Being on chemo is a bit like having PMT in lots of ways. No wonder, as they both mess with your hormones. One of the worst things about this is feeling the opposite of how you (and others) think you should feel. I feel gung-ho about things that would turn others into shivering wrecks –…
So much of the time since being diagnosed with BC I have found myself feeling guilty. I know it’s not my fault and I don’t really think the guilt is guilt about being ill. It is guilt about the effects of me being ill on other people. In the spirit of my Top Ten theme,…
I bloody hate the runs. They wake me up in the night. They have me dashing down corridors at work. Phone calls are cut short. Conversations are abridged. Yuk. It is debilitating and embarrassing and not one of those side effects that you can moan about out loud. That’s all.
Yesterday I got a bit worked up about a chain message in Facebook allegedly in aid of breast cancer awareness. I had a bit of a rant about how pointless it was and listed some of the side effects from chemo that I am experiencing and that the chain message in no way tackled. I…
Here’s another quick top ten. Top ten best things to eat after chemo: 1. Chocolate 2. White carbs 3. Super fresh and juicy fruit 4. Salty food 5. Pineapple (great for dealing with a manky mouth) 6. Ice cream 7. Cake!! 8. Boiled sweets (same reason as pineapple) 9. Chips 10. Anything you damn well…
So here are my top ten breast cancer hates. 1. Fatigue/feeling weak. I’m such a doer. I can’t stand being immobilised. I get frustrated and depressed. It’s not easy to just sit back and do nothing. 2. Chemo brain. The only thing that I really value about myself is my intellect. Chemo brain takes this…
Here are what I consider to be the 10 worst words in a breast cancer patient’s dictionary: =1. Metastasis. The last thing you want to hear out of a doctor’s mouth unless accompanied by the word “no” or “none” =1. Spread. Same reason. 3. Reoccurrence. What we all fear most after metastasis and what we…
I know, I know. I’ve posted a lot about the people I love. But you can’t be too grateful. And it makes for a good Top Ten. Don’t hate me if you’re reading this and you’re not in it. That doesn’t mean I don’t love and appreciate you. I do. Very much. But these are…
I just gave my daughter Natalie a goodnight cuddle. She is 6 going on 16 and incredibly stubborn, independent, intelligent and often grumpy. She is also extremely perceptive and caring. She smelt of soap and shampoo and strawberries, and she was almost as soft and warm as the day she arrived in the world, with…
One of my new BC friends, the lovely Sarah, writes a great cancer blog. She is much braver than me and has been sharing it as she goes along – you can find her at http://hbocuninformed.blogspot.co.uk/. Anyhow, Sarah has started posting on 100 reasons she is grateful for her BC diagnosis. This started me thinking.…
Last weekend I organised a get together for members of the Younger Breast Cancer Network (UK) in town. We had lunch and tea then drinks (though being old and boring I wimped out before drinks). There aren’t rally enough adjectives to describe the afternoon but it’s worth a shot. First, though, I ought to say…
This afternoon I saw my third oncologist (is there a collective noun for oncologists? A cancer of oncologists?). Another very lovely man, he didn’t treat me like an idiot but talked to me like a grown-up. And at last I have my Plan. To cut a long story short – after chemo will come the…