Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Living Beyond Breast Cancer

Ok, Pete, finally time for another blog entry.

Philadelphia City Hall framed by dancing water
This past saturday was two years from the end of my last round of chemo.  I have been struggling over the past two years to find my path, and it has not been easy.  But saturday I made progress.  I think.  I was a speaker at Living Beyond Breast Cancer's fall conference in Philadelphia.  I spoke about access to health insurance and how to navigate the treacherous waters of hospital bills and insurance reimbursements (or lack thereof).  It was far from perfect, as I tried to cram too much material into 75 minutes, and I was unable to answer questions like "how can I afford my health insurance premiums."  But I think it was a good start.  I covered the important things that I wanted to, such as what happens if I lose my health insurance and I have a pre-existing condition such as cancer.  I really hope that continuing on this path will help me figure out my life beyond breast cancer.

The last few months have been trying to adapt to my new CPAP (technically it is a "BI-PAP," delivering higher pressure on my inhales and lower pressure on my exhales).  It has not been easy, and I have not yet become one with the machine.  But "baby steps," as I have been told by a wise friend.

Ending my at-long-last-another-blog-entry with good news.  I had a mammogram today and although the technician didn't think she got a good enough image because my arm was stuck due to my frozen shoulder, the radiologist nonetheless found it sufficient and I was told "no suspicious findings."  I was surprised at how terrifying it was; it somehow seemed more scary than the one I had a year ago.  Since my mood has not been great, please celebrate for me and I'll get there soon.