The latest episode continued the saga of Kitty and her cancer. She was diagnosed with stage III NHL, given only two treatment options: R-CHOP and some other protocol in Boston, and sent home. Contrast to my experience, my cardiologist sent me immediately to the ER for an emergency CT scan before I even knew it was cancer. I had state IIb and my situation was so severe (not dire, just severe) that I stayed at the hospital for a full week before I eventually left to start chemo at NIH. Meanwhile, Kitty goes home and her family debates on whether she should have standard R-CHOP or some other protocol (I've never heard of it). She goes wedding dress shopping, has dinner with her family (where she eventually tells them all), and looks pretty good for someone who was just diagnosed.
I liked the way the writers handled the storyline for the most part, but there were a lot of things that irked me. I also felt that they made it political and part of the national health care debate with their discussion of the Boston clinical trial and how the FDA is so slow to approve new treatment and such. I was just annoyed because they tipped their hand as to their "agenda" when they could have focused on what a newly diagnosed person feels and goes through. Thankfully, they moved past that pretty quickly.
I wish the oncology doctor had also explained the treatment options a little better. I understand it's tv but her explanation felt really rushed and short. She also said there were only two options and it's not true. EPOCH is highly regarded in the National Cancer Institute as an effective treatment over R-CHOP. The success rates have been very good (and I'm proof!) There are other treatments out there so they could have just said that and then said the standard is R-CHOP. Another option is radiation and they didn't even mention it.
Let's see how they handle the rest of it. I am glad to see them try, but please be a little more realistic and educate the viewers. Unfortunately, a lot of people have experience with cancer and we will all be watching carefully.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Kitty has NHL
I don't know if you follow "Brothers & Sisters," but the writers have "given" Kitty (played by Calista Flockhart) diffuse large b-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. My first thought was, "No!" It's too close to home. Mike looked at me like he thought the same thing. Seriously? Exactly my cancer. It's interesting to note that not only does Kitty have NHL, but Lynette on "Desperate Housewives" also had it a couple of seasons ago. I felt the same sucker-punch in the gut when Lynette was diagnosed. I know they are fictional characters, but it's like watching it happen to me all over again. All of the memories came rushing back.
I watched the story unfold and thought about it a bit more. October is breast cancer awareness month and as a NHL survivor, I always feel a little like my cancer and others are overlooked. I support all cancer research, but I feel just a teeny bit jealous of all the pink (even the NFL has gone pink). I hope Kitty's diagnosis will educate others about cancer - any kind of cancer. People who don't know what it's like, got to see first-hand Kitty getting a bone marrow biopsy to stage the cancer.
Out of curiosity, I checked the blogosphere earlier to see the reaction to the cancer diagnosis. Most people think it's to boost ratings (and it probably is), but at the same time I hope the show educates viewers. I was the most bothered by some bloggers who assume that the writers are trying to kill off Kitty with the cancer diagnosis. Yes, cancer is terrible and people die every day but it's not an automatic death sentence and I'm living proof. Again, I hope the writers educate people on what cancer patients deal with in fighting the terrible disease but also on how to live with a cancer diagnosis.
One final thought. I will be watching closely to see how they write it into the show. I didn't like how Kitty was told her diagnosis in the doctor's office and then sent home. I was sent to the ER for an emergency CT and was admitted overnight. I stayed in the hospital for a full week until I was supposed to start chemo (went to NIH instead). The doctors told me that large diffuse b-cell is a pretty agressive tumor and can grow quickly so they moved fairly rapidly to get me started on treatment. Things moved slowly on last night's show. I just ask that they be fairly realistic in how they portray it. I want to see Kitty lose her hair, puke her guts out, and lose her energy - that's the reality. Grey's Anatomy has done a fairly decent job with Izzie's brain cancer so I expect the same from these writers.
I watched the story unfold and thought about it a bit more. October is breast cancer awareness month and as a NHL survivor, I always feel a little like my cancer and others are overlooked. I support all cancer research, but I feel just a teeny bit jealous of all the pink (even the NFL has gone pink). I hope Kitty's diagnosis will educate others about cancer - any kind of cancer. People who don't know what it's like, got to see first-hand Kitty getting a bone marrow biopsy to stage the cancer.
Out of curiosity, I checked the blogosphere earlier to see the reaction to the cancer diagnosis. Most people think it's to boost ratings (and it probably is), but at the same time I hope the show educates viewers. I was the most bothered by some bloggers who assume that the writers are trying to kill off Kitty with the cancer diagnosis. Yes, cancer is terrible and people die every day but it's not an automatic death sentence and I'm living proof. Again, I hope the writers educate people on what cancer patients deal with in fighting the terrible disease but also on how to live with a cancer diagnosis.
