Tag Archives: fear

Past Tense

Posted on February 13, 2015 by Scorchy

The paperwork is in. Fifty pages compiled by four people and faxed to two insurance companies. Disability. I didn’t want to do it. Indeed, for two years I fought hard to crawl my way back to who I was. I can hardly … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, My Stage IV Life, Social Commentary, Stage IV Musings, Uncategorized | Tagged advocacy, breast cancer, Cancer Culture, career, Diagnosis, fear, friends, Information resources, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, pain management, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, vulnerability | 45 Comments

STFU

Posted on October 8, 2014 by Scorchy

So I’ve been attempting to write post after post after post, inevitably trashing them all. I tried one on depression, one on anxiety, one on pink. Whatever I tried it just never worked. And I have to say that through … Continue reading →

Posted in My Stage IV Life, Social Commentary, Stage IV Musings | Tagged "cure rates", anxiety, Attitude, awareness, Beyond the Pink Moon, boredom, boring, breast, breast cancer, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Cancer Culture, cancer loop, Cancertown, career, Diagnosis, Exemestane, Facebook, fear, friends, frustration, knitting, Komen, Lyrica, MBC, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, OxyContin, Philosophy, pink ribbon, Pinktober, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, STFU, stigma, strong, support, TODAY, Treatment, vulnerability, whiney | 61 Comments

One More Thing!

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Scorchy

Okay, just one more commentary on this ad campaign and I will move on. When I found out that I had breast cancer, the world-class surgeon to whom I was referred downplayed its seriousness. When I look back, it has … Continue reading →

Posted in Breast Cancer PSAs, Breastploitation, Social Commentary, Stage IV Musings | Tagged @OfficialPAC, advocacy, breast cancer, Diagnosis, embarrassingly bad ad campaigns, fear, Information resources, metastasis, pancreatic cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Action, pink ribbon, Politics, Research, seriously fucked up shit, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, vulnerability | 40 Comments

You Want It? You Got It.

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Scorchy

Dear Ladies Who Want My Breast Cancer, I know that my blog posts and Twitter activity have been minimal since august of 2013. It was a miserable year filled with tests, pain, and uncertainty. I think I have been distant … Continue reading →

Posted in Breast Cancer PSAs, Breastploitation, Social Commentary | Tagged @OfficialPAC, advocacy, Attitude, breast cancer, Cancer Culture, embarrassingly bad ad campaigns, fear, fucked up shit, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, pain management, pancreatic cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Action, pink ribbon, Politics, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, Treatment, vulnerability | 33 Comments

Kobayashi Maru

Posted on September 14, 2013 by Scorchy

My latest paincation was intense and it was made more so by the experience of radiation. Now, like most things in this disease I was fortunate: only five consecutive days and maybe twenty minutes of my time each day. But … Continue reading →

Posted in My Stage IV Life, Stage IV Musings | Tagged advice for patient, anxiety, breast cancer, breasts, cancer cell, career, Diagnosis, fear, friends, frustration, health, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, pain management, psychiatrist, Radiation, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, the machine, Treatment, Varian, vulnerability, Xanax | 42 Comments

The Downside of Virtual Interaction

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Scorchy

Since my breast cancer diagnosis and–48 hours later–the creation of this blog, I have sung the praises of social media. As my readership grew and my Twitter numbers blossomed, virtual roots that were planted started to flourish in a garden … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, My Stage IV Life, Social Commentary, Stage IV Musings | Tagged advocacy, Attitude, Beyond the Shock, blogging, blogs, breast cancer, breasts, Cancer Culture, cultural commentary, Diagnosis, discussion boards, discussion groups, empathy, family, fear, friends, frustration, Information resources, metastatic breast cancer, National Breast Cancer Foundation, side-effects, social media, spousal support, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, Treatment, Twitter, vulnerability, women who don't support women | 60 Comments

Where’s the Empathy?

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Scorchy

I have to tell you, every twist and turn of this cancer experience always reveals something new. There is the physical stuff: physiology, biology, and chemistry. There is the psychological stuff: fear, resolve, sadness. happiness, and uncertainty. And then there … Continue reading →

Posted in Advocacy, My Stage IV Life | Tagged advocacy, anger, Attitude, breast cancer, chronic disease, discussion boards, discussion groups, fear, frustration, Inspire, judgment, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, Philosophy, Politics, rage, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, stigma, support, vulnerability | 20 Comments

Professional Identity in Crisis

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Scorchy

Today might be the hardest hit I’ve taken with this breast cancer crap. In mid-September, I woke up and my lower back hurt. I took it in stride, took two Motrin, and waited for it to pass. It stayed. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Career Conundrums, My Stage IV Life, Stage IV Musings | Tagged accomplishment, Attitude, breast cancer, breasts, career, chronic pain, Diagnosis, fear, friends, frustration, metastasis, metastatic breast cancer, pain, professional identity, quality of life, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, Tamoxifen, Treatment, vulnerability | 30 Comments

The Anchor (Part One)

Posted on November 9, 2012 by Scorchy

I have two crafts that I love: cross-stitch and knitting. Years ago I visited one of my favorite places in the world, Wintherthur, and marveled at a corner nook filled with antique samplers. I was already producing samplers of my … Continue reading →

Posted in My Stage IV Life | Tagged anchor, Attitude, breast cancer, breasts, CDO, crafts, cross-stitch, Diagnosis, fear, friends, grounding, history, hobbies, hobby, knit, knitting, men who knit, metastatic breast cancer, OCD, Ravelry, sanity, skill, Stage IV, stage iv breast cancer, support, Treatment, vulnerability, Winterthur | 7 Comments

Acceptance and Fear

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Scorchy

When I was a little girl I had Barbies–in the 1960s, who didn’t? I played with them all the time, but what I loved most was the case. It was a big Barbie/Francie case that had plenty of room for … Continue reading →