Reba Cooks #15
A health update, a watch list, a complicated recipe!
We meet again.
It’s hard to follow up the “I’ve got cancer” post but there’s no better way than to just go for it as I know many people are curious for an update. In the ~12 weeks since I got hit with the diagnosis, I have chopped off my boobs, recovered from that surgery (mostly), slowly re-inflated my chest by way of weekly saline injections into tissue expanders, had what feels like maybe 100 doctor’s appointments, and finally finally finally, as of this week, have figured out what my treatment looks like for the rest of the year. I am lucky (???) enough to be diagnosed with a pretty standard, borderline boring case of the big C. It’s slow growing, was caught early, and responds to hormones (or rather, the suppression thereof). Pathology revealed no need for more surgery (to remove additional lymph nodes).
More good news includes the fact that after some tests, chemo will not be prescribed as a treatment. This was a big sigh of relief. Huge actually.
Radiation was a bit of a question mark but after some deliberation with the team (I am now a person who has a “team” of doctors. I went from my PCP being a Minute Clinic NP to a TEAM of doctors within 12 weeks) I am opting into a relatively short radiation treatment session which hopefully will begin in the next month. Once radiation ends, I’ll get started on some endocrine therapy to tamp down my hormones and stop feeding the cancer what it wants most.
And what, pray tell, have you been doing to fill your days Reba?? Well, it feels like mostly doctor’s appointments. I have saline fill appointments, occupational therapy appointments, medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, the list goes on. I am *in* the portal. I am *learning* the nomenclature. I am nothing if not a first child trapped in the body of a middle child (which makes for an interesting combination of both people pleasing, overt responsibility, and humor!). So mostly— I am driving down the dizzying seven roundabouts from here to the hospital for the latest treatment of the day.
And while I’m not in treatment, I am taking in some CONTENT. Below I present to you a list of some of my favorite things to sit and look at OR listen to that I’ve taken in just in case you find yourself in need:
Some Television
Severance (Apple TV) of course. A rewatch of S1 followed by S2. Right when I thought the last episode was a filler episode, shit got real. I love it.
The final season of What We Do In The Shadows (Hulu/FX) if not for the energy vampire laughs, come for the Skarsgård cameo.
I am a bonafide SNL nerd and can’t get enough of the bonus 50th anniversary content they are pumping out. The “documentary” on the More Cowbell (Peacock) sketch was absurd, just like the sketch. I loved it. Also if you have 3 hours to spare like I do these days, the SNL Music Special was unreal.
I am a THE PITT (Max) evangelist. I loved (loved) ER and so you take an older, wiser, scruffy Noah Wylie and you put him back in the ER with an HBO production budget? I’m in. I love the stupid interns and the premise (1 hr of a shift per episode) and yes, I am in a lot of hospitals these days but I told you— I’m learning the nomenclature. SATS ARE DROPPING - WE NEED TO INTUBATE!
Detroiters (Netflix) - I’m embarrassed to be late to the game here (show was already canceled after two riotous seasons in 2018) but it’s on Netflix now and so there’s no excuse. Laugh out loud sketches from Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson. Here’s a clip, watch it and laugh.
Some Movies:
My Old Ass (Prime) - loved this weird movie about aging and shrooms
Emilia Perez (Netflix) - Did I like this movie? Did I hate it?? I’m not sure but I’m glad I’ve seen it because of the *buzz* around it
A Complete Unknown (theaters) - a Timmy stan since Ladybird, I loved this movie a lot. I like biopics, I like Timmy, I like (early) Bob Dylan, and I like it when actors go hard on learning something like jousting or playing the harmonica.
Conclave (Peacock) - Top tier actors as gossipy priests?! I’m in.
The Taste of Things (Hulu) - Do you love history? Soft warm natural lighting? The soft lilt of French? Reading subtitles? Cooking elaborate meals for your lover? CRYING?? This movie is for you.
Some Listening:
The Sports Gossip Show (podcast) - I’ve had a parasocial relationship with Charlotte Wilder for longer than I care to admit, but I have enjoyed her takes on pop culture and sports along the way. She’s now teamed up with her friend Madeline Hill to take a weekly deep dive on the best part of sports: The gossip. What is happening with Bill Belichick’s 20something girlfriend?? Who in the WNBA is dating each other? What is Taylor going to wear to the Superbowl? Plus, it helps me talk to Owen about things like Luka’s trade of the century.
The Recipe with Kenji and Deb (podcast) - Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen blog royalty has teamed up with Kenji Lopez Alt of SeriousEats fame to talk all things home cooking. They get weird and very nerdy about techniques at home and focus on one recipe per week. It’s just two food dorks talking about recipes but I dig it.
Lucy! Dacus! She released two new songs of which I cannot stop listening to— New album Forever is a Feeling drops March 28th and I just simply cant wait.
Balloonerism- the new posthumous album from Mac Miller is good and very sad.
Beethoven Blues by Jon Batiste has somehow become my go-to when tasked with needing something instrumental (like say, in an MRI when they ask you what music you want and you panic!!!!). I like the way he plays.
With all of my “unstructured” time— now that I’m feeling mostly physically recovered from surgery— I’ve also been cooking a lot, and even fired up the sourdough starter again after impulse buying the King Arthur Baking Company’s Big Book of Bread book. I love Justine Cooks by Justine Doiron and the new Ottolenghi book is so cozy and good.
I’m also very excited to be contributing to Edible Indy. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, I shared my reworked recipe of Indiana classic Roselyn’s Bakery Sweetheart Coffee Cake and it’s online now. It’s not the easiest of recipes but the payoff is sweet.
Stay tuned for a few more recipes both with Edible and maybe even here as I navigate the next few months of treatment and recovery. It’s been fun to break out the camera and play around in the kitchen a little more again.
Until next time!