by Susan | Dec 19, 2018 | EGC, Horses, Medical
Last Wednesday I had my first yearly mammogram. They scheduled me for my next one next December, it was clear. I have developed a minor complication of them taking lymph nodes. I have some lymphedema in my breast. They have been monitoring for it in my arm, but I...
by Susan | Dec 12, 2018 | EGC, Grief, Medical, Relationships
As I see so many people post about “the empty chair” for the holidays I sometimes wonder if I’m doing this grieving thing wrong. You see I feel at peace with my loss of Mike. I worry more about my boys than myself. So why would something outside of me cause me to...
by Susan | Dec 5, 2018 | Awareness, EGC, Horses
If we all had the passion of Queen, especially Freddie Mercury, we’d be set. John and I saw Bohemian Rhapsody last night. Some movies are a little slow getting to rural western Kansas. I loved it because it showed the passion that the band, specifically Freddie...
by Susan | Nov 28, 2018 | EGC, Relationships
2018 has been a year of huge changes for me. I was diagnosed with breast cancer a little over a year ago. I did most of my treatment this year. After five-and-a-half years of traveling to doctors and hospitals, Mike succumbed to his illnesses in late June. I became a...
by Susan | Nov 21, 2018 | Caregiving, EGC, Relationships, Travel
This seems to be a buzz word lately. For the whole time of Mike’s illness, everybody told me to take care of myself. You can’t give from a cup that is not full. Then last year when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I heard it even more. I always thought that Mike...
by Susan | Nov 14, 2018 | Caregiving, Medical, Relationships
I hate holidays! A friend posted this on FaceBook last week. I understand all the reasons that holidays can be stressful. We make them that way. There are tensions in families. We think everything must be perfect. And there is never enough time to get things done the...
by Susan | Nov 7, 2018 | Medical
I used to do my best work after the boys went to bed. Now I’m having trouble staying awake until John gets home from his school activities. I’ve always been a night owl. It felt like I didn’t really wake up until about 6:00 pm. Then I had boys and horses to feed,...
by Susan | Oct 31, 2018 | Caregiving, EGC, Gestalt, Medical, Relationships
In January of 2013, I was dragged into a role that I never expected. Today I talked with a woman who was researching an article about how living with chronic pain affects a relationship. I had asked her if she was interested in someone who had lived with someone in...
by Susan | Oct 24, 2018 | EGC, Gestalt
I have a troll standing on my shoulder telling me I don’t know enough, I’m not educated enough. This is not a cute little troll like we bought as kids. This is a mean, ugly, Three Billy Goats Gruff troll. We all have trolls who give us messages like this. They create...
by Susan | Oct 17, 2018 | Awareness, Medical
I’ve always felt like breast cancer got too much attention in October. Why do we focus so much on one type of cancer when there are so many out there? Then last November I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It didn’t change my feelings about the month of October. I...
