My Cancer Journey

This is a topic I have been thinking about for quite some time. It is difficult to talk about, and even to think about, but I feel it needs to be discussed. Hormone blockers affect everyone differently, but most who take them experience at least some side effects. For me, the worst side effect is not the joint and bone pain or the other physical problems. It is how the brain is affected. Chemotherapy affected my brain in ways that are hard to explain. The loss of function was almost constant: I forgot words and trains of thought, couldn’t remember things I needed or wanted to do, and felt like I was in a fog most of the time. The brain fog was always there but ebbed and flowed with the timing of the infusions. I always knew when it would get worse and that it would soon get better. The effects from the hormone blocker are different. Episodes come and go without warning. They usually don’t last long but are frightening when they happen. Because the brain fog and forgetfulness have worse...

The first week after the first infusion was the worst one overall. Your body has a difficult time figuring out what to do with the drugs in your system. The nausea lasted less than one week for me, but the fatigue, although worst the first week after each treatment, was always there. It was a workout just to take a shower. I was huffing and puffing and not physically able to squeegee the glass shower door. During weeks two and three, while I was able to clean the shower door after showering, I moved very slowly. It might seem counterintuitive, but going for walks helps you not feel as exhausted; especially when combined with sunshine. I took many short walks outside. Usually very slow ones as they took a lot out of me. The pre-med steroids make your face round and ruddy. It is not a pretty look, but there is not much you can do about it. I also gained about 20 pounds, which I did not need, but it is better than losing weight. You need your strength so you can fight. I am very slowly lo...