cancer – day 18
long, long day, lots of pain. will have to write about it later.
Continue reading »Category: The Cielem’el Survival & Growth Journal
The Cielem’el Survival and Growth Journal evolved out of two web logs I have maintained over time.
Begun in 2009 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32, The Cielem’el Cancer Journal documented my trials, tribulations, and spiritual growth during breast cancer treatment, with information on the diagnoses, surgeries, chemotherapy treatments, radiation, and hormone therapy treatments, as well as all the personal and professional life stuff that still goes on throughout living a life with cancer. As a breast cancer survivor, I endeavor to inspire other young women like myself to fully engage and manage their cancer and treatments, and know that there are many women out there who are experiencing a similarly challenging emotional journey. Life doesn’t stop because you have cancer, it just gets more challenging.
About a year after finishing radiation, while still posting to The Cielem’el Cancer Journal, I started posting The Cielem’el Personal & Spiritual Growth Blog, which focused more clearly on areas of personal growth, self-development, and spiritual growth. My life journey and growth as a person neither began nor ended with cancer, and the Personal Growth blog was more of a continual journal of life experiences and learnings along my ongoing life journey beyond cancer. The journey honestly began when I was a newborn, shuffled and abused in multiple foster homes before being adopted by absolutely wonderful parents, and my life journey, consciously and continuously seeking personal growth, self development, and spiritual growth continues to evolve.
Over time it became clear that these two subjects cannot be divorced and maintained separately, because it is everything together that makes my web log what it is, meaning, an online journal of life experiences, survival, and growth from the perspective of someone who has survived multiple severe life trials and nurtured a conscious approach to personal and spiritual growth and self development. Hence, The Cielem’el Survival & Growth Journal. :)
cancer – day 17
There are still a lot of people I should have let know about the surgery and what’s going on with me, so I did an e-mail blast tonight. This entry basically contains the same thoughts and comments as that e-mail.I am sorry to send you this news in an e-mail blast, but I wanted to let you know that I […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 16
Wow, I haven’t slept in my master bedroom in over a year I think, not since before Kingsford died, a year ago March. Mom and Dad were at the ready when I got home, and out on the front porch before I even got out of the car. We started talking and next thing you know it’s late. So the […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 15
Wow, what a painful day. My stitches both hurt and itch, my entire right breast is yellow with bruising, and my left side is getting strained from overuse compensating for my right. I tried to only take Tylenol so my mind would be clear for the Argentine workshops today, but it just hurt too much. Then in the workshops, well, […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 14
Hmmm, long day, didn’t sleep enough again, spent the morning at the hospital getting poked & not really any new info for surgical “pre-op.” I’m getting jumpy from lack of sleep, I think I’ve only had 2-3 hours sleep a night since last weekend. So, maybe 10 hours in the last 4-5 nights. No wonder I’m getting short tempered. I […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 13
Oh boy. My cardiologist is NOT happy, at all. Because of the adria myacin, a cardio toxin they use in chemotherapy drugs, a person’s heart can be weakened by chemotherapy treatment, and I have to come off my heart medicine during chemo. We have to do an echocardiogram before the chemo starts, and again when the chemo is done, and […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 12
We got our first good news today. None of the new biopsies showed additional malignant tumors. The left side biopsies all showed normal (but very dense) fibrous tissue, and the right side tested as benign but they’re going to take a big chunk of it during surgery anyway and do a more extensive pathology on it.Surgery will be Monday or […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 11
You know, if it weren’t complicated, the name on the chart probably wouldn’t be Cynthia Miller. I ended up being up too late last night given that I knew I had to be up early to go to the biopsies. But Mark had to work after dinner, he had a conference call at like 9:30PM, and so I spent some […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 10
OK, this is going to sound dumb, but for those of you that know me professionally as well as personally you’re going to totally get a bang out of this little story. I met with the radiological oncologist today. I thought it would be the typical 15-30 minute consultation, but it was 2-1/2 hours! You wouldn’t believe how much I […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 10
After a crazy-busy work morning, I meet the radiological oncologist today. After which I’ll set my bum down in a Starbucks to work until I go meet Mark to practice at 6:30PM. I’m looking forward to that. I was missing practicing and we haven’t been dancing much at the milongas with all my tests and procedures making my body not […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 9
One of my friends suggested I keep a journal of this experience because some day it could be helpful to other young women who get breast cancer. I had to decide what date to start counting from . . . the day my doctor found the lump, the day the mammogram showed the tumor, or maybe the day I got […]
Continue reading »cancer – day 0
And here we are again, shock. And not shock. This was the phone call I was expecting. I didn’t think it would be quite so difficult to get an answer out of the medical community. They’d done this core biopsy the morning before, had me in pain, and yet, because my surgeon who ordered the biopsy was out of the […]
Continue reading »cancer – pre-day 0
Friday, April 18, 2008 Shock. And not shock. This was the phone call I was expecting. It looks like cancer. Saturday, April 19, 2008 And for those of you who know how important the 19th is to me, especially this one marking 5 ½ years, well, there’s the effect of that on my emotions to consider as well. The bad […]
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