The holidays are here. I love this time of year. It always goes so fast. I spent the Thanksgiving weekend not feeling very thankful. Instead, I spent much of my time wallowing in self-pity. As I told you in my last email, I signed up for a half-ironman triathlon. It’s something I have thought…
It’s October, the month that pink starts appearing everywhere including such incongruous places as NFL games. Yes, this means it’s breast cancer awareness month. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty aware of breast cancer, without all the pink. Of course I’m aware; I’m a breast cancer survivor. But I bet you’re aware too,…
I had a rough winter. If you read my last post, you know I ended up with cervical cancer. Throughout the winter and into the spring my situation seemed to get worse with every visit. For most of that time, I felt great, so it was perplexing to hear that I had not only one…
As much as I like writing, especially writing about health, science, and medicine, it is a challenge to come up with interesting topics to write about on a regular basis. Since the election, it has been impossible for me. I have not been able to think about anything else. Paying attention to self-care and wellness…
What did you do last weekend? I spent the whole weekend at a Masters swim meet. Sounds super fun doesn’t it? NOT. I almost didn’t go, but my husband was going to be away, and I figured instead of a weekend at home, my daughter and I could take a trip to Boston. She could…
Last weekend I ran a 10-mile race, the Mid-Winter Classic in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. I realized afterward that it has been exactly three years since I received the call that changed my life. I remembered the race, three years ago. I did not compete, but my husband did. That year the race was a few…
There are many differences between Angelina Jolie and myself. I have breast cancer. She does not. She has the genetic predisposition for breast cancer. I do not. She chose to have a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction. I did not. I had a unilateral mastectomy. For me, I could not cut off a healthy breast, but…
I had breast cancer. With this blog, I hope to inform readers that you can reduce your risk of cancer, but what if you already have it? Healthy lifestyle behaviors – regular exercise, stress reduction, nutritious diet and restorative sleep- have just as big an impact on your health now, probably even more so, since…
Scientific evidence shows that 80% of chronic disease including cancer can be prevented by lifestyle choices, such as diet, exercise, restorative sleep, stress reduction, and loving supportive relationships. I am a doctor. I know all about disease. What I didn’t know was how to be healthy and stay healthy. I realized that despite my substantial…
I found the lump. I was not looking for it, but I knew something was wrong with my breast. Over a period of several months, I noticed subtle changes in the shape of my breast. At times, it felt heavy and ached. Then an obvious lump appeared. I ignored it at first, convinced it…