So, It’s October again…We all know what THAT means: PINK EVERYWHERE! It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I’m gonna give you an update of what post-cancer life is like almost 3 years out from my diagnosis. October is also Pregnancy/Infant Loss Awareness Month, which is another thing close to my heart that has touched my life- but WHAT ELSE is there to this glorious month of October?
I did some research, and am providing all of you with a very long list of all things to be aware of in October, but first, my update:
October 30, 2017 is the date when I received my diagnosis of breast cancer. I’ve been pretty open with my story from diagnosis through the end of active treatments, but a person’s cancer journey doesn’t end when the active treatments do. There’s a period of peace that you go through, when there is no treatment, you’ve conquered chemo without complications, kicked cancer’s ass, got through radiation, and you can relax for a while- THEN- at least for me- you live your life with a slight tinge of anxiety that any little lab result that’s different, or any feeling that’s new could mean that the cancer’s come back. It seems crazy, especially when in my case I had a very cut and dry early stage cancer diagnosis- but let me tell you- where there was cancer- there will forever be anxiety, however slight it may be.
In February of 2019 I went in for my three-month check with the oncologist and immediately got sent down for an ultrasound of my liver! My first thought: WTF?! My oncologist, God love him, is EXTREMELY cautious and tests and over tests (which is a good thing, but adds to my anxiety), so it turned out that my liver enzyme levels had risen above the normal range, and we needed to find out if something {cancer} was up. It turns out that at 47 years old, I had suddenly developed non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. How fun. Now, I’ve been overweight for the majority of my adult life, but until I had cancer, I had NO health issues…SO- now I had fatty liver, so I booked a consult with a gastroenterologist to talk about it, and how to deal with it. At the consult, I point-blank asked if chemo could have caused this to happen, and his answer: YES. Well, fuck.
After that appointment with the gastroenterologist, I changed my diet to add more liver friendly foods (beets, avocado, lemon, cruciferous veggies, etc.), cut out alcohol (which killed me because we were going to Las Vegas in a few months, and I have a “drink gin & tonics all day while playing slots” issue, lol), and was exercising more. The next time I had lab work done, my liver enzymes were at normal levels. That was the last time…
In the past year, my liver enzyme levels have been rising, which culminated in me having a chest/abdomen/pelvis CT scan in July of this year. Talk about anxiety! In the week leading up to the scan, I was absolutely convinced that I had metastatic breast cancer, and was freaking the fuck out. Thankfully, the scan showed that all of my major organs, etc. were all normal, and my liver showed fatty infiltration with areas of sparing-There ARE actually areas of my liver that are healthy and unaffected, Thank Goodness. The latest update comes as of this month (lab result wise, because I see my oncologist on Friday of this week): My liver enzyme levels are improving, and have gone down somewhat. What made this change? Well, since May I’ve lost 25lbs, I think that is probably the biggest factor, but I’ve just been doing what I can to make myself as healthy as I possibly can- because each of us is responsible for doing the work to make ourselves healthy in every way-it doesn’t just come from a doctor’s office. And here’s the point of my update: To inform you all on my ongoing journey, of course, but to re-enforce the point that we need to take care of ourselves in order to move forward in the best way that’s meant for each of us. We have to live our lives in ways that are healthy: physically, mentally and emotionally, so that when the periods of anxiety come (and oh yeah, they’ll come!) we can address them, and not let the that anxiety overtake us.
So, as promise, here’s that big list of all things October! Be good to each other!
- National Pet CBD Month
- Adopt A Shelter Dog Month
- American Cheese Month
- Antidepressant Death Awareness Month
- Bat Appreciation Month
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month
- Caffeine Addiction Recovery Month
- Celebrating The Bilingual Child Month
- Christmas Seal Campaign (10/1-12/31)
- Church Library Month
- Church Safety and Security Month
- Co-op Month
- Down Syndrome Awareness Month
- Dyslexia Awareness Month
- Eat Better, Eat Together Month
- Emotional Intelligence Awareness Month
- Emotional Wellness Month
- Employee Ownership Month
- Financial Planning Month
- German-American Heritage Month
- Global Diversity Awareness Month
- Halloween Safety Month
- Head Start Awareness Month
- Health Literacy Month
- Home Eye Safety Month
- Italian-American Heritage Month
- International Walk To School Month
- LGBT History Month
- Long-Term Care Planning Month
- National ADD/ADHD Awareness Month
- National Animal Safety and Protection Month
- National Apple Month
- National Applejack Month
- National Arts & Humanities Month
- National Audiology Awareness Month
- National Bake and Decorate Month
- National Book Month
- National Bullying Prevention Month
- National Caramel Month
- National Chili Month
- National Chiropractic Month
- National Cookbook Month
- National Cookie Month
- National Crime Prevention Month
- National Critical Illness Awareness Month
- National Cyber Security Awareness Month
- National Dental Hygiene Month
- National Dessert Month
- National Disability Employment Awareness Month
- National Depression Education & Awareness Month
- National Domestic Violence Awareness Month
- National Dropout Prevention Month
- National Dwarfism Awareness Month
- National Ergonomics Month
- National Fair Trade Month
- National Family Sexuality Education Month
- National Fire Prevention Month
- National Go On A Field Trip Month
- National I’m Just Me Because Month
- National Kitchen & Bath Month
- National Learning and Development Month
- National Liver Awareness Month
- National Medical Librarian Month
- National Orthodontic Health Month
- National Pasta Month
- National Physical Therapy Month
- National Pickled Peppers Month
- National Pizza Month
- National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
- National Pork Month
- National Pretzel Month
- National Principals Month
- National Protect Your Hearing Month
- National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month
- National Reading Group Month
- National Roller Skating Month
- National RSV Awareness Month
- National Sarcastic Awareness Month
- National Sausage Month
- National Seafood Month
- National Sensory Awareness Month
- National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
- National Stamp Collecting Month
- National Sudden Cardiac Arrest Awareness Month – October
- National Toilet Tank Repair Month
- National Window Covering Safety Month
- National Work and Family Month
- National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Awareness Month
- Organize Your Medical Information Month
- Pear and Pineapple Month
- Photographer Appreciation Month
- Polish American Heritage Month
- Positive Attitude Month
- Raptor Month
- Rett Syndrome Awareness Month
- Rhizomes and Persimmons Month
- Rhubarb Month
- Right Brainers Rule! Month
- Self-Promotion Month
- Spinach Lovers Month
- Squirrel Awareness Month (Different Than Squirrel Appreciation Day in January)
- Tackling Hunger Month
- Talk About Prescriptions Month
- Vegetarian Month
- Wishbones for Pets Month (10/15 – 11/30)
- Workplace Politics Awareness Month
- World Menopause Month
Jennifer Angarano Ricci is a wife, mother & creative soul-searcher. She is a musician, artist, and baker, and runs her home business Baked By Jen, in addition to running her local community theater group. She loves to sing, create and help others and tries to connect all three passions whenever possible.