effort. For a moment I could pretend that I’m not still waiting on my pathology results and my first post-op follow up appointment with my surgeon.
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Tapering? For surgery?
I was a little surprised when my phone showed that it was the hospital calling on Tuesday afternoon. My pre-surgery screening was already scheduled for Thursday, so maybe it was to move my appointment time? No, it was to confirm that my surgery will happen on Thursday, 8 February. Short taper.
Running from hysteria 