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Chemo Therapy

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A New Beginning at the Very End of 2019 年越し癌点滴
Yoko Katz December 31, 2019

A New Beginning at the Very End of 2019 年越し癌点滴

I am starting a new ER+(estrogen positive) and HER2 + treatment, Kadcyla, on December…

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My Weight Again after Chemo 抗がん剤後の体重増加の私
yoko katz December 8, 2016

My Weight Again after Chemo 抗がん剤後の体重増加の私

I somehow gained weight about 15 lb more than the most stable weight for many years before cancer. Recently, I had an opportunity to talk to other survivors of my age. All three of us discovered that each individual gained about 15 lb. We are all about 2 years after our last chemo.

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Normal Nails Again (21 Months after Breast Cancer Chemo) 爪がやっと元に戻ってくる(抗がん剤終了から21か月)
yoko katz September 7, 2016

Normal Nails Again (21 Months after Breast Cancer Chemo) 爪がやっと元に戻ってくる(抗がん剤終了から21か月)

After 1 year and 9 months from my last breast cancer chemotherapy treatments (ended in November 2014), I finally feel that my nails gained again the strength I used to had. Up to this summer, my nails had been chipping, cracking, and coming into multiple separated layers all the time. I could not grow them at all. But now I can!

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After Chemo, Tamoxifen and Periods 抗がん剤治療後の タモキシフェン口径薬と生理
yoko katz July 12, 2016

After Chemo, Tamoxifen and Periods 抗がん剤治療後の タモキシフェン口径薬と生理

My periods have changed to horribly heavy periods after chemotherapy and being on Tamoxifen medication for breast cancer.

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PhD Graduation (with My Handmade Gown)! 博士課程 卒業式
yoko katz June 4, 2016

PhD Graduation (with My Handmade Gown)! 博士課程 卒業式

I had a PhD graduation ceremony! I am even more officially, well... I had been since February... but, Dr. Yoko! I started the PhD program in 2001, that is 15 years of my work. I am so proud to be able to come this far. Thank you so much for supporting me, my family, friends, colleagues, my blog readers, and my professors. Along the way, I started to teach Economics at US colleges since 2004, got married, had a baby, had been raising my son in bilingual, got breast cancer, completed chemotherapy, finished reconstruction, completed my dissertation and the graduation ceremony was the closing of the PhD program!

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No more fussy hair after chemo, finally やっと抗がん剤後のボワボワ髪が無くなる
yoko katz May 11, 2016

No more fussy hair after chemo, finally やっと抗がん剤後のボワボワ髪が無くなる

Since my last chemotherapy about 18 months ago, I kept cutting my hair because it came out so unevenly strong wavy. I used to have straight hair in natural, but it came out very very wavy. Finally, it looks like much more of the hair I used to have today! (This picture is just before cutting for the final time to say good-bye to my wavy hair.)

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Spring 2016 Semester Started 新学期の始まり
yoko katz January 29, 2016

Spring 2016 Semester Started 新学期の始まり

A new semester has started this week. I have full of energy to kick off this semester. (Wednesday was my first day of classes.)

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Happy Halloween 2015 2015年のハロウィン
yoko katz November 1, 2015

Happy Halloween 2015 2015年のハロウィン

I remember the last year Halloween, I felt so sick that I did not even want to get up for bathroom. It was two days after my 5th chemotherapy. I had my nerve system started to be damaged, peripheral neuropathy, that I lost sensation with my finger tips and toes, and I could not walk uphill. That was an scary experience. This year, I was out in streets with my son, going along for trick-or-treating. I could not help but to think, "I could not even walk this street last year." I was happy to be able to do this again.

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Pregnancy after Chemotherapy 抗がん剤治療後の妊娠について
yoko katz September 23, 2015

Pregnancy after Chemotherapy 抗がん剤治療後の妊娠について

(My hair has been growing into bushes. It's been 10 months since my last chemotherapy. I used to have very long silky straight hair, but now look how curly it is. I have no idea how to deal with this. It is always going so bushy. I don't feel this represents me and I cannot wait to have it grow much longer.) It depends on the types of breast cancer, but especially when one's cancer grows with hormone such as progesterone positive and estrogen positive breast cancer, getting pregnant raises some concerns. Chemotherapy let alone is a concern for damaging ovaries, there are other things to worry about, too. If a cancer patient is considering having babies after treatments, she should talk to doctors right upfront. This information is only based on my experience, please consult your physician when it comes to details and whether it can be applied to your case. Many cases, insurance companies may not cover this and it can be costly.

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Semi-Final US vs Germany Soccer in Montreal, Canada ワールドカップ女子 米VS独 観戦
yoko katz July 4, 2015

Semi-Final US vs Germany Soccer in Montreal, Canada ワールドカップ女子 米VS独 観戦

The past Tuesday, US won the semi-final Women's World Cup Soccer against Germany at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. We were there to support the team USA.

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My period is BAAAACK! 生理が戻ってきた(涙) Pose#480
yoko katz June 22, 2015

My period is BAAAACK! 生理が戻ってきた(涙) Pose#480

I am super excited to have my period back yesterday after the breast cancer treatments. I was told that chemotherapy could damage my totally healthy ovaries and could strip away my period FOREVER (at the age 36). I welcome back my period with joy today!

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YES, finally! I fulfilled my appetite! やっと食欲が満ち渡る!
yoko katz May 28, 2015

YES, finally! I fulfilled my appetite! やっと食欲が満ち渡る!

It has been 6 months since my last chemotherapy. I have been craving food like crazy since then. Constantly fulfilling my appetite as much as I could. I am ... finally content.

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Teaching Wednesday 水曜日授業の日
yoko katz May 6, 2015

Teaching Wednesday 水曜日授業の日

I was feeling a little nauseous after yesterday's cancer treatment. But at least I styled myself, inspired by this great spring weather in New York, and I felt good about it.

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Wig Shopping ウィッグショッピング Study of Pose #572
yoko katz April 29, 2015

Wig Shopping ウィッグショッピング Study of Pose #572

Two of my colleagues took me out for a wig shopping today with them, after my regular Tuesday teaching. One of them started to come to the office with different wigs recently; what a nice surprise! I was surprised to see her with a new hair style the other day. I did not know until she told me that it was a wig. She totally nailed it!

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Attending Meetings ミーティングな一日 Pose #735
yoko katz April 24, 2015

Attending Meetings ミーティングな一日 Pose #735

"TPO": Time, Place and Occasion. This is a made up acronym by the Japanese society and a widely used term today in Japan. It is used as TPO, as is in alphabets, in the Japanese language. That means people has to dress and behave according to a "TPO". It is used as "She was not considering the TPO for today's meeting." Either she dressed inappropriate for the meeting or used inappropriate tone of the language in the meeting. Some fashion magazines' editorials in Japan show a set of appropriate attires for a certain TPO, such as an office party TPO dresses, or weekend trip with a boyfriend TPO outfits.

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