Scan day

The CT head scan (aka my brain scan) was uneventful. The technician who set up my IV recognized me from the last time I was there. I guess after a while they get to know you, which is nice. The scans are usually a little stressful and having friendly people there makes the experience better.

When I got home from my scan, I saw that someone had sent me an email called "Cancer Update Information (Johns Hopkins)" which says that people can fight cancer by eating differently. The email has already been debunked, of course, but apparently it's still making its way around the internet.

When something says that people can fight cancer by eating differently, logically, that thing is also saying that anyone who doesn't eat well is responsible for their cancer or not fighting their cancer hard enough. That's crap, of course. Eating well is always good, but it doesn't cure, prevent, or fight cancer. I know people who have done all the right things before and after their cancers and they've still died.

The idea that a person is responsible for "curing" their cancer pisses me off to no end, because I have metastatic breast cancer and I'm not responsible for that - I didn't give myself cancer and I'm fighting plenty hard enough to stay alive. On top of that, today I was already nervous about having brain mets and that email sent me over the edge a little.

Mass emails like this usually sound urgent and honest (which is why they get forwarded), but they aren't always true. If you see a mass email like that, whether it's about cancer or another topic, please don't just forward it to people you know. Instead, do a quick check on snopes.com, who gather information about urban legends (including emails), to see if the email has been discredited. If the email is fake, don't send it; delete it.