The important things about blogging

This sort of goes back to why I blog. I blog about what I want to, what appeals to me, the mood I'm in, how I am feeling, or whatever is on my mind. When I started blogging I never dreamed I would be blogging for so long but I am.

I also follow many other blogs, mostly health related but some are about gardening, or cooking, or just writing. Its nice to know there are other bloggers out there. And its nice to know they like to read my blog too. And other people read my blog, too. The blogosphere is sort of a little club where we all have bonds through our health ailments. So somewhere in me I get a little warm fuzzy feeling about being in with the cool kids in high school again.

And then I get nominated for being one of the best breast cancer or whatever blogs. Yesterday I found a link for the best 150 breast cancer blogs and a little thing niggled inside me that I wanted to belong again. I did find my blog on the list. I was happy. Sort of. It was only someone else's opinion.

And then I decided I don't really care anymore. Its not what other people think about me that's important. It sort of goes back to wanting to be the cool kid again. I'm not here for other people's opinions. I write to express my thoughts and deal with my health issues.

What to do about my boring blog?

My blog has devolved into something just plain boring, for lack of a better word. I will say I do not write for volume, I do not write for search engines or to build twitter followers or anything like that. I blog because it helps me cope with my devolving health. I do try to primarily write about breast cancer and related issues.

But my life has not been about breast cancer recently. Which is a good thing. I do not focus my life on breast cancer now. My life focuses on work, getting ready for craft fairs this fall, and coping with my back and RA issues as well as fibromyalgia pain.I have also upped my volunteer work to a level which is fulfilling.

I think I have gotten through enough of the breast cancer PTSD for now. It will never go away. I do know that. This month marks 33 years since my thyroid cancer diagnosis and that never completely went away.... (The answer to the question of does it ever go away is no.) But it does recede into your mind and make it easier to cope and live.  And allows room in my brain to focus on the rest of my life. And no there is no new me living a new normal. That is all a load of crapola.

So that is where my brain is so that is why my blog is boring. I will continue to blog and I will try to make it less boring.

I didn't blog today

This isn't a real blog post. It is an unpost to say I am not dead or anything but we had house guests, I didn't get enough sleep either Friday or Saturday night, and I am tired. So I am not blogging. Pretend I am writing in invisible ink. I should be back tomorrow.

Does blogging=journaling?

I just read this article about the benefits of journaling - taking pen to paper. The claims are it benefits your immune system, blood pressure and lung and liver function as well as allowing the right side of your brain to be creative.

It also gives tip for getting started. But I've clearly already started. As long as blogging equals journaling. While I am not putting pen to paper, I am putting hands to keyboard and my right brain is working (I hope).

The tips given are:

• write consistently
• consider starting each day writing
• never self edit
• write about the good, the bad and the ugly.

I would add to that -  if you have a brain like a sieve (like me), you can go back and read what you wrote so you can remember what you actually did that day. And ignore whatever your high school English teachers told you. Mine told me I couldn't form a cohesive paragraph and would never be a writer. But she was old and cranky too.

Having fun!!!

I am sorry for not blogging for a few days but I am visiting the town of Saint Peter, MN for a friend's wedding this afternoon.

I flew out from Boston on an uneventful flight (and they didn't lose my luggage) on Thursday. Since then we have been eating and drinking, as well as getting our nails done and other girly stuff. This morning is the big hair adventure where I will hang out and chat - my hair is pretty short these days so it does not need much. Then back here for the wedding itself.

But the big news is that yesterday I met another breast cancer blogger who I only knew online. We were cyber friends but now we met in real life, a rare occurrence in the blogosphere when people come from the four corners of the earth. So yesterday I had a drink with Teresa of the blog Spellbound by our own imperfect lives where she writes about her own breath cancer misadventures.

It is absolutely wonderful to meet other bloggers in real life. Every so often I get this opportunity and I try to grab it.

But it's time to get moving to get on with today's misadventures!! Congratulations A and J (you know who you are!) Best wishes for many years of happiness together.

