tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76418863622063941862024-03-13T11:11:04.028-04:00Positively PhoebeRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12823567885224187819noreply@blogger.comBlogger282125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-76535675358670176752017-03-24T17:58:00.002-04:002017-03-24T17:58:44.532-04:00Keep talking to be okay.After posting about my struggles with my health and my concerns about what to do and where to turn when I feel lost or scared, I received such an incredible outpouring of love, understanding, empathy, kindness (and even a little pointed silliness intended to make me laugh... thanks, Lacey). The responses I got made a few things abundantly clear. First and foremost, that I am NOT alone. That Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-55253750378649452032017-03-23T15:39:00.003-04:002017-03-23T15:39:39.645-04:00Because I don't know where else to have this little breakdown...
There is really nothing about being an AGING young adult cancer survivor that doesn't 100% suck.
And it's not even something I can get across to anyone I know to ask for advice, because it's all such a strange combination of things that are impossible to understand for someone that hasn't been here...
I now exist in this world of limbo between being stoked to be 5 years out and just Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-43064272986781863012016-10-30T17:00:00.002-04:002016-10-30T17:00:33.199-04:00If you get email updates or anything, I'm sorry!Big apologies to any of my old followers who were following this blog via email updates or whatever. I decided that I was never going to return to my "The Long Ease" blog, and rather than continuing to pay for two domains, I just transferred all of those posts over here. Didn't occur to me til I finished that I lost all of the original comments I received during my HBOT... oops!
Regardless, I'm Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-27138191589304087502014-09-25T07:18:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:51:24.033-04:00Day Forty!**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Two days ago, I said something to the nurse at HBOT about being almost done and she mentioned the fact that my insurance had approved 30 more sessions after the initial 30. It sent me into complete freak-out mode - I'm not going to lie. I think I had been getting through all of this stuff knowing that there was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-53589872671359383392014-09-14T22:21:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:50:22.252-04:009 to Go**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
It's been a hectic few weeks, and I sort of lost track of my blogging. But I wanted to pop in real quick this evening with a TMI report about my healing.
I've been told from the get-go that these oxygen treatments have the best results with radiation injury. As you likely know, I started the treatments for an Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-63736829033005084962014-09-02T12:23:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:49:19.132-04:00Infected. Again.**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Well, today SHOULD HAVE been Treatment Day #24... but things don't always go according to plan...
Yesterday, as I sat across from Ryan during our Labor Day breakfast at our corner diner, I was feeling pretty great. Like, finally feeling like I knew for sure that I was getting better. No doubt in my mind. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-2568139096739408922014-08-28T19:37:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:48:16.479-04:00Beyond the Halfway Point AND All Clear.**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Tuesday was treatment day #20, and as of yesterday's #21, I was officially the back side of this treatment thing. I arrived early today for #22 - on purpose so I could sit on the bench outside Lutheran Hospital and enjoy my coffee in the crisp morning. It is gorgeous out today.
Or maybe I'm just in a particularly Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-90619560670056058322014-08-25T20:18:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:47:13.928-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments 18 & 19 (Plus the Weekend Between)**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Last Friday:
Treatment Day: 18
Honestly? There's really nothing to report. Which probably played a part in my forgetting to post about it before now. The treatments have become routine. They feel like just a normal part of a normal day anymore. Which means I may get a little less vigilant Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-6590445747171519612014-08-21T22:21:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:46:08.060-04:00No Pants Goodbye Number Two & Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Seventeen**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Well, I survived yesterday's goodbye and managed not to cry all over Dr. Kebria like I did on Dr. Avellone... As Ryan and I were walking down the hall on our way in, I heard my nurse, Alex, say in a sad voice, "Phoeeeebeeee..." to which I yelled back, "Don't even look at me!" I knew if I saw Alex's sad face, tooUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-48897175495976832842014-08-19T21:59:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:44:56.702-04:00Devastation Eve**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Tomorrow morning, I have my every-four-months Gynecology Oncology follow-up. It's always a day that brings with it nerves and stress. (Will everything be ok? Am I still cancer-free? Will I remember to ask all of the questions I have this time around?) But this time, I feel overwhelmed in a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-86682159055641554642014-08-19T19:32:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:43:29.976-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Sixteen**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 16
Today's treatment was uneventful. Nothing particularly exciting nor aggravating.
I learned that "Elbow Room" on HGTV involves a contractor making really overdone and impractical renovations to people's homes to give them more space. Things that seem cool, but are really just going to be Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-28330522023553765062014-08-18T21:45:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:42:19.141-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Fifteen**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 15
They had pre-warned me that the regular Monday/Tuesday doctor was on vacation, and that the doctor filling in was the one who doesn't bother to show up til 9.
