Y’Know … if you have to have a life threatening disease, you may as well have some fun with it. Does that sound gruesome? Maybe, but it sure as hell beats a “woe is me” attitude, in my opinion.

Some of the nastiest jokes I’ve heard were from cancer survivors who poked fun at their disease. Hubby gives me a hard time with my constant fussing with my feet. It’s his belief that I’m forming hooves and asks if I’m going to see a vet soon. I know … weird sense of humor, but that’s okay. It’s part of his charm.

You can even get creative. During chemo, when I was shiney-headed bald, I attended a writer’s conference. There was one soiree called the Vampire Ball. So, I skipped wearing a scarf, dressed all in black and had a friend use a blow pen to tattoo my head. I became a vampire hunter. (See photo above) It was lots of fun.

There were also times when my hair was just beginning to grow in where I’d just forego the scarf and go out in public without. Some of the looks I got was priceless. I think a lot of people didn’t know if I was a cancer patient, or a rebel against hair.

To me, being able to laugh at something like this is healthy. You respect the gravity of your situation, yet you’re still able to find some humor in it.

And remember to repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”

I’m making quite a bit of progress in my upcoming projects. I’m well into the first layering of the urban fantasy and have even started the vampire book I’d been promising myself. I probably shouldn’t have started it, but the story was calling to me. Most writers know that when a book is calling to you, you can do nothing else but answer. Insistent little buggers.

So, I probably just heaped one more project onto my plate … like I needed that. Still, I’d been taking notes, writing scenes and constructing the plot of the vampire book for several months. The book is pretty much written in my head. Now I just have to get it down on paper (or in this case … computer).

I haven’t had a chance to do anything with the other projects (yet), but have no doubt that I’ll be jumping on them shortly. My writing was interrupted this holiday weekend with the need to get the gardens in. Still haven’t gotten as far as I would have liked, but once the planting is done, I should be free to get more work in.

How ‘bout you? Do you find yourself easily distracted when you know you have stuff that’s GOTTA be done?

I love it when the oncologist talks about possible side effects to some of the meds I’m on. Let’s see … what are some of them? Mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea (my personal favorite), fatigue (well — duh!), sensitivity to the sun, weight loss (Yeah!), etc., etc. Makes you wonder why people take a chance with meds if these are some of the more charming side effects.

I’ve been lucky. I’ve had very few side effects. Fatigue … yep, got that. Didn’t get the weight loss (there really isn’t any justice in the world). No mouth sores (well, maybe a little justice). Diarrhea (nope, don’t want to talk about that). The hair loss came with the territory during chemo and really didn’t bother me. I generally don’t feel nauseous, and if I do, a little peppermint tea takes care of that.

The weirdest sides effects have been coming from the Xeloda. Totally screwed up my feet. Started out with king-sized blisters that were incredibly painful. With an adjustment of the meds, the blisters vanished, but now my feet dry out like crazy! I have to slather heavy-duty lotion on them nightly and sleep with booties on. It really is a charming fashion statement — not!

Still … it’s a small price to pay.

And remember to repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”

I just got back from the Wisconsin conference up in Green Bay. Basically, it’s a long weekend with writers, workshops, networking and fun. The committee who put this together did a terrific job and the lineup of agents and editors was stellar. Kudos to you ladies.

Generally, I go to these conferences to meet with friends and make new ones. I rarely go with the specific intention of meeting with an editor and/or agent. However, this year I made appointments to pitch to two agents, both of whom are on my A-list. The pitches went very well. I got a request for a full on two of my books and a request for a synopsis and first 100 pages. Both of these ladies are interested in the urban fantasy I just finished but I need to layer on some revisions before its ready to release for consideration.

Sooooo. I now have about four projects to get going on. These next few months are gonna be mega-busy for me. However, its part of the game and if you wanna be a success, you gotta suck it up and make the time.

Had my appointment with Dr. D. last week and yes … the numbers climbed a little bit more. The tumor markers are at 70 right now. This is up from the mid-30s of a little over a year ago. A bit disturbing but probably still not cause for concern. This isn’t a sudden spike (which IS cause for concern) and we discussed the fact that there are other options if we feel the Tykerb is no longer effective. Dr. D. mentioned a new drug that had just been approved, but do you think I remember the name? Nooooo, of course not.

Its reassuring to know there are other options and we intend to watch this closely, but right now I refuse to worry. It’ll only make me crazy.

However, I gotta do another battery of tests. June is gonna be my month for medical appointments. I’ll be having a CAT scan (another one … just had one last month), a PET scan and I need to get a boob crunch. I was supposed to get the mammogram done last month but I — uh — forgot. Yeah - that’s it - I forgot.

Seriously, I know how important mammograms are but it doesn’t mean I have to like it — and yes, I’ll get it done. After having breast cancer, that isn’t something I mess with.

And remember to repeat after me …“YOU ARE A CANCER WINNER”