DEALING WITH CHEMO

OF COURSE , I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. IT WAS THE LONGEST 6 MONTHS, BUT ITS OVER . THE FIRST 4 TREATMENTS WERE BRUTAL. IT FELT LIKE I WAS HIT BY A TRUCK. I COULDN'T EVEN GET OUT OF THE BED.THAT LASTED ABOUT 4 DAYS AFTER THE TREATMENT THEN I WOULD FEEL BETTER , BY THE TIME I FELT ALMOST NORMAL I WAS GOING FOR ANOTHER TREATMENT. NOT ONLY DO YOU GET SICK FROM THE TREATMENT BUT EVERYTHING CHANGES. FOOD DOESN'T TASTE THE SAME IN FACT, I COULDN'T EAT MEAT IT DIDN'T TASTE GOOD AND EVEN MY MORNING COFFEE MADE ME SICK. I'M SURE EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.
I DO REMEMBER HOW DARK MY SKIN GOT. IT DIDN'T LOOK VERY GOOD AND MY NAILS HAD BLACK SPOTS ON THEM AND EVEN NOW 7 MONTHS AFTER MY LAST TREATMENT I STILL HAVE ONE SPOT LEFT ON MY BIG TOE THAT'S ALMOST GONE.
MY HUSBAND WAS SO GOOD TO ME DURING ALL THIS. HE DID IT ALL, CLEANED THE HOUSE , DID THE GROCERY SHOPPING, THE LAUNDRY, EVEN COOKED THE MEALS. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT HIM. I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO GET IN THE CAR TO DRIVE ANYWHERE. HE DID IT ALL.
I DON'T KNOW HOW SOME PEOPLE CAN GO TO WORK DURING CHEMO I GIVE THEM A LOT OF CREDIT I KNOW I COULDN'T DO IT. I NEEDED ALOT OF REST AND WAS ALWAYS TIRED , BESIDES THAT YOUR BRAIN DOESN'T WORK WELL AND I COULDN'T FOCUS ,SO EVEN DRIVING WAS DIFFICULT.
TILL THIS DAY I'M NOT COMPLETELY BACK TO NORMAL. I ONLY WORK PART TIME, BECAUSE WHEN I WENT BACK TO WORK I COULDN'T HANDLE THE LONG HOURS WITHOUT REST AND THE GETTING UP EARLY AND THE STRESS FROM TRYING TO MULTITASK AT WORK IT WAS TOO MUCH SO I DECIDED TO GO PART TIME SO I COULD GAIN STRENGTH IN MY BODY.YESTERDAY WAS A YEAR SINCE MY FIRST CHEMO TREATMENT.
DID I TELL YOU THAT WHEN I WENT FOR MY FIRST TREATMENT THEY TOLD ME MY HAIR WOULD FALLOUT 14 DAYS LATER AND SURE ENOUGH IT DID. THAT'S ANOTHER THING TO DEAL WITH NO HAIR . I TRIED WEARING A WIG FOR A WHILE BUT ,I LIVE IN FLORIDA, AND ITS JUST TOO HOT. BESIDES CHEMO THROWS YOU INTO MENAPAUSE SO YOU HAVE CONSTANT HOTFLASHES. SO I WENT OUT BALD.
I TELL YOU HAVING NO HAIR ON YOUR HEAD IS VERY WIERD. YOUR HEAD GETS COLD EVEN THOUGH THE REST OF YOU IS HOT. WELL, MY HAIR IS GROWING BACK SLOWLY, ITS LIKE BABY HAIR , YOU KNOW HOW THE FRONT IS THE LAST TO GROW. I STILL DON'T HAVE ANY BANGS IN THE FRONT , BUT AT LEAST I DON'T LOOK LIKE I HAD CANCER.

i am a breast cancer survivor

I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF WOMEN OUT THERE EVERYDAY BEING DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AND I WAS ONE OF THEM. YOU MIGHT THINK NO NOT ME I'LL NEVER GET THAT ,BUT NEVER SAY NEVER ALWAYS GET YOUR MAMMOGRAMS AND ALWAYS GIVE YOURSELVES BREAST EXAMS. IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT CHECK IT OUT DON'T WAIT.
LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY SELF.
I'M GOING TO BE 50 THIS YEAR AND AM HAPPILY MARRIED WITH FOUR GROWN CHILDREN AND 2 GRANDDAUGHTERS AND ONE ON THE WAY. I AM VERY FAMILY ORIENTED, LOVE BEING WITH MY FAMILY .
I ALWAYS HAD CYSTIC BREASTS, I HAD ONE CYST FOR MANY YEARS HAD IT CHECKED AND THEY ALWAYS SAID IT WAS NOTHING SO I NEVER WORRIED . THEN ONE DAY OUT OF NOWHERE A LUMP THE SIZE OF A GOLF BALL. MY HUSBAND KEPT BUGGING ME TO GO GET MY MAMMOGRAM. SO I DID .
BUT HONESTLY I THOUGHT IT WAS ANOTHER CYST, OR AT LEAST HOPED IT WAS. SO THEY MADE ME GO FOR A BIOPSY AND SURE ENOUGH IT WAS CANCER BUT NOT ONLY THAT IT SPREAD TO THE CYST THAT WAS THERE FOR YEARS AND THAT HAPPENED WITH IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS.
JUST HEARING THE WORD CANCER IS HORRIFYING . THE FIRST THOUGHT IS I'M DYING I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. THEN ALL THE TEARS YOU JUST CAN'T STOP CRYING .ITS A VERY SCARY TIME.
AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENS THEN YOU JUST WANT TO GET IT OUT . I GUESS ALL THAT IS NORMAL.
I DID ALOT OF READING ABOUT IT WENT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND OUT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.THE MORE YOU KNOW ABOUT IT THE EASIER IT IS TO DEAL WITH.
ONE THING THAT REALLY SCARED ME WAS WAKING UP FROM SURGERY WITH NO BREAST. SO, I READ ALL ABOUT RECONSTRUCTION AND FOUND THAT I WANTED TO HAVE A TRAM FLAP. THAT'S USING YOUR STOMACHE MUSCLES AND FAT TO MAKE A NEW BREAST AND THAT'S WHAT I HAD DONE.