I had some unexpected news in 2023 as I was checking off all my health appointments for the new year, starting with an annual mammogram. Like many women, I have dense breast tissue coupled with the fact that my Mama Joy had carcinoma in situ + a lumpectomy performed on both of her breasts (20 years apart) My Aunt also recently had the same. Read more here.

The Time I Went from "Just Another California Newbie" to "On-Set PA" (Thanks to Justine Bateman)

Since having my first surgery (which you can read about here ) to remove an osteoma from my head, I’ve learned that a little preparation can make a big difference in both your hospital stay + recovery at home. Before going in, I spent time putting together a hospital bag + gathering a few items I thought might make recovery easier. I’m sharing what I packed + what I’ve been using since coming home, all of which are linked on my ShopMy / Amazon list here My RECOVERY Items C

How It Started I had an MRI with + without contrast performed on May 31, 2023 . The findings were as follows.... A 1.9cm heterogeneously enhancing mass of the LEFT frontal bone , grossly unchanged compared to CT scan. The differential diagnosis includes: Hemangioma, Atypical Fibrous Dysplasia + Intraosseous Meningioma. Tissue sample may be of benefit. Focal susceptibility of the LEFT parietal subcortical white matter. This is non-specific, but could represent a small cavern

Shawn Leyden, of Maplewood, New Jersey was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016. A busy executive at the state's largest electric and gas provider, Shawn was on an aggressive every-other-year colonoscopy schedule due to a family history of colon cancer. However, he had missed a scheduled colonoscopy that might have caught his colon cancer earlier. He eventually scheduled his colonoscopy at Saint Barnabas Medical Center with Mark Gilder, MD, a colon and rectal surgeon and an