Healthline Best Breast Cancer Blogs of 2014

Once again, I am very honored to be included in Healthline's Best Breast Cancer Blogs of 2014. For some reason, this is what they think of me:

"Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog is not just the story of a woman’s battle with cancer and the health complications that accompany treatment. It’s also a running commentary on the ins and outs of an evolving health care industry. But rather than rant about FDA rules, health insurance, and mammogram guidelines, Caroline Ronten brings a reasoned tone to the conversation. She asks the questions many of us also ponder.

Ronten will make you feel for her as she grapples with health problems beyond cancer. But she’ll also make you think about just what fixes are needed to make health care better for everyone."

I didn't know anyone thought that I had a reasoned tone or was reasonable but I am pleased to hear it and very  happy to be included in this list again, as in the past 3 or 4 years (I think).

I was reading through their list of the best cancer blogs and realized that I follow many of them and think they are very good. My blog reading list has grown in recent years as I have added the other blogs on the list to my reading list. I highly recommend following the other 20 blogs on the list as they provide a lot of thoughts and issues and commentary across the full gamut of breast cancer and its surrounding issues.

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor cancer....

Shall stop the blogger. But a pesky cold? Yes.

I have not been doing well this week. I had a nasty stomach flu for 24 hours on Tuesday and it has left me with a fever and generally crappiness (yes that is a technical term). I worked a grand total of 3 hours last week. Instead of my normal 15-18. I tried to go to the gym one day and was less than successful. I had planned to go away for a girls weekend and didn't.

Friday I got my nails done and that was it. Saturday I got out of bed for 30 minutes to prove that I could. Then I got back in bed and slept for the day. Today I got up, took as shower, ate some food and am now back in bed.

My father is convinced I got something when I was at the ER with him last weekend for 8 hours. I doubt it. But he wants nothing to do with me until I am better.

My husband is taking very good care of me. He makes me food. He brought me flowers (which the cat tried to eat twice and threw up twice). I hope for more ice cream today.....

The real problem I am left with is a temperature. I took it one dat last week and it was 99 and figured no big deal and ignored it. Then it started getting more interesting - up and down, from 98 to 102.5. So when do I call the doctor about a temperature?

I think normal people wait three days. My immune system is not normal and its been longer than 3 days so maybe I'll call tomorrow.

But I'll keep on blogging.

A day off from blogging

I missed blogging yesterday. I meant to blog but time got away from me. My brother and  his four children (ages 8, 11, 14, and 16) are visiting. This means chaos. The poor cat  had to recover from over affection from children.

They are a lot of fun but some how take a lot of time. Breakfast seemed to last for a few hours as people wandered through and ate and left, came back for seconds, etc. Very different from the quiet mornings with just the two of us.

After my nephew learned how to make lasagna yesterday morning, my sister came over and the volume increased. Then all of us went for a walk in the woods on very icy trails. I thought I would be fine but I was exhausted.

Eventually they all left and went to Boston. I was physically exhausted. My RA feet hurt. My fibromyalgia body hurt. I needed a pain pill and a nap.My husband and I took naps. The cat continued his nap.

Then we went to my parents for a late Christmas dinner. I lasted about another 3 hours before I had to come home and become horizontal and sleep. I lead such an exciting life.

Today, my husband went to work (traitor) and left me home to deal with all the chaos. I have to take the remaining car to the garage for the day so I will be carless. This might even force me to take it easier than yesterday. But I will be at the mercy of family members to retrieve the car at the end of the day.

I can tell you I am physically exhausted still. Crap. This is no fun. But I do get to see everyone.

Best cancer blogs nominations

Healthline

This year Healthline has nominated my blog as one of the best health blogs of 2013. While I am very honored to be nominated again, I never quite understand why they include me.

Now they are running a contest for the best blog. The winner gets $1000, second place gets $100, and third place gets $50. You can vote from any US based Facebook or Twitter account once every 24 hours.

While any bit of money is welcomed, I know there are others who are not as well off. If I had my choice I would say to vote for Ann over at Breast Cancer? But Doctor I Hate Pink! and vote for her blog.

The reasons are this: She was diagnosed two years after me, had a a recurrence and now is living the stage IV lifestyle which includes missing one salary (hers) which I presume means money is somewhat tighter in her household than mine. Stage IV means you live scan to scan, treatment to treatment so its not a lot of fun either. She won last year and I hope she won last year and I hope she wins again this year.

