Week 25-28 - Thursday 8th October

Hello friends!

Thank you for dropping by to read my blog post.  If you're new here, I've labelled these by week, to make it easier to navigate, and there's also my own personal FAQ (opens in a new window), in case you want a brief update. 

I thought I'd post a little update, as things are starting to happen.  These last four weeks I've been trying to build stamina through exercise, have less chemo brain, improve my bladder and bowel movements, and battle anxiety for going outside.  I've also had more energy for cooking and baking.  I've also struggled mentally at times, especially as SAD season is kicking in.

For those that aren't aware, I live with something called SAD, Seasonally Affected Disorder.  This is also known as the "winter blues", but I'd like to point out, for some, it can be far more complex than that sounds.  For me, I struggle with my energy levels when there's very little natural day light, which in turn has an impact on my mood and my sleeping pattern.  There are other things, but these cover the most prominent ones.  Depending on the weather, I can notice the change from September, through to the spring.  I was diagnosed a couple of years ago, and I'm glad I have been diagnosed, as it makes recognising the changes easier, as well as manage the affects.

However, this year, tiredness from SAD, seems to link in with chemo brain.  An example of this is going to pick my other half up from work, after he finishes a late shift.  Driving home takes a lot of energy to concentrate.  Thankfully the journey isn't too long, but it's something I'm working on to improve, as I start to think about when I return to work.  I'm well aware of the effects of tiredness while driving.  I've done it once years ago, and will never do it again.  

I've also just started my HRT tablets.  However, they're not the specific ones my doctor wanted to put me one, as they're currently out of stock.  I'm not sure what the difference is, but fingers crossed they help with my menopause symptoms and protect me from osteoporosis.  

I know a few of my friends have been making sure I don't go back to work too soon (as they know what I'm like), but just to put some minds to rest, the fit note I got from my doctor is until the end of October, at which point my sick pay ends.  I have had a discussion of using some of my holiday to plug the gap until I'm ready to come back, which I'm eyeing the beginning of December, if not sooner.  This will all depend on a couple of factors.  How I'm feeling physically and mentally, as well as my post treatment scan.

 (Guess I forgot to smile when I took this selfie this week!!)

I'm having my first post-treatment MRI scan on Saturday 10th.  This will be looking to see if there's any cancer left, and if there is, what further treatment I'll need (what that will look like will depend on what they find).  

The plan was to have it all removed, but me being me, I think of all the possibilities, so I can deal with them better mentally.  I won't know the results on Saturday, but at some point I'll have follow up appointment booked in to discuss the scan.  This date I do not have yet.  Once I have the results, expect a new blog post!  I'm extremely cautiously optimistic, but will go all guns blazing if there's round 2.

As always, stay safe, stay well and look after each other x x