I just found out that the Good Morning America segment on Dr Rachel Remen aired LAST Thursday. Who knew! And apparently, not only did all of my oh-so-profound-and-witty comments end up on the cutting room floor, but so did the entire interview that they conducted with Dr Gullion about integrated medicine!
DARN, this was suppose to be my big break! Now I'm back to square one on figuring out how to launch my next big career move. Oh well! I still feel flattered that he chose me to participate and, besides, Dr Gullion sent me a certificate for a free "integrative healing service" as a thank you. Maybe I'll be divinely inspired about what to do next while I am getting massaged...
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Yahoo Video
There was an interesting video on Yahoo yesterday regarding the chemicals that are being found in our bodies. The video supports much of what I have written about in prior blogs -- maybe my ramblings aren't so crazy after all! :)
Click here if you are interested in watching it:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4978183
Click here if you are interested in watching it:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/ver/223/popup/index.php?cl=4978183
Monday, November 12, 2007
I Finally Feel Like Celebrating
Not much news to report....As far as I know, my TV debut has not yet aired on Good Morning America and I am not sure when it will. I'm planning to call Dr Gullion's office tomorrow to check in and see if they have heard anything. I'll keep you posted. And if I can find someone who is more tech-savvy than me to help, I'll even try to figure out a way to include the clip as a video on my blog. No promises, but I'll see what I can do.
As for me, I am feeling better every day. I told Pete that, when everyone was sending me emails of congrats and flowers a couple Mondays ago, I was having a really hard time feeling "celebratory." I knew that I still had another 7+ days to go of feeling awful and it was hard to feel much like celebrating at that point. But now that a couple weeks have transpired and I am finally on the upswing and starting to feel better, I find that I am beginning to celebrate: my step is a bit lighter, my mood a bit happier, my smile a bit broader...I saw my friend, Amy, on Friday night and she said that she hasn't seen me this upbeat and chipper in months. I think that it's finally safe to say that the old Julie is coming back and that the Bitch lost this battle in a big fat way! :)
As for me, I am feeling better every day. I told Pete that, when everyone was sending me emails of congrats and flowers a couple Mondays ago, I was having a really hard time feeling "celebratory." I knew that I still had another 7+ days to go of feeling awful and it was hard to feel much like celebrating at that point. But now that a couple weeks have transpired and I am finally on the upswing and starting to feel better, I find that I am beginning to celebrate: my step is a bit lighter, my mood a bit happier, my smile a bit broader...I saw my friend, Amy, on Friday night and she said that she hasn't seen me this upbeat and chipper in months. I think that it's finally safe to say that the old Julie is coming back and that the Bitch lost this battle in a big fat way! :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
My Screen Debut
My television debut screening yesterday went great. I actually ended up playing a much bigger role than I imagined. I thought going in that I would just be an "extra" in the background while they interviewed Dr Gullion, but there were many times that the (enormous!) camera was directed solely at me. Yikes -- it was definitely nerve-wracking!
We basically staged a mock check-up appointment. Dr Gullion asked me questions about how I was feeling after my last treatment and he talked about next steps in my monitoring plan. We also talked about my experience regarding the integrative medical options that the cancer center offers (such as acupuncture, massage, guided imagery, etc) since this is really the focus of the work that Rachel Remen supports and which she has mentored Dr Gullion on establishing. Apparently, this is also the award that Dr Remen will be receiving -- it's an award that recognized the top six individuals who are leaders in the field of integrative medicine. During the interview, the reporter asked Dr Gullion if he ever could have imagined creating an integrative medical practice 40+ years ago when he was going through medical school at Columbia University. Dr Gullion said that the idea of combining Eastern and Western medicine and alternative therapies was completely unheard of in those days. He very much credits Rachel Remen and the other recipients (who, by the way, will also include Dr Andrew Weil, the nutritionist whom I have mentioned previously) in bringing integrative medicine to the forefront.
Anyway, the camera man taped us for about an hour, but of course, the whole segment is primarily about Dr Rachel Remen (they were leaving to go film her after us) and will probably only last about 15 minutes tops and so much of what they filmed with Dr Gullion and myself will inevitably end up being edited out. But who knows -- maybe my 2-seconds of coverage will launch my new career! Hee hee!
Anyway, the camera crew thought that the piece might be airing this Friday morning so if you have a chance tune in or TIVO it. Again, it's on Good Morning America. I'll let you know if I hear confirmation before then.
We basically staged a mock check-up appointment. Dr Gullion asked me questions about how I was feeling after my last treatment and he talked about next steps in my monitoring plan. We also talked about my experience regarding the integrative medical options that the cancer center offers (such as acupuncture, massage, guided imagery, etc) since this is really the focus of the work that Rachel Remen supports and which she has mentored Dr Gullion on establishing. Apparently, this is also the award that Dr Remen will be receiving -- it's an award that recognized the top six individuals who are leaders in the field of integrative medicine. During the interview, the reporter asked Dr Gullion if he ever could have imagined creating an integrative medical practice 40+ years ago when he was going through medical school at Columbia University. Dr Gullion said that the idea of combining Eastern and Western medicine and alternative therapies was completely unheard of in those days. He very much credits Rachel Remen and the other recipients (who, by the way, will also include Dr Andrew Weil, the nutritionist whom I have mentioned previously) in bringing integrative medicine to the forefront.
