You have more choices than you think you do. ** You can say no. Before you do, ask what the consequences are. Ask a lot of questions. ** Don’t check out on making choices--check IN! ** Try not to pop other people’s comforting bubbles. Go gently with information for others. ** Know how YOU want to get information. ** We are all lost in the woods and doing the best we can. ** Stay out of the “what might have been” as much as you can. Don’t build your house there, and make your vacations there SHORT. ** “I did the best I could with the information I had.” ** Be aware of any guilt or shame you might have about the choices you make. ** You have to be aware of your animal instincts to run. ** Choose to choose. ** Take time off if you can take time off.

Fertility is always a mindfuck. ** If you are going through hormone treatment, be aware of how hormones mess with you. ** Talk to someone before you leave them your eggs in a will. ** Google for fertility scholarships and resources. ** Having or not having kids is complicated--there are wonderful and horrible things about both lives. ** There are plenty of kids that need a parent if you need to be a parent.

** Look into intermittent Fasting for chemo. ** Find your cancer community. ** Carefix and Marenas have pretty great post surgical bras--you will feel better if you look better. ** Figure out how to talk to your doctor ** Plan before what you need to know ** Tell your doctor how you like to get information, and how much ** Prioritize your questions: three main ideas ** Take notes--write down your questions before ** What other team members should you involve? ** Get your blood tested--iron deficiency sucks. ** Google can’t answer your cancer questions--books and the cancer community are better resources.

** Raising money is a good way to help the next generation of patients and channel the “after” energy. ** Put the fun in fundraising. If it’s not fun, don’t do it! ** Use fundraising to build a community. ** Be clear about your goals. ** Be clear about what you are asking of others. ** Invite people to be a part of your journey. ** Make the ask. ** It’s not a competition. Every dollar helps.

*** Recovery is going to take longer than you think, especially if you have to go to work and be professional.

*** You have a new baseline, and you have to figure it out on your own.

*** Check in with your body on a regular basis.

*** Pain is inevitable. Misery is optional.

*** Ask who is intubating you. Ask how often they intubate.

*** Learn the difference between healing stretching hurt and destructive hurts.

*** You are bigger than the pain. Expand to encompass the pain.

*** Think about how much medication you are taking and plan the wean off.

*** There are alternatives to Oxy, like Tramadol. There is alternatives to everything.

*** You need to take a stool softener and laxative if you are on opioids.

*** Know the location and terms of your surgical warranties.

*** Be honest about your pain. Talk to your doctor. Talk to someone. Find what works for you.

*** What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Take a deep breath and do what you can do.

*** Faith gets you through every day, whether you are religious or not.

*** Find the placebo effect.

*** Pain is: 1) The greatest teacher 2) Temporary 3) A signal to change

Surprise! We have an interstitial episode where we touch base about our summer and how much we miss the podcast. Looking forward to season 2!

1) Recognition: see where you are (possibly admitting weakness/dependence).

2) Rebirth: starting to feel healthy again (possibly moving to Spain).

3) Regeneration: Trying new things (possibly online dating).

4) Regrouping: My teenage self overbooked me (possibly podcasting).

** Use your 2.0 as a chance to rebuild, and exercise is essential to the rebuild. ** Activity before / during / after is going to make you feel better physically and psychologically ** Use it or lose it: do SOMETHING. ** Go in with the attitude of fun and trying and seeing what happens. Don’t have expectations of what you “should” do ** Move everyday. Take the stairs or walk around the block. ** Dance parties are a good way to loosen up. ** Be gentle with yourself, and listen to your body. ** Ask at your hospital for exercise resources. ** Look up YMCA Livestrong to take advantage of training and classes. ** Believe in order to access the placebo effect. ** Take it slow and easy: incremental is still progress.

** Doctors will give you aquaphor or a petroleum product-- maybe try coconut oil or cbd oil. ** Plan for the utter exhaustion of radiation, and plan for naps. ** People want to help you. Let them help you. ** Do your research before you make a decision. ** You need to stretch medicinally through radiation. ** Take care of all of you--not just your radiated parts. ** This too shall pass. ** Calling your Radiation Oncologist a Radonk-a-donk (RadOnc) may improve your radiation appointments. ** Thanks to Rose Lee, Patron Saint and Radiation Martyr. ** Thanks to J-Zee, Patron Saint of Letting People Explain the Dumb Things They Say on Social Media--we are all just muddling along.

** Be humble and be kind, not obnoxious and a jerk. ** You never know what someone else is going through: "the cancer experience" is not always universal. ** Know your context within the cancer community. ** Your motivation matters, especially if you are a cancer maven.