- Nausea/fatigue - bad symptoms last 8-10 days. The nausea slowly dies off but fatigue remains a problem. A short shower will wipe me out.
- Coated tongue/bad taste/sore mouth and throat - thankfully it only lasts for a few days. The bad taste in particular is very unpleasant - some describe it as metallic but I've never tasted metal so I wouldn't know - so that they recommend that you don't eat your favourite food to prevent you going off it.
- Mouth ulcers/sore and bleeding gums - ouch. I'm struggling with this at the moment.
Still I'm able to do more, which means I'm not as bored as I was. And I feel almost human for it. Being bald apparently suits me, so much so that I've been told I could probably get a part in Alien. This simply filled me with joy and a sense of wellbeing. I appear to have developed a silent version of Tourette's Syndrome though - I don't think I've ever sworn as much (in my head, thankfully) as I do now when I've been out. Anything or anyone that/who very midly irritates me gets insulted. And the worst thing is that it feels so good.
I've been trying to work out how I got breast cancer - which is an exercise in futility if ever there was one because of unknowns and the large number of factors that can contribute to it. Still, I've got nothing better to do and I'm thinking about minimising the risk in the future. I don't smoke, I don't drink, I'm not obese, I'm a vegetarian who eats little dairy, I eat healthily and I exercise moderately (though this could be improved). Interestingly, my Jewish genes could play a part. Because Jews have tended not to mix with other ethnic groups they are far more at risk from genetic diseases than other groups, to the point where there is a centre in the United States that looks specifically at genetic diseases in the Jewish population. There are two known breast cancer genes - well three actually, a new one has just been identified. Mutations in the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 are responsible for 8 and 21% respectively of breast cancer cases in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. Anyway because genetically speaking I'm only 25% Jewish I'm really not sure whether I'm at an increased risk. My consultant was going to check whether I could be recommended for genetic testing. I'd be quite interested to know, to be honest.
And so is my life at the moment. Hope you're all enjoying yours.
2 comments:
Liebe Anne-Marie! Natuerlich waere es extrem spannend zu wissen, ob Du Mutationen von BRCA1 und 2 hast, v. a. auch fuer Deine Schwestern! Ich bin froh, dass die Nebenwirkungen auch wieder ein wenig nachlassen. Und hoffe, dass Dein Koerper das weiterhin irgendwie hinkriegt. Da ich berufeshalber regelmaessig mit Krankheiten konfrontiert werde, und mich das Ausmass einer bestimmten "Diagnose" manchmal fast ueberwaeltigt, fuehle ich mich oft sehr hilflos: ich weiss, dass all die Sprueche mit der Zeit nur noch nerven und weiss wohl deshalb nicht genau, wie ich Dir begegnen soll. Sei Dir auf jeden Fall meines Mittragens - so weit ich das kann - gewiss. Ich denke an Dich.
A lieba Gruess
Anja
Hi there ,glad your feeling a bit better and keep on insulting people if it makes you feel good i,m sure under the circumstances people wont mind!Atleast its in silence im not sure i would manage to keep quiet ha ha
Feel free to insult my big bruv at the weekend if you see him, tell him i said you could
los of love Lynne
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