Maybe you share my love of the to-do list, and the satisfaction that comes with crossing sh*% off of it. Today marks the official first item completed from my treatment list: that's right, Chemo Cycle 1 (of 4, of Phase I of II, don't be confused and yes there is a quiz just kidding there is not) is DONE, in the books, over! Tomorrow I start the second cycle. I am also celebrating the fact that I AM having chemo tomorrow-- my labs came back from this morning's blood work, and my neutrophils are holding! (John will be my Chemo Buddy.)
The end of each cycle also means a provider office visit, and today I met with Nurse Practitioner J. plus Researcher S. It is mostly a physical exam, they check my mass, and I get to tell them all about my experiences and side effects and ask questions.
Today I asked about fibroids, because I realized that after my CT Scan I was told that I have one, which I promptly forgot about once I heard the words "not cancer." After last weekend's discomfort, however, I spoke with my obgyn, who said my symptoms sounded like a uterine fibroid, and it all clicked! I sound excited about this because I am-- what it means is that the negative side effects I had after my chemo treatment on Friday were not due to the actual chemo itself, but instead to the fibroid. It may also be the case that the chemo exacerbates the fibroid, which is not great, but I am genuinely happy that I am tolerating the chemo well. This means the only side effects have been some fatigue and a headache here and there (okay plus hair loss).
Having a uterine fibroid is not a joyous situation, of course. In case you don't know much about it, it is a mass (not cancer! Or rarely is, and mine is not.) and often goes away on its own, but if you start experiencing noticeable symptoms (like me), you should let your obgyn know, and then they talk about different ways to get rid of it that 1) sound invasive, and 2) I cannot do in the midst of receiving chemo. Essentially, my symptoms are like PMS x 10. Or something. (If talking about menstrual blood makes you uncomfortable, you can stop reading now. #sorrynotsorry)
My symptoms actually began in early August, when I had an astonishingly heavy period. I refer to it as the Red Alert, and once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I guessed that the two were somehow linked (hormones and such). Clearly, if you have the Red Alert, something in your body is unhappy. Then, I went on a run last week, and all was well, but the next day I started another run, and my uterus felt tender/hurty. Annoying, since I had the energy for that run. Then... Red Alert, which today's lab work confirmed, as I am a little anemic. I'll hit the spinach extra hard this week.
While at chemo, I had a strange reaction (you can read about it here), which Nurse S. said was not related to the chemo I was receiving, these were not side effects related to Taxol or Carbo; and then I was fairly crampy and Red Alerty all weekend. This was all a little frightening, since it was not making sense! This is (again) why I am glad to know that this is about the fibroid, not the chemo... anyway. I think you get the point. If you have questions, or like me, enjoy hearing about the experience of having a uterus (if you know me, you know that I do. I have birth doula experience, I have worked in abortion clinics, plus prenatal yoga teacher and other related trainings, etc.), feel free to message me offline!
If you have had the thought while reading this post that it appears that my reproductive organs are waging an all-out assault on me, you are not alone.
The end of each cycle also means a provider office visit, and today I met with Nurse Practitioner J. plus Researcher S. It is mostly a physical exam, they check my mass, and I get to tell them all about my experiences and side effects and ask questions.
Today I asked about fibroids, because I realized that after my CT Scan I was told that I have one, which I promptly forgot about once I heard the words "not cancer." After last weekend's discomfort, however, I spoke with my obgyn, who said my symptoms sounded like a uterine fibroid, and it all clicked! I sound excited about this because I am-- what it means is that the negative side effects I had after my chemo treatment on Friday were not due to the actual chemo itself, but instead to the fibroid. It may also be the case that the chemo exacerbates the fibroid, which is not great, but I am genuinely happy that I am tolerating the chemo well. This means the only side effects have been some fatigue and a headache here and there (okay plus hair loss).
Having a uterine fibroid is not a joyous situation, of course. In case you don't know much about it, it is a mass (not cancer! Or rarely is, and mine is not.) and often goes away on its own, but if you start experiencing noticeable symptoms (like me), you should let your obgyn know, and then they talk about different ways to get rid of it that 1) sound invasive, and 2) I cannot do in the midst of receiving chemo. Essentially, my symptoms are like PMS x 10. Or something. (If talking about menstrual blood makes you uncomfortable, you can stop reading now. #sorrynotsorry)
My symptoms actually began in early August, when I had an astonishingly heavy period. I refer to it as the Red Alert, and once I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I guessed that the two were somehow linked (hormones and such). Clearly, if you have the Red Alert, something in your body is unhappy. Then, I went on a run last week, and all was well, but the next day I started another run, and my uterus felt tender/hurty. Annoying, since I had the energy for that run. Then... Red Alert, which today's lab work confirmed, as I am a little anemic. I'll hit the spinach extra hard this week.
While at chemo, I had a strange reaction (you can read about it here), which Nurse S. said was not related to the chemo I was receiving, these were not side effects related to Taxol or Carbo; and then I was fairly crampy and Red Alerty all weekend. This was all a little frightening, since it was not making sense! This is (again) why I am glad to know that this is about the fibroid, not the chemo... anyway. I think you get the point. If you have questions, or like me, enjoy hearing about the experience of having a uterus (if you know me, you know that I do. I have birth doula experience, I have worked in abortion clinics, plus prenatal yoga teacher and other related trainings, etc.), feel free to message me offline!
If you have had the thought while reading this post that it appears that my reproductive organs are waging an all-out assault on me, you are not alone.
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