Maybe the sinus infection is going and that fatigue is ramping down – I was feeling more alert and energetic last night. This morning somewhat more tired – maybe the radiation fatigue is ramping up? Gah. I have work to do!
Aug 3 – 7 weeks post chemo, Rad 16
Monday morning: A few twinges in the surgery site, occasionally feels as if someone is running a hot wire in there.
We went to Monterey for two nights to give me a change of scene before radiation starts. Did a lot of walking yesterday (over 10k steps), which left me tired and sore.
I had my last chemo infusion on June 11th. Side effects I’m still having:
Eyes watering, especially when I first wake up. This is starting to abate: I no longer have tears streaming down my face every second I’m outdoors. Some women on breastcancer.org have reported that this clears up about 6 weeks after the end of chemo. Apparently it has nothing to do with having no eyelashes.
Weight. I weighed 145 pounds when I started chemo, weigh 143 at the moment. Lowest it got was 138, in April. At the worst of the chemo, I was eating less food by volume (smaller meals), but more calories, because fatty foods were the only ones that still tasted ok. Continue reading One Month Post-Chemo→
Many kinds of breast cancer are hormone-sensitive, meaning that they grow faster in the presence of estrogen and/or progesterone, which are naturally produced in the female body until menopause. When your cancer falls into this category, part of the aim of chemo (and the Tamoxifen I’ll be taking later) is to stop the body’s production of estrogen and progesterone. This means that you go into menopause, at whatever age you happen to be.
I had been in perimenopause (ie, on the way to menopause) for years. It’s no fun. Symptoms include migraines, ferocious mood swings, insomnia, and hot flashes. Many women take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), which alleviates these symptoms by partially replacing the hormones that your body is no longer producing. I started HRT about five years ago.