Anyway, the camera man taped us for about an hour, but of course, the whole segment is primarily about Dr Rachel Remen (they were leaving to go film her after us) and will probably only last about 15 minutes tops and so much of what they filmed with Dr Gullion and myself will inevitably end up being edited out. But who knows -- maybe my 2-seconds of coverage will launch my new career! Hee hee!
Anyway, the camera crew thought that the piece might be airing this Friday morning so if you have a chance tune in or TIVO it. Again, it's on Good Morning America. I'll let you know if I hear confirmation before then.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Good Morning America
I got a call from Dr Gullion last week that totally took me by surprise. Usually the nurses call me - I never get a call directly from him! It turns out he had a favor to ask of me. Apparently, his "life mentor" is Dr. Rachel Remen, the author of the book Kitchen Table Wisdom which I mentioned in prior blogs. I had no idea that Dr Gullion even knew her. I absolutely love her! Her book is one of the big reasons that I survived through all of the uncertainty and fear that clouded the first few months of my treatment. She is truly an inspirational and amazing person and an incredible writer. The stories in her book helped me tremendously as I grappled through mind-numbing fear to make sense of my diagnosis.
Anyway, she is apparently being honored with a very prestigious life-achievement award and Good Morning America is going to feature her in an upcoming segment. As part of the show, they want to include video footage of some of her proteges, including Dr Gullion. The favor that he asked me was to come and be the patient that he is "treating" while the video taping is going on. How fun! Of course I told him that I would be happy to help -- who wouldn't want to be on Good Morning America, plus I love the idea of being associated (even in this minuscule way) with Dr Remen. And so tomorrow morning I am off to my national TV screen debut taping. Hopefully I don't end up on the cutting room floor!
By the way, my dad thinks that it's good karma that Dr Gullion asked me. He thinks that Dr Gullion probably prefers a healthy, vibrant-looking patient who has a great chance at surviving, rather than some near-death, crawling-through-the-door patient. If that's the case, I am thrilled to be chosen and happy to oblige!
Anyway, she is apparently being honored with a very prestigious life-achievement award and Good Morning America is going to feature her in an upcoming segment. As part of the show, they want to include video footage of some of her proteges, including Dr Gullion. The favor that he asked me was to come and be the patient that he is "treating" while the video taping is going on. How fun! Of course I told him that I would be happy to help -- who wouldn't want to be on Good Morning America, plus I love the idea of being associated (even in this minuscule way) with Dr Remen. And so tomorrow morning I am off to my national TV screen debut taping. Hopefully I don't end up on the cutting room floor!
By the way, my dad thinks that it's good karma that Dr Gullion asked me. He thinks that Dr Gullion probably prefers a healthy, vibrant-looking patient who has a great chance at surviving, rather than some near-death, crawling-through-the-door patient. If that's the case, I am thrilled to be chosen and happy to oblige!
Finally Feeling Better
Well, it's safe to say that I am finally starting to feel better -- HALLELUJAH!
It's been such a long week -- I definitely got really, really knocked out by this last round of chemo. I had all the usual symptoms -- neuropathy, hot flashes, severe headaches, fatigue, etc. -- but it seemed like they were all more intense and lasted longer this time. I think that this cycle was harder from an emotional standpoint as well. Previously, I knew that I only got two weeks in between cycles and so I wanted every day to drag on as long as possible. I wanted to pack as much living in between my chemo appointments as possible, and so I definitely turned a blind eye to some of my symptoms and plowed forward. By comparison, now that I am done with chemo, I find that I am so impatient. I just want these next few days and weeks to fly by!! I am so tired of feeling yucky -- I want to fast forward to the point that all my symptoms have faded and I am back to my old self again.
But, as is the story of this whole journey, I need to just take things one step at a time...Ugh!
It's been such a long week -- I definitely got really, really knocked out by this last round of chemo. I had all the usual symptoms -- neuropathy, hot flashes, severe headaches, fatigue, etc. -- but it seemed like they were all more intense and lasted longer this time. I think that this cycle was harder from an emotional standpoint as well. Previously, I knew that I only got two weeks in between cycles and so I wanted every day to drag on as long as possible. I wanted to pack as much living in between my chemo appointments as possible, and so I definitely turned a blind eye to some of my symptoms and plowed forward. By comparison, now that I am done with chemo, I find that I am so impatient. I just want these next few days and weeks to fly by!! I am so tired of feeling yucky -- I want to fast forward to the point that all my symptoms have faded and I am back to my old self again.
But, as is the story of this whole journey, I need to just take things one step at a time...Ugh!
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