Hot tea, rainy day

Early morning in Mill Valley, it's raining outside my office window.

I'm still waiting to feel the impact of yesterday's news: invasive breast cancer. Lots of questions come up: Is there any connection between the about-to-get-a-cold feeling I've been having for several weeks and the cancer? When will I be able to resume my walking and yoga? Should I be taking some kind of drug(s) now?

One thing is for sure -- I need to move the center of operations for this project to the East Bay. The only reason I started out in San Francisco is because my ob/gyn, the same one who has been my doctor for 10 years and delivered Heshy, is in San Francisco. Find breast lump = call gyn. Dr. Sapan examined me, referred me to the Dept. of Surgery, and I was assigned Dr. Shaw, who is new to Kaiser and comes with quite a reputation in the field of breast health.

A post-op appointment with Dr. Shaw is scheduled for Thursday, tomorrow, the 27th (also Heshy's 8th birthday) and I'll review the situation with her carefully, taking lots of notes. Hopefully she can help me find the best Oakland Kaiser doctor to take over my care.

I like Dr. Shaw, she and I have a lot in common. She's frank, she's confident, and she's Jewish. Enough said.

Last night at Beth Jacob it was easy to move from friend to friend telling the bad news. Most everyone knows several women who've recovered from breast cancer and many have survived for decades. God knows that the science of treating breast cancer has exploded in the last few years, just in time for me. Just since I found the lump there has been something new published about a new use for a current chemo drug.

Still feeling fit, strong, healthy and confident. Worry not . . . I think it'll take a lot more than this to finish me off!