Monday 19 January 2015

#Mircoblog Mondays: My mom



So, earlier this year my mom had a biopsy on one of her breasts and one of the samples was cancerous. At this point the tumour appears to be very small and the first step is surgery to remove it (lumpectomy). They will also analyze sentinel lymph nodes to see if there is any cancer there.

I feel like I have to post something about it in this anonymous space so I can get used to the idea of talking about it.  I'm kind of at a loss of how to talk about something like this.

My mom is doing fine. So far she seems to be getting great medical care, and the team assigned to her has kept her informed and empowered. She has been very clear that she does not want everyone getting overly excited and anxious.  She wants to keep up her overall health and continue her daily life. I am trying to follow my only advice to her, which is not to imagine too much about the future, so that one does not live through experiences that haven't happened and may never happen.

Last week I spent an afternoon at my parents' place with AJ (yes I have found the nerve to drive on my own) and it was a great visit. We did talk about the cancer but mostly we talked about other things. My mom said that her main regret is that she has to deal with this just when she has a new granddaughter, but that she really wants AJ to remember her.

I said, then we're going to assume that AJ will remember her, and that her Baba will be part of her life.

Read the Microblogs and leave your link

16 comments:

  1. Girl, I am so sorry! I hate that for your mom, but glad you said she is doing ok!!! xoxo Thinking about your family!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you. Not something that anybody wants to have happen, but what can you do but roll with things as best you can.

      Delete
  2. Sorry to hear this. If it makes you (and your mom) feel any better, both my mom and my MIL went through very similar diagnoses in the past couple of years. Both of them had small cancers but clear lymph nodes, had lumpectomies and some radiation, and are doing fine a year plus later. They said when they found out, they had friends coming out of the woodwork who'd had similar issues. It's no less scary when it happens to you, but hopefully she'll have a similar outcome!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Aramis, that's great to hear. Cancer is never good news, but medical science has come a long way since Alexandr Solzhenitsyn's Cancer Ward, and a very good thing that is.

      Delete
  3. I am sorry to hear about your mom, but it is good that they caught it while it is still small. I work with a woman who beat breast cancer a few years ago, and she never let it interrupt her life. Even during chemo, if she felt up to it, she was out riding her bike and kicking ass. She would talk about it, but it never defined her. Sounds like your mom is that kind of strong woman too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's great to hear! Cancer is scary but there are lots of good stories out there.

      Delete
  4. I'm really sorry to hear this, and just as you are supporting your mom, we here want to support you too. I'm glad she is doing so well at the moment - she sounds very sensible, especially in letting you know how she wants to be treated. As you've said responding to other commenters, cancer is a scary word, but what we're usually not aware of is how much diagnosis and treatments have improved over the last 10-20-30 years, and how much more positive the prognoses can be. Not overthinking it then is very good advice at this stage - you are a wise woman. Wishing you and your mom the very best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Mali! I appreciate the support :-)

      Delete
  5. I am sorry you have to worry about your mama during this sweet time with AJ. My mom Just had a d&c to remove a giant polyp that thankfully came back as benign. She told me the first day she met my baby was the day she started spotting so her whole visit she was distracted and worried! What a memory for meeting your first grandchild, eh? It sounds like your mom is coping well and I hope you are too!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you. We are doing well. There's always something to worry about; but one can always try to be mindful and live in the moment.

      Delete
  6. So scary!! My brother beat lymphoma, my aunt has been living with lymphoma controlled through surgery/radiation for almost 20 years, and another aunt had a double-mastectomy and is healthy and in her 80s now. We're so much better at treating cancer now than in the old days. I'll be here rooting for the best!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you! great to hear all those hopeful stories.

      Delete
  7. Oh hon, I'm so sorry about your mum. Sending you a lot of deep breaths as you guys navigate your way through it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh my goodness, so many challenges in life that we can't control. Hoping that your mom's treatment goes smoothly and that you can all enjoy sweet AJ together for some good therapy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thank you Marcy. So far so good...well what else can you say about life? :-)

      Delete