One final thought. I will be watching closely to see how they write it into the show. I didn't like how Kitty was told her diagnosis in the doctor's office and then sent home. I was sent to the ER for an emergency CT and was admitted overnight. I stayed in the hospital for a full week until I was supposed to start chemo (went to NIH instead). The doctors told me that large diffuse b-cell is a pretty agressive tumor and can grow quickly so they moved fairly rapidly to get me started on treatment. Things moved slowly on last night's show. I just ask that they be fairly realistic in how they portray it. I want to see Kitty lose her hair, puke her guts out, and lose her energy - that's the reality. Grey's Anatomy has done a fairly decent job with Izzie's brain cancer so I expect the same from these writers.
Monday, September 28, 2009
In the News
I surprised to read that my former company was acquired today. I never would have pictured the combination of those two companies (and apparently a lot of people in the blogosphere agree with me). What also struck me is I had recently been offered a job there, but I decided on my current company. If I had taken the offer, would I have been out of a job soon after this announcement? For now, I've been reading the Internet about the acquisition and discussing with former co-workers (including Mike) about the news. They were recently going to head back into Federal government contracting and I wonder what this means for that division now.
I spent seven years there and met a lot of great people during my time. I worked there in my late 20s/early 30s. Mike and I didn't meet there, but he helped me land a job which helped springboard me to where I am today. We were engaged soon after I started and many of our co-workers attended our wedding. We're still friends with quite a few people from there and we keep in touch. Although I was a little bitter when I left (my division had been acquired by another company that let my group go), I have a lot of happy memories from that period of my life.
It will be interesting to see what happens next and whether the company name will be a thing of the past.
I spent seven years there and met a lot of great people during my time. I worked there in my late 20s/early 30s. Mike and I didn't meet there, but he helped me land a job which helped springboard me to where I am today. We were engaged soon after I started and many of our co-workers attended our wedding. We're still friends with quite a few people from there and we keep in touch. Although I was a little bitter when I left (my division had been acquired by another company that let my group go), I have a lot of happy memories from that period of my life.
It will be interesting to see what happens next and whether the company name will be a thing of the past.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Another One Lost
Patrick Swayze died last night from pancreatic cancer. I have a special place in my heart for him because he's related to me somewhere on my mom's side. My great-aunt is an avid genealogist and she discovered the relation just after Dirty Dancing to everyone's shock and surprise (and glee). She didn't know who he was, but the young ladies certainly did. At every reunion afterwards, we wondered whether he might attend one but he never did. I don't think he was ever really invited, but wouldn't that have been cool?
Patrick's star never really rose above his 'Dirty Dancing' or 'Ghost' days, but he had a good career and didn't have public meltdowns or stints in rehab like so many celebrities today. My heart goes out to his family and his wife of 33 years (you don't see much of that these days, either). May he rest in peace.
Patrick's star never really rose above his 'Dirty Dancing' or 'Ghost' days, but he had a good career and didn't have public meltdowns or stints in rehab like so many celebrities today. My heart goes out to his family and his wife of 33 years (you don't see much of that these days, either). May he rest in peace.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Changes
So, I started a new job last Monday slightly closer to home. I'm ecstatic that my commute is down from what had been taking 1+ hour to just a tad over 30 minutes and who doesn't love that? It was especially satisfying this morning when I heard about a vehicle fire and a separate accident near the exit to my old office. Whew, glad I wasn't in THAT mess. With that being said, I miss my old office and my former co-workers. It was a homey, warm environment and my co-workers there were just great. It had a free Flavia machine that dispensed not just coffee, but milky way-flavored coffee, cappuccino, three flavors of tea, and more. We also had flavored creamer in the kitchen area, splenda, equal, and sweet-n-low in addition to regular cream and sugar. The actual cafe area had 4 chairs placed in front of a flat screen TV where I used to watch TV if I had the chance. The chairs also had swivel arms where you could put your lunch while you watched TV. The people in my office also organized a Wednesday lunch group where each person brought a potluck item to go with the theme of the week (like Caribbean or salad or whatever). Every Friday, someone would bring in either donuts or bagels. The previous Executive VP had painted the office in very unusual, but warm and cozy colors. It was just a beautiful place to be and I miss it tremendously, but it was time to move on.
My new job is a little hectic and I'm just starting to figure out where the bathrooms are. The kitchen area is tiny and no flavia machine - we have to pay for coffee. No splenda or equal in sight - just plain old sugar. No flavored creamers either. There's a cafeteria in the basement, which is a nice bonus and I've eaten there quite a lot in my first week + 2 days on the job. I have my own office instead of a cube and I'm itching to decorate it, but haven't started yet. I wish I could bring in some paint for the walls to make it a little more homey but in the meantime I'm trying to figure out a way to add warm colors without paint. The co-workers I've met all seem very nice and I hope in time to forge friendships like the one I had at my old company.
