Chemo Has Come a Long Way

I was first diagnosed with cancer when I was 36 years old. It was a very aggressive form of cancer, inflammatory breast disease. Originally, I decided not to do chemo and radiation despite my doctor insist I do both after having a double mastectomy.

Instead, I asked him how long I would be expected to live and he said 6 months.

I decided I’d rather spend the 6 months enjoying life than in a hospital.

However, I did make some changes to my life. I started taking long walks in a local park with a small lake which attracted a lot of wildlife. I saw colonies of red winged blackbirds, rabbits, and turtles. There was also a beaver dam at one end, and a couple of times I got a glimpse of one of its creators.

Depending on the season, I’d see migrating water fowl — geese, herons, and even the occasional pelican. A couple of times I spotted a few wild turkeys.

The daily walks were out in the sunshine and fresh air. I think that helped my body, along with changes I made to my diet. I switched to all organic foods and started juicing. I also removed news programs from my intellectual diet and started to watch comedies.

Surprisingly (or perhaps not) the cancer did not advance.

Looking back, I wonder how I would have done if I had continued what I was doing at the time and not started chemo.

However, I was convinced by my doctors and all of my friends that I needed to do chemo. Only my husband at the time supported him, and looking back, I wished I had allowed him to help me make that decision. I might still have ended up having to do chemo, but I would probably have enjoyed life for a lot longer.

Because chemo 20 years ago was horrible.

I could not walk down the hall from my bedroom to the living room without throwing up. My husband cleaned the carpet repeatedly. I became severely dehydrated and was in constant pain. I gained a lot of weight.

So when I got cancer again I decided no way would I do chemo again.

However, I had chemo just two days ago and it’s not nearly as bad as I remember it.

Chemo has come a long way.

They pump you with pre-chemo drugs through your IV that prevents a lot of the side effects for the first couple of days after treatment. Now, once those drugs wear off, you’ll start to experience the symptoms — fatigue, nausea, etc.

In fact, half-way through today, my second day after chemo, I am starting to feel some of those side effects.

However, they have more types of meds that can help alleviate some of the symptoms, and there are other therapies available to help such as physical or nutritional therapies.

For those who need it, medical marijuana is now available.

One thing I regret is that I have not been able to take walks outside because the weather is beautiful right now where I live. However, my balance is so bad that I can’t get down my very steep driveway.

When I told one of my therapists, she told me she could show me how to use my rollater to manage that so I could start to take walks outside. She would help me do this the first couple of times until I felt confident I would not fall.

That is another way that cancer treatment has come a long way. Now they encourage people to exercise. The important thing, according to my therapist, is that I stay safe and that I push myself gently. The idea is to maintain strength but not over exert.

I am hopeful that I can get through the chemo with a minimum of negative side effects. I am also hopeful that I will be cured.

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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