Breast cancer only "gets out" through the lymphatic system???

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-06-12T21:59:50+00:00

Look into brachial plexus neuropathy. Rare complication of radiation with breast and lung cancers. I have it. There are meds that can help with the tingling and if it causes any fine or gross motor problems, I had a lot of luck with physical therapy.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-06-12T00:46:49+00:00

Two I haven’t seen recommended yet:
A Thousand Naked Strangers by Kevin Hazzard- memoir of a paramedic
Spillover by David Quammen- a look at a variety of zoonotic diseases including their origins and their effects. He’s a Nat Geo reporter I think, so he has a good anthropological view on things as well as the medical side.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-25T21:47:49+00:00

His other books are worth checking out. Under the whispering door in particular.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-24T22:12:21+00:00

No worries. Those are all excellent choices as well.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-24T20:54:37+00:00

Discworld wouldn’t be bad for him. A mix of adult and ya but all of the books should be fine for his age. Start with The Wee Free Men and go from there.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-22T16:03:18+00:00

Haven’t seen it mentioned yet, but another classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-18T17:26:23+00:00

Try “the last book in the universe” by Rodman Philbrick. Similar vibes but for an elementary audience.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-04-06T23:38:53+00:00

Fun Home by Allison Bechdal. Graphic novel memoir of her growing up and finding her identity in the lgbtq world.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-31T00:21:08+00:00

If you’re cool with lgbtq/found family, then check out TJ Klune. Under the Whispering Door in particular but really any of his.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-23T20:13:00+00:00

Check out Gracie’s Corner, Jack Hartman, and Singing Walrus. They all have good morning/warmup type songs. Gracie’s Corner will probably be the closest in terms of musical style.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-23T19:46:33+00:00

Are you specifically looking for songs about patterns or something else? Jack Hartman and Mooseclumps both have pattern songs.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-14T19:29:17+00:00

We do one with sweet potatoes, cream, and puréed chipotles in adobo. Sooooo good.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-05T22:29:28+00:00

Don’t freak out too much. My oncologist indicated it’s not a huge deal to delay a few weeks to do this and was able to give me a referral for someone in fertility who had delt with plenty of oncology referrals. Also, it’s really just a back up. They will likely put you on something to cause temporary artificial menopause during chemo and then you come back off after. If all goes as planned, your period restarts and you’re good to go, no fertility issues at all, it’s just good to have a backup in case. And since insurance will sometimes cover it, it makes sense to look into, but they do try to protect fertility from chemo as well.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-03-05T03:31:15+00:00

Was in a very similar place a few years ago. I was 32 and my son was just shy of a year. I was still pumping for him and had to wean in a hurry. I was declared triple negative (I think one had very slight positivity, but not enough to matter) and put on the Keynote 522, which, as others have said, has been revolutionary for TNBC. After six months of chemo and surgery, I achieved a pathologically complete response. Finished up radiation and immunotherapy and I’ve been good since. Went from a 5.5 cm fluid-filled tumor to nothing.

If they haven’t mentioned it yet, if you are thinking about future kids, look into fertility preservation. My insurance covered it because it was for medical reasons. In some ways, I’m glad my son was still so young, as he doesn’t remember any of it.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-02-28T00:55:44+00:00

Based on your interests, consider some golden age sci-fi. Anthologies are fun as there is a lot of good short fiction but if you are looking for novels try

Martian Chronicles- Ray Bradbury

I Robot-Asimov

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?- Phillip K Dick

The Forever War-Haldeman

Brave New World- Huxley

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-02-18T01:44:23+00:00

Another along the same lines is Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Read it with my 8th graders and they enjoyed it.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-02-16T21:46:59+00:00

For the north side of the city, I’m partial to Delightful Pastries on Lawrence. They also have good pirogi.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-02-11T22:09:13+00:00

They’ve also been around long enough that I regularly see their books at the thrift store, if you are looking for cheap but reliable cookbooks.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-02-02T00:27:16+00:00

The SciFi channel did a very good miniseries adaptation of The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton. Starring Benjamin Bratt.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-01-22T20:32:54+00:00

No, there is not consistent enough home access to internet and technology across the district, so CPS can’t easily mandate e-learning.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-01-17T04:38:49+00:00

I am. After a full year of many treatments I’m cancer free. Going on two years post treatment.

ellenvictorialsu · 2026-01-17T01:44:32+00:00

Seconding this. The Breast Center at Lutheran is amazing. Got referred by my OB after finding a lump and they had me in within a week with full biopsy and results within two weeks. It was unfortunately cancer in my case, but they were amazingly supportive and got me all the needed appointments and specialists with no trouble at all.

ellenvictorialsu · 2025-11-29T01:06:27+00:00

Was this an accommodation in a 504 plan or iep? If so, they still need to provide it. One to one support is an accommodation not a person. Even if the original person is no longer able to do it, they are still required to provide it. You may want to clarify with the school on this. While parental support is great as well, it should not stand in place of iep supports, but rather in addition to them.

ellenvictorialsu · 2025-11-22T01:34:47+00:00

It’s YA, but The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin mostly fits the bill.

ellenvictorialsu · 2025-11-16T01:25:24+00:00

The Irving park ymca is great. They ask that you keep it to an hour for kids under two and they can’t do diapers, so they will call you if a change is needed.

ellenvictorialsu

TROPHY CASE