I arrived at 8:45. No sign of him. They told me to hang out in the waiting room and finish my coffee and to head back around 8:55. &Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-29396396144197439052014-08-17T14:06:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:41:14.933-04:00Reiki, Truth, and a Lifetime**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
The Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber is not the only place I have been getting my healing lately. Actually, several months ago, I began getting reiki every week or two.
For those of you who may not be familiar, reiki is essentially a sort of spiritual healing touch kind of a thing that originated in Japan less Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-18559249147259678082014-08-15T20:24:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:40:04.184-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Fourteen**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 14
Fridays, as I mentioned before, the doctor who is already scheduled to come in an hour later than the Monday/Tuesday/Thursday doctor, is often even LATER than expected. Today was no exception, leaving me in the waiting room to be tortured by a FUCKING GODAWFUL band called something like "Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-64361478136594886912014-08-14T18:10:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:38:57.839-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Thirteen**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 13
The nurse told me my outfit was "so cute" today when I walked in. I felt good and then she adds, "I guess I just like seeing actual clothes" and motions to her scrubs. Compliment deflated.
There was no one else in the room today. I haven't seen Bladder Guy all week - I wonder if he'sUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-7502517325984846552014-08-13T22:03:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:37:49.032-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Twelve**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 12
So, it's twelve days in, and I have grown bored with the "format" I have been using to describe these treatments. What I've realized, at least at this point in the game, is that there is very little about the treatments that is exciting - except, of course, for the potential cumulative benefit of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-82575317747774321002014-08-12T21:45:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:36:36.051-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Eleven**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 11
Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 7:41am
Appointment Time: 8:00am
Treatment Started: About 8:05am
Notable things about self today: I HAD been feeling better. The cold symptoms were on their last legs. You know. Those final rattle-y mucus-y coughs. The Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-12081500099054764062014-08-12T21:25:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:35:18.053-04:00The Birthday / Funeral Weekend**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
I decided I'm going to make the weekend a separate post rather than rolling the weekend highlights into today's treatment post. It'll be easier that way...
So. Friday evening, my dear old friend, Dawn, from my Colorado days, arrived for a visit. She was amazing enough to offer to stay through Tuesday Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-38173408508396248732014-08-08T18:30:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:34:09.944-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Ten**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 10
Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 8:45am
Appointment Time: 9:00 - 9:30am (The regular Friday doctor is a bit of a wild card, apparently.)
Stuff chatted about with nurse while waiting: The fact that most people in for the actual Chamber treatments are Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-60722517202965958772014-08-07T18:00:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:32:44.576-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Nine**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 9
Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 7:50am
Appointment Time: 8:00am
Treatment actually started: About 8:05am
Notable things about self today: Bladder pain continues to be less than awesome. Cold still holding on as well. Temp Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-60797447445047198452014-08-06T21:07:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:30:44.597-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Eight**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 8Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 7:55am
Appointment Time: 8:30am
Treatment actually started: About 8:05am (Doctor was early!)
Notable things about self today: Sinuses seem SLIGHTLY less effed up. Might actually be kicking this Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-17393563629680441462014-08-05T22:08:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:29:32.594-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Seven**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 7Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 7:47am
Number of old friends I haven't seen in years that I ran into as I was coming in and she was getting off work: 1. Sarah Morgan. Awesome girl.Appointment Time: 8:00am
Things I learned while waiting for the doctor to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-15917376996808226542014-08-04T21:09:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:28:15.925-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Six (plus Weekend Off #1)**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Weekend Highlights:
Saturday: I attended the 14th Annual Road Rash Bash (also known as the best party/car show/live music event there is). It was slightly challenging, not drinking at such a booze-fueled shin-dig, but I stuck with the no alcohol rules of my treatment and instead drank 96 ounces of water and 2 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-31836862460679810462014-08-01T22:24:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:26:58.312-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Five**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Treatment Day: 5Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 8:55amAppointment Time: 9:00am
Warned the Doctor was running late: 9:02am
Told to go get changed anyways: 9:05am
Notable things about self today: Still with the friggin cold symptoms. Ugh.Blood PressureUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641886362206394186.post-55576846290068952872014-07-31T23:54:00.000-04:002016-10-30T16:25:47.554-04:00Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment - Day Four**This post was transferred from the now defunct "The Long Ease" blog.**
Yesterday was Treatment Day: 4 (Sorry I'm late)Arrival Time at Lutheran Hospital Wound Healing Center: 7:42amAppointment Time: 8:00amTold to “Go on back” (I’m such an old pro, now, they don’t even come get me): 7:44am (EARLY!)
Notable things: My wardrobe is very monochromatic:
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0