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Last updated: August 11.
On June 6, 2007 (fittingly, the anniversary of D-Day), author, blogger and mom, Jen Singer, was diagnosed with cancer. She endured
months of chemotherapy, radiation and house-wide construction, all while trying to parent her two tweens, sons Nicholas and Christopher.
Read her story from beginning to the latest by dropping by the How's Jen Archives. You can find the latest news
below.
Read Jen's story from start to now.
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August 11, 2008
I didn't want to see my oncologist. Not until October, after my fourth and final PET scan for the year -- the one where, as I envision in my head,
he tells me I made it through the toughest year post-cancer and can go home and drink champagne. But then I got dizzy.
Not dizzy, really, but lightheaded. The first time, I was walking up the steps of the Cape May Lighthouse while on vacation
with my family. I figured that it was hot, there were 168 steps (my son counted each one out loud), and I'm not yet in shape. So
it's no wonder I was getting lightheaded.
But then I started getting lightheaded after working out. And soon, I was getting lightheaded just sitting at my computer.
Crap.
At a routine follow-up appointment with my radiation oncologist, I told her about it. She told me she didn't think it was serious, but I should
call my oncologist. He fit me into his appointment schedule a few days later.
He took my blood pressure sitting up, lying down and then shooting up again. It would suddenly drop whenever I sat up quickly.
Crap.
He sent out my bloodwork while I went about the business of convincing myself I had lymphoma/a brain tumor/colon cancer/leukemia/breast cancer. Yet here's the thing:
It came back normal. No anemia. White blood cells, normal. Tumor markers, normal. He told me to drink electrolytes, hold off on exercising and call him in a few days.
I mentioned it to my mom who told me she gets lightheaded in the heat sometimes.
And then, the temperature dropped, while the lightheadedness all but disappeared.
I called my oncologist to tell him. He replied, "Good! See you in October!"
I guess I'll get that champagne chilled now.
Jen
 P.S. This week, Goodies for Mom
has asked people to Blog for Blood Cancer to raise awareness for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and its mission to cure leukemia,
lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. As a non Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, I urge you
to take part in their Light the Night fundraisers this fall. I know I will.
P.P.S. That's a photo from in front of our house. It was the second rainbow we'd seen in three days.
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