An Update From Me

It’s been a while since I dropped in and shared how things are going for me, so as it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, now feels like a good time to give an update.

For those of you who are new here, I was diagnosed with breast cancer last May, and I finished active treatment around a year ago. I’ve been on hormone therapy since then. 

Unfortunately, it hasn’t all been plain sailing since then, as if it ever would be, right?

There are plenty of niggles, but things I can manage from day to day. For example, I get rib pain from the radiotherapy, my joints ache if I don’t work out, and then there are lots of the typical menopause symptoms to handle without being able to use any form of HRT or supplements. These are things I can cope with. They’re not great, constant reminders of my cancer, yes, but manageable. 

However, at the end of July I discovered a serious health concern that was a possible side effect of my hormone therapy. This one doesn’t fall into the manageable bracket.

It made me annoyed. It made me sad. 

I felt I’d done all I could to mitigate against the chances of my cancer returning, and I’ve taken all treatment offered and made lots of changes to my lifestyle to be able to cope with the side effects and reduce the risk of recurrence, but this one’s out of my hands. It’s too serious a problem to continue with the medication and I just need to hope that the damage it’s caused so far doesn’t accelerate.

It’s been difficult since then, waiting for more appointments, discussions with my breast care team, feeling like I’m right back where I was last year waiting to find out my treatment and next steps. Worrying that there wouldn’t be any other viable options for me. 

After the tests, I finally managed to talk it all over with my oncologist and fortunately he agreed with my concerns and I now have new treatment to start and adjust to. 

I’m on a new path that is likely to be more challenging with side effects and more time consuming with regular GP visits, involving monthly injections and a different daily medication for the next few years. I’ll also need a scan before beginning this and then regularly going forward.

My oncologist warns me this is likely to have much more of an impact on me. But, what choice is there?

Tempting though it is to say no to the hormone therapy at this point, I want to give it every chance to reduce my risk of recurrence. I’m only 47 now, I don’t just want a few more years, I want decades. 

And so I’ll give it a go and see how I get on with it. 

This whole thing doesn’t just end when ‘active’ treatment is over. I know plenty of people with ongoing problems caused by their chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and of course hormone therapy. 

Aside from the physical impact, it’s always there in your mind and then at times like this, it’s there front and centre throwing you back into the world of appointments, tests, waiting for results, waiting for plans to be put in place, waiting to see how your body copes with treatment. With this treatment, as I have to have monthly appointments, I think it’ll feel like cancer taking centre stage again, it’ll be right there on my calendar every month. 

For me, this treatment is something I have to do, as I know I wouldn’t forgive myself if I don’t try it and it returned and I’d have to tell my kids that. I guess you’d say I’m OK with it, resigned to it probably sums it up best!

I am a positive person, which definitely makes all of this easier to cope with. I will manage with whatever is coming next, I know I will. Whilst I feel I have no choice in what’s happening, I do have a choice in how I handle it, so I’ll continue prioritising my health, fitness, nutrition and mental health to help me navigate the changes. 

I guess I’m writing this to let you know that cancer does keep on giving, long after you might perceive the battle to be over. It’s such a treat like that.

And to let you know that I’m OK. Carrying on with it all and preparing to navigate some changes, wish me luck!

 

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6 thoughts on “An Update From Me”

  1. Oh bugger and all those other words. hope the treatment ends up not being as awful as it could be, and it does what it’s meant to. Thinking of you

  2. Wishing you all the best in this difficult time. I don’t know what it is like to live with cancer, though I do know how hard it is to have to deal with the flairs of medical issues that means your calendar is full of people and appointments that are not exactly fun. May you have as much peace in this time and as much fun and love with your family and friends as possible.

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