So no one really prepared me for the part where the side effects of cancer treatment is early menopause. Chemotherapy chemically puts your ovaries basically to sleep and hormone therapy tends to keep them there.
Looking back at my life in the years before cancer and understanding more about all this now I realise I have been in peri-menopause for like the last 5 years or so. I always thought my anxiety, struggle to concentrate and thinning hair was just me not being able to cope but it was likely my hormones going into decline.
Read MoreBoy was I glad to see the end of 2023. Its bizarre how so much heartache and moments of joy can be crammed into 365 days. Obviously last year was consumed by Cancer and just existing. But there were some pretty joyful moments too >>
Read MoreI was on these drugs for less than 6 weeks and the side effects were horrific. I don’t think my ability to handle them is great mentally/emotionally after what I’ve been through for one as I think my body has had enough but 6 weeks this reaction—how is 5 years sustainable with this? >>
Read MoreI feel guilty and bad (which seems to happen to me a lot in this cancer journey) because I feel like its only 5 mg I should be able to handle this. I feel bad because I know what a lot of Stage 4 cancer people would give to have even this option for themselves. I also feel SCARED that if I don’t push through and just put up with this poo that it will increase my risk of this coming back and I do not want that one bit >>
Read MoreSo I had an oncologist appointment after a bit of a break. Its seemed ages since my last appointment. I met with one of the Junior Drs. If you remember there’s been a lot of hoopla of whether or not I can take the 5mg of Tamoxifen safely or not due to past clotting issues >>
Read MoreHow I’ve felt transitioning out of treatment for Breast Cancer >>
Read MoreSo because my breast cancer is sensitive to hormones usually what happens after chemo, radiation and surgery is some sort of endocrine/hormone therapy as a final buffer to help prevent any hormones feeding into a new cancer which you don’t want. There’s no guarantee that this would happen if I took the pills or didn’t take the pills although there’s some evidence with benefit of taking them. No matter what I’ve done along this ‘cancer journey’ there’s no fool proof way of preventing this to come back 100% >>
Read MoreCelebrating the end of radiation and the main portion of my cancer treatment with Beyonce. Soaking up the stress with joy >>
Read MoreToday I finished radiation treatment and the main part of my overall/active treatment for the breast cancer I was told I had 8 months 21 days ago. It means my schedule will be freeing up more than what it has been which has been something I’ve wanted since day one. It ends a very long painful phase but its not the end of this journey. I’m fully aware that I’ll never be fully finished with this cancer as I’ll be still having health admin/follow ups for quite some time if not for the rest of my life >>
Read MoreWell Just like that I’ve already finished Week 2 and there’s only 4 days left.
4 days left and I ‘may’ start seeing a reduction in how freaking time consuming this treatment has been. In some ways I can see why the radiation department didn’t want me to interrupt treatment because once you start you just can’t stop. Stopping would lead to a 10 car pileup or the train having to screech to a halt. There’s a momentum to these appointments and its probably best to just hold on till the end and then figure out how to walk again >>
Read MoreThe Beginning of Radiation Treatment. Days 1-5 and my dates with Buttercup >>
Read MoreCT planning session for radiotherapy and being topless in a room full of complete strangers. >>>
Read MoreMy experience with Filgrastim injections during chemo. A love (and mostly hate relationship) >>
Read MoreAnnoying Radiation appointments and feeling angry and not heard >>
Read MoreMy experiences with Cold Capping during chemotherapy >>
Read MoreThat’s a wrap on Chemo 4. I’ve officially finished chemotherapy >>
Read MoreThat’s a wrap on Chemo 3 out of 4. More hair shedding, planning celebration trips and feeling the bricks lifting off the shoulders >>
Read MoreChemo 2 side effects and the good things plus a deep palpable burnout and wanting to be finished with this crapola >>
Read MoreHalfway there, Chemo 2/4 done and dusted >>
Read MoreSide effects from cycle 1 chemo and yes my hair has started shedding. I really don’t know how to cope with this >>
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