So please think of me, but vote for Ann

A lame blog post

Yes, this is a lame blog post. Sometimes I wonder why people read my blog. I mean sometimes its really about nothing - just like a Seinfeld episode.

I have a cold still/again. I did make it to work yesterday and stayed until 300pm. I will admit that it was the day of our holiday party which makes it one of the best work days of the year. I wanted to stay until 330pm but at 300 I started to feel awful so I headed home with the intent of going to bed immediately.

My commute is usually about 30 minutes. It took over an hour because of holiday mall traffic and some unknown gremlins who slowed down the highway. But then I did finally get in bed and slept for about 2.5 hours. My husband came home and made dinner from left overs. I could taste the food when I covered it in hot sauce. Then I went back to bed.

Today I am going to work even though I am sick because (I promise not breathe on my coworkers):

1. The garage next to work is going to finish the last car repairs which have dragged on for weeks.
2. I brought some scarves to work yesterday and some of my coworkers bought them but two wanted to think about it and look at their wardrobes before purchasing.
3. I really have some work that needs to be done which is the reason we all go to work in the first place.

Then I will come home and take a nap unless a miracle cure happens between now and then. I am supposed to celebrate with a friend this afternoon - she has champagne and I have pate, cornichons, and french bread - but I am too sick for festivities and will have to cancel. Damn.

My other big concerns because getting healthy, honestly I mean getting over my cold, I am not sure about the being healthy part ever again are:

1. Find my missing mitten
2. Purchase groceries for Christmas dinner
3. Find my missing mitten.
4. Get healthy
5. Find a cure for cancer.

See, this was a really lame blog post and you get extra points for actually reading it to the end.

The important things about blogging

This sort of goes back to why I blog. I blog about what I want to, what appeals to me, the mood I'm in, how I am feeling, or whatever is on my mind. When I started blogging I never dreamed I would be blogging for so long but I am.

I also follow many other blogs, mostly health related but some are about gardening, or cooking, or just writing. Its nice to know there are other bloggers out there. And its nice to know they like to read my blog too. And other people read my blog, too. The blogosphere is sort of a little club where we all have bonds through our health ailments. So somewhere in me I get a little warm fuzzy feeling about being in with the cool kids in high school again.

And then I get nominated for being one of the best breast cancer or whatever blogs. Yesterday I found a link for the best 150 breast cancer blogs and a little thing niggled inside me that I wanted to belong again. I did find my blog on the list. I was happy. Sort of. It was only someone else's opinion.

And then I decided I don't really care anymore. Its not what other people think about me that's important. It sort of goes back to wanting to be the cool kid again. I'm not here for other people's opinions. I write to express my thoughts and deal with my health issues.

Does blogging=journaling?

I just read this article about the benefits of journaling - taking pen to paper. The claims are it benefits your immune system, blood pressure and lung and liver function as well as allowing the right side of your brain to be creative.

It also gives tip for getting started. But I've clearly already started. As long as blogging equals journaling. While I am not putting pen to paper, I am putting hands to keyboard and my right brain is working (I hope).

The tips given are:

• write consistently
• consider starting each day writing
• never self edit
• write about the good, the bad and the ugly.

I would add to that -  if you have a brain like a sieve (like me), you can go back and read what you wrote so you can remember what you actually did that day. And ignore whatever your high school English teachers told you. Mine told me I couldn't form a cohesive paragraph and would never be a writer. But she was old and cranky too.

Having fun!!!

I am sorry for not blogging for a few days but I am visiting the town of Saint Peter, MN for a friend's wedding this afternoon.

I flew out from Boston on an uneventful flight (and they didn't lose my luggage) on Thursday. Since then we have been eating and drinking, as well as getting our nails done and other girly stuff. This morning is the big hair adventure where I will hang out and chat - my hair is pretty short these days so it does not need much. Then back here for the wedding itself.

But the big news is that yesterday I met another breast cancer blogger who I only knew online. We were cyber friends but now we met in real life, a rare occurrence in the blogosphere when people come from the four corners of the earth. So yesterday I had a drink with Teresa of the blog Spellbound by our own imperfect lives where she writes about her own breath cancer misadventures.

It is absolutely wonderful to meet other bloggers in real life. Every so often I get this opportunity and I try to grab it.

