Patient & Researcher Blog
Here I aim to capture what I am learning as a newbie researcher from a patient perspective.
Living with a slow growing brain cancer
It is taboo for researchers to talk about their work before it is published.
I think that’s a bummer.
My favorite part about research is learning new things in real time. Here I share my observations as a learner and my n of 1 (personal) findings as a patient.
Note: I started blogging about brain cancer in 2008, at age 29.
I had no background or knowledge about healthcare when I began. Please excuse typos and other misconceptions. What you read here is me in real time, like a time capsule.
There are more than 500 posts here. Use this search to look for something specific. Good luck!
Quoted in The Health Care Blog
Woah! Check me out... I was quoted in a story in TheHealthCareBlog.com. My part is near the end of the article... but you should read the whole thing.
What are your post-brain surgery deficits?
My right-side balance and knowledge of where my body is space is so out of whack that I can't put my leg behind my body and just KNOW WHERE IT IS.
This is almost a haiku
Something I'm afraid of: death. Something I'm not afraid of: death. Funny how that works.
Certificate of participation: cancer edition
But a medal and a survivor lap around a track? It makes me feel like entertainment.
Transitioning from treatment to survivor “anxiety” is normal
If I listened to my own advice I'd know that this transition phase is going to suck, but I will never have to do it again.
Cancer dream
The crab keeps running past me, reaching his gigantic pinchers toward my legs and feet. Finally, after a few passes around the coffee table, he finally gets me and snaps a chunk of flesh from my calf.
Why do we have brain cancer?
The causes of brain cancer are unknown. However, certain factors increase a person's risk of developing it. Compare your answers with mine. Maybe we'll find a common link.
Who am I without chemotherapy?
I can count on my hands the number of days it will be until I begin my last week of chemotherapy. I am overjoyed. And excited. And ready to be done. And I am completely terrified.
Can you be OK with the unknown when you will have cancer for the rest of your life?
People talk about how tired they are and I want to smack them upside the head and say, "You think you're tired?" But I restrain myself. And I'm cool with that.