As Cheryl Crow says, "A change will do you good", but I can't help but miss the way things used to be. Hopefully I'll get settled in soon and won't even think about the flavia machine!
My new job is a little hectic and I'm just starting to figure out where the bathrooms are. The kitchen area is tiny and no flavia machine - we have to pay for coffee. No splenda or equal in sight - just plain old sugar. No flavored creamers either. There's a cafeteria in the basement, which is a nice bonus and I've eaten there quite a lot in my first week + 2 days on the job. I have my own office instead of a cube and I'm itching to decorate it, but haven't started yet. I wish I could bring in some paint for the walls to make it a little more homey but in the meantime I'm trying to figure out a way to add warm colors without paint. The co-workers I've met all seem very nice and I hope in time to forge friendships like the one I had at my old company.
As Cheryl Crow says, "A change will do you good", but I can't help but miss the way things used to be. Hopefully I'll get settled in soon and won't even think about the flavia machine!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Canserversary
Today was my 2-year checkup and I'm overjoyed to report that my CT looked "really great" according to the doctor. I met one of the newer doctors at NIH who gave me the results before the doctor officially told me and I was very appreciative of that. It's always a relief to hear good news. I really liked this doctor. He had a great sense of humor and he chatted with us about how I learned I had cancer, but more on a personal level than a clinical level. I would hang out with this doctor and have a beer - he is that cool. When we left I thanked him for having a good sense of humor because when I had been sick, I really just wanted someone with a sense of humor to lighten the mood sometimes. It's bad enough to have cancer, but sometimes I just needed to laugh and he would have been awesome to have around back then.
I also had an echocardiogram to measure the strength of my heart. I had that test before I went to the clinic so I kind of had an inkling that there was nothing serious lurking in my chest because the technician didn't find anything during the echo. Mike and I saw my heart on screen and heard it beating away - so contrary to what some people may think I DO have a heart. ;)
I graduated to CT exams every 6 months! So, for years 3 & 4 it will be every 6 months. Then in year 5 I will have an exam every year (not sure if CT every year or general exam with blood work).
I also had an echocardiogram to measure the strength of my heart. I had that test before I went to the clinic so I kind of had an inkling that there was nothing serious lurking in my chest because the technician didn't find anything during the echo. Mike and I saw my heart on screen and heard it beating away - so contrary to what some people may think I DO have a heart. ;)
I graduated to CT exams every 6 months! So, for years 3 & 4 it will be every 6 months. Then in year 5 I will have an exam every year (not sure if CT every year or general exam with blood work).
Friday, July 17, 2009
Night Before First 8K Race
My big race is tomorrow - the Rockville Twilight 8K. The festival begins at 7pm and my race starts at 8:45pm. My goal is to finish in less than 50 minutes (or a 9:30 minute mile). I've been training for a couple of months now and we did a practice run of the course last Saturday so I think I'm ready. During last week's practice run, I noted a couple of *@#!* hills in the middle of the course that I'm not looking forward to tomorrow. We complained heavily during the run that whomever came up with this course is not a runner - what a jerk! The good thing about race day is that the 1,099 other runners keeping me company will motivate me to do my best and keep going when it gets rough. I just hope I don't end up near the juggling runner guy that Meghan encountered during one of her races. I mean who can juggle and run a race at the same time? That would just annoy me! I'd have to run up and try to trip him or something. :)
I hope it's not too hot tomorrow night, but I'm drinking my water as I type so I will be sure to be properly hydrated (and I'll probably be up all night in and out of the potty!) I am looking forward to seeing how I perform. YEEHAW!
Mike and I joined Shuk-kwan, Andy, and several other volleyball friends tonight for Shuk-kwan's 40th birthday. She was kind enough to share her celebration with me since we discovered last month on the way to the volleyball tournament in OC that we both turned 40 in July. Of course, I thought she was much younger than me and not just by 4 days! It was a great night filled with yummy food, good company, and topped off by a sky-high chocolate cake and bread pudding (with 10 spoons) for dessert.
I hope it's not too hot tomorrow night, but I'm drinking my water as I type so I will be sure to be properly hydrated (and I'll probably be up all night in and out of the potty!) I am looking forward to seeing how I perform. YEEHAW!
Mike and I joined Shuk-kwan, Andy, and several other volleyball friends tonight for Shuk-kwan's 40th birthday. She was kind enough to share her celebration with me since we discovered last month on the way to the volleyball tournament in OC that we both turned 40 in July. Of course, I thought she was much younger than me and not just by 4 days! It was a great night filled with yummy food, good company, and topped off by a sky-high chocolate cake and bread pudding (with 10 spoons) for dessert.
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