It's been over six weeks since my last post, and no news (from me) is good news. It means that life is adjusted to the new "normal," and that Bladder Cancer is not a daily concern. It is good to be more concerned with work, holidays, family and friends than with health. That said, the new normal includes the looming presence of cancer recurrence and awareness about possible exposures to triggers - especially in food. Even in the holiday season when "cheating" on the diet is more frequent, I still think about exactly what I will allow myself to cheat on. Remembering to faithfully take my vitamins and supplements is also more difficult, and I am thankful that I manage to remember most of the time. I have resumed exercising after 2 months off for BCG and recovery - more time off than was physically necessary, but I had to get mentally prepared to exercise again. And I still don't enjoy it one bit!
I was contacted recently by Ranveig Røtterud, a lady from Norway who has been dealing with Bladder cancer for some time. She has started a blog (entirely in Norwegian) to raise awareness and begin sharing information, which I agree is a bit rare concerning this very personal disorder. Even on the internet where everyone seems to write as if they are invisible and invulnerable! Ranveig has noted the same reluctance for public speech and information sharing in Norway, and is staging a one-person battle to correct that deficiency. Her informative blog is called Den gule bloggen which translates rather delightfully as The Yellow Blog. She has access to some different research than we do, and certainly has a unique and useful spin on bladder cancer. Do be cautious when using the translated version. Google translate does some wonderful work, but frequently you will have to use your imagination and ingenuity to work around it's failures. For instance, I sent her an email in Norwegian that used the abbreviation BC for Bladder Cancer. Ranveig reported that the Norwegian version came across with "Before Christ."I also got a note from Alexandra whose father, Daniel, recently passed away after a 14 year battle with Bladder Cancer. She writes a blog that focuses on dealing with death from a secular viewpoint. Her musings (which are not for the faint of heart) can be found at https://itsnotmorbid.wordpress.com/game-over/.
I also had good news from the folks in my Bladder Cancer "fraternity" that keep in contact. Clear cystoscopies and good news from Ben in Louisiana (Mobile Biohazard Man), HK in Toronto, Ken in Virginia, Sebastian in Buenos Aries, Roy B., and Brian in Atlanta. Robert S. had a scare, but biopsy came back all clear on him as well. Keep up the diet, exercise, and good attitudes for more success in the future.
Wishing all of you a Happy Christmas and New Year in 2012! Enjoy the photo below from a friend in Paris.
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