Bloggers inspire me

Have met the most amazing people on the internet since I got cancer. They inspire me. They have oomph and voomah and get on with things, no matter the circumstances. They rejuvenate me, make me bristle with energy and, through their example, help me feel better, make me realise I am not alone.
Three blogs hit me tonight.

Jill Cohen is phenomenal. She does so much, from going to the synagogue to going to dinner parties to hosting dinner parties to singing in an eastern European folk choir Dunava - all while having on-going treatment for metastatic cancer. Be touched by her enthusiasm and zest for life in Dancing with Cancer.

Joanna plays tennis. She loves tennis. She played it through chemo and she plays it now, even though she has on-going Herceptin treatments. Read her story in Life has its Ups & Downs.

Julie Goodale is my hero. She sets herself new challenges, each more adventurous than the other. A classical musician, she pushes herself to the limit physically, whether it is climbing mountains, to running ultra-marathons to running across America to raise funds for cancer in the Million Dollar Marathon. Hold your breath and see if you can keep pace with Fitness for Survivors.

And they are just some of those whom I have met, none in person, on the internet.

great website

"I believe that none of us should be limited by our disease, our treatment, or our survival."
This is a line from Julie Goodale's revamped website Life-Cise
Read it, watch her brief introductory video, read some of her links under "cancer and fitness" at the bottom - the one on lymphedema is great, for example - and sign up for her newsletter. I did.
By the way, Julie lives in New York, is a musician (viola player who studied at Julliard), is a specialist cancer exercise guru with all the relevant qualifications, and writes one of the best blogs - fitnessforsurvivors.
Read more about Julie Goodale.

What a celebration!

Ever since I read her latest posting on her blog last night, I cannot stop thinking about Julie Goodale's wonderful way in which she is going to celebrate her 10th year of surviving breast cancer.
As she puts it, "So, on May 7, I'll be running a race to celebrate 10 years of not being dead." But being Julie, she of the indominatable spirit and determination, she is doing a 50-mile race, an ultramarathon.
"Run, Julie, Run - The Next Big Thing" is what she calls her posting on her blog fitnessforsurvivors.blogspot.com.
Read it. The exhiliration of what I feel about what she is doing goes beyond cancer-schmancer; it is about celebrating life, it is about overcoming any adversity and what a change from those who slump around feeling sorry for themselves. It is about how we deal with things that is important.
Meanwhile, I still have to do my manual lymph drainage massage and then get ready to go off to work. But work up this morning and thought: wow, Julie, you are something else.
By the way, Julie is a musician (viola player) who lives in New York and is also a qualified cancer exercise musician. Only know her from her blog, but what a gal! She speaks to me! Run, Julie, run!!!! I will be there in spirit supporting you all the way. Do it for yourself, do it for all of us.

about having heart

Julie Goodale is admirable. I don't know her as such, have never met her - for starters we live in different continents although I have missed the US about three times I think, but long before I had cancer and read Julie's blog.
Read fitness for survivors - the day before nerves and see what I mean. It's all about having heart.
Some people are just plain inspiring.

a taste like a leaking filling

Scheduled to have my last of 17 herceptin treatments on Monday, so it's nearly three weeks since I had the previous one, yet got that yucky taste in my mouth last night. Not as intense as in the past but tasted like I would imagine a leaking filling would taste like, if there were such a thing. A metal taste. Enough to lead to my eating too many Chinese ginger chewy sweets but I always feel desperate to get rid of the taste.

Anyway, all gone by morning.

Like what Julie Goodale had to say in her latest blog posting,Fitness for survivors:"We didn't control whether we got cancer; we can't control how our treatments affect our bodies. But we can control what we eat and if we go for a walk, or ride a bike, or run, or lift weights, or dance...."

Here's to dancing, and having fun!

got whacked this time

Didn't go to work today cos was still feeling whacked from the herceptin. It's funny. Every time I have a different reaction. Feeling much better now but did take some panados earlier.
But glad I am at home cos spent most of the morning feeling ... well, as if someone had whacked me over the head. Not a headache. Just exhausted. Thought of my colleague who spent three months away from work on sickleave. Don't think he was on his sick bed. Just wasn't at work. Do know he was in hospital for some of that time but really. Decided there was no need to push myself again and again and again....
Here's another great post from Julie Goodale, the cancer exercise fundi from New York whose blog I follow - it really speaks to me! This time it's about a study - well a collation of other studies - about the benefits of exercising post breast cancer.

Back from my travels

These are some fascinating comments by New York fitness trainer, certified cancer exercise specialist and musician Julie Goodale whose blog fitness for survivors I devour regularly: julie on lymphedema.
I am back from my trip, had a wonderful time and survived doing the flights with a compression sleeve. I even put the sleeve on in the actual plane, before it took off, on the way back in full view of everyone (my sister is right, everybody is too self-absorbed to even notice the kind of things people become traumatised about) and wore it throughout my two days in that glamorous and fashionable city of Monte Carlo. Look, it helped that I knew it was not permanent but my arm felt shitty and I thought, rather wear it and let people think you're wearing a bandage - oh my lunch and dinner guests definately noticed it but said nothing - than suffer permanently later.
Saw The Lymph Lady on the day of my return who said my arm was perfect, better than it had been for ages. Then saw her yesterday and it was badly swollen in the middle of my upper arm. Now, and tomorrow is a week since my return from flying long distance, it is still slightly swollen and slightly sore and I am in two minds about sms-ing her and asking her what I should do.......Might wear the sleeve tomorrow. But it's gonna hurt cos found out - and she told me too when I complained - that if you bend your elbow it hurts like hell and I am going to be banging away on the computer keyboard all day tomorrow... mmm... will think about it.
Anyway, fab trip. Now need to sit down and write about it for the travel mag.