But it's time to get moving to get on with today's misadventures!! Congratulations A and J (you know who you are!) Best wishes for many years of happiness together.

What to do about my boring blog?

My blog has devolved into something just plain boring, for lack of a better word. I will say I do not write for volume, I do not write for search engines or to build twitter followers or anything like that. I blog because it helps me cope with my devolving health. I do try to primarily write about breast cancer and related issues.

But my life has not been about breast cancer recently. Which is a good thing. I do not focus my life on breast cancer now. My life focuses on work, getting ready for craft fairs this fall, and coping with my back and RA issues as well as fibromyalgia pain.I have also upped my volunteer work to a level which is fulfilling.

I think I have gotten through enough of the breast cancer PTSD for now. It will never go away. I do know that. This month marks 33 years since my thyroid cancer diagnosis and that never completely went away.... (The answer to the question of does it ever go away is no.) But it does recede into your mind and make it easier to cope and live.  And allows room in my brain to focus on the rest of my life. And no there is no new me living a new normal. That is all a load of crapola.

So that is where my brain is so that is why my blog is boring. I will continue to blog and I will try to make it less boring.

#IStandWithLisa

In case you missed the ferfuffle in the land of cancer blogging and tweeting, allow me to fill you in. Ann also wrote about this and you can see her opinion over here as well.

Lisa Bonchek Adams has stage IV breast cancer and tweets a lot about her life with cancer. You can follow her @adamslisa on Twitter or her blog. She is living her life as best she can and talks about it on line through tweets and blog posts.

Then along came Emma, who we will call the Idiot for lack of a better term, who wrote for the Guardian and compared tweeting to funeral selfies - really? Hence the name. What she wrote was taken down by the Guardian after a day or two but you can read it here. (See things on the Internet never really go away).

The Idiot complains that Lisa tweets too much. Is that really possible? Some people have conversations and dialogues on Twitter so they might have a high volume of tweets. So what?

And the complaint that of over exposure on twitter becomes a funeral selfie? She is not dead so its not a funeral.

So anyway, the Idiot's column was posted and then many complaints were received and it was taken down because the Guardian said it did not meet their standards.

That was bad enough and then Mr Idiot (her husband) wrote for the New York Times comparing Lisa's fight to I'm not sure what. He did talk about his father's death from cancer in England a few years ago and medical costs but it was fairly pointless in my opinion.

When I first read these articles and the blog posts about them from others in cancer land, I wondered have these two journalism professionals (Mr. and Mrs. Idiot) ever bother to talk to Lisa directly? I do not think so. I could be wrong but their writings were not about Lisa but about her tweets. In professional journalism, isn't it appropriate to contact the subject of their writings? I mean again I could be wrong but in terms of verifying information and all that, isn't that correct?

So I stand with Lisa on this. And Mr and Mrs can go take a hike.

Healthline Best Breast Cancer Blogs of 2014

Once again, I am very honored to be included in Healthline's Best Breast Cancer Blogs of 2014. For some reason, this is what they think of me:

"Caroline's Breast Cancer Blog is not just the story of a woman’s battle with cancer and the health complications that accompany treatment. It’s also a running commentary on the ins and outs of an evolving health care industry. But rather than rant about FDA rules, health insurance, and mammogram guidelines, Caroline Ronten brings a reasoned tone to the conversation. She asks the questions many of us also ponder.

Ronten will make you feel for her as she grapples with health problems beyond cancer. But she’ll also make you think about just what fixes are needed to make health care better for everyone."

I didn't know anyone thought that I had a reasoned tone or was reasonable but I am pleased to hear it and very  happy to be included in this list again, as in the past 3 or 4 years (I think).

I was reading through their list of the best cancer blogs and realized that I follow many of them and think they are very good. My blog reading list has grown in recent years as I have added the other blogs on the list to my reading list. I highly recommend following the other 20 blogs on the list as they provide a lot of thoughts and issues and commentary across the full gamut of breast cancer and its surrounding issues.

I didn't blog today

This isn't a real blog post. It is an unpost to say I am not dead or anything but we had house guests, I didn't get enough sleep either Friday or Saturday night, and I am tired. So I am not blogging. Pretend I am writing in invisible ink. I should be back tomorrow.

Who reads your blog?

This is a real question. I started writing my blog to keep my family and friends up on my cancer adventures in 2007-2008. Very few of them every read it. I know my mother reads my blog. An old family friend who lives in France reads my blog. The rest of my family to the best of my knkowledge does not read my blog.

My husband does not read my blog unless I prod him but his point is that he is living it so I give him a lot of slack on that.He usually knows more about me than my blog does.

Of my closest friends, one who lives far away, reads my blog regularly. I have one good friend who lives locally who reads my blog regularly. Most of the ones who live closer do not read my blog. Its not like I talk to them any more often than I talk to the one who lives far away.Every so often, I find out that someone else I know reads my blog. Some facebook friends read my blog too.

I'm not complaining. I'm analyzing and thinking - even though its early in the day.

My intention was to have friends and family read my blog so I wouldn't have to write emails or answer calls on my on going cancer adventures. That did not work out.

My daily writing has helped me developed a coping mechanism where I am journaling my life experience through on going medical disasters. Since its not my friends and family who read my blog for the most part, it is my impression that the other readers consist of other bloggers, cancer friends who I have met online and complete strangers.

At first I was a little bit frustrated by the fact that my intention not to have to call and email people updates didn't work. But now I really do not care. If they say they are my friend and don't bother to ask me about my health and they know I have issues. Are they my friend?

For most people who breeze in to my life and call me up and ask how I am doing, I give them a vague answer because honestly its too complicated to answer a single question. What part do they want to know about - my latest developments, my RA progression, my fibromyalgia stability, my last blood work, my upcoming tests? Its not a one sentence reply.

So the people I had hoped read my blog do not. There are  many people who read my blog and give me feed back. Sometimes posts get picked up here and there and more people read them. But that's okay. So who reads  your blog?

Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, nor cancer....

Shall stop the blogger. But a pesky cold? Yes.

I have not been doing well this week. I had a nasty stomach flu for 24 hours on Tuesday and it has left me with a fever and generally crappiness (yes that is a technical term). I worked a grand total of 3 hours last week. Instead of my normal 15-18. I tried to go to the gym one day and was less than successful. I had planned to go away for a girls weekend and didn't.

Friday I got my nails done and that was it. Saturday I got out of bed for 30 minutes to prove that I could. Then I got back in bed and slept for the day. Today I got up, took as shower, ate some food and am now back in bed.

My father is convinced I got something when I was at the ER with him last weekend for 8 hours. I doubt it. But he wants nothing to do with me until I am better.

My husband is taking very good care of me. He makes me food. He brought me flowers (which the cat tried to eat twice and threw up twice). I hope for more ice cream today.....

The real problem I am left with is a temperature. I took it one dat last week and it was 99 and figured no big deal and ignored it. Then it started getting more interesting - up and down, from 98 to 102.5. So when do I call the doctor about a temperature?

I think normal people wait three days. My immune system is not normal and its been longer than 3 days so maybe I'll call tomorrow.

But I'll keep on blogging.

A look back on blogging

When I started blogging almost seven years ago, I wrote for my friends and family. Now my blog is read by people I don't know. There have been ups and downs.

Some days I have brilliant ideas and write about them and no one comments. Some days I have brilliant ideas and forget them before I can start writing and end up writing some pile of drivel that people read for some reason.

Some things I write about I believe are really boring. Sometimes I have attempted to be controversial. I think I am mostly boring. But hey I am not writing a screenplay or anything so I can be as boring as I want.

My blog has been picked up by places far and wide - everything from Parade Magazine, to Beforeitsnews.com, to Opposingviews.com, and more - for whatever reason I have no idea. I have been selected by Healthline for one of the best breast cancer blogs - another thing I find amazing. Why do all these people care about the crap I write anyway?

I get to follow other people's blogs, and some people actually follow my blog (very impressive). My blog even gets shared by some of these followers.

I get comments sometimes. I get spam comments offering me a spiritual or miracle cure for cancer. Or other crap. I also get supportive comments which are nice.

I will say one of my top blog posts ever is "A Lame Blog Post" that ended up on Beforeitsnews I think. And got a comment along the lines of: "This is such an awful blog post". Then why did you read it if said it was a lame post?