I'm really sorry to learn you have to have chemo. That's the pits.
I remain in awe of your attitude, but I also want you to let yourself be a little sad if you're sad, or mad if you're mad. Sometimes I think we feel such pressure to be "up" that we actually deny our own feelings. Let Terry take as much care of your feelings as you are taking of his. How did it go when you told him?
Did they tell you what to expect for your chemo in terms of number of treatments over what time period? And is it indeed an IV, as you said, or a port? Sometimes people get "ports" put in during their course of chemo and that way they don't have to have a new IV every time. Do you know what drug or combination of drugs will be in your chemo?
Have you ever found the Cancer Survivors Network? (Which is exactly where you belong!) They have discussion boards and chat rooms where you can ask questions and read about others' experiences with different cancers and chemo treatments:
http://csn.cancer.org/
I went on the discussion boards there and just searched for the word "chemo" and up popped lots of entries -- some were making chemo-or-not decisions; one was starting their chemo tomorrow, someone had just finished theirs, and some were in the middle of treatment. There was a real continuum there, which is good to remember when you're in the midst of it. Here's the results of that search page:
http://csn.cancer.org/search/node/chemo
Here's an extensive site on the chemotherapy journey, including information on side effects and even on questions to ask your doctor:
http://www.chemotherapy.com/?src=ppc&WT.srch=1
And here's a page on chemo from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America:
Eyes on the Prize is a gynecological cancer support site; if you go to this page and scroll down to "Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer" you can read several women's personal stories:
http://eyesontheprize.org/stories/dx.html#endo
It's important to realize, especially when you're reading about others' experiences, that your experience will be totally your own. You might have an easier (or a harder) time than some. Things that affect others might not affect you, but other things may. You are already doing what's most important -- you've been asking questions, making appointments, getting treatment and setting a course, and you have a fabulous attitude. Just take the time during chemo one step at a time, and don't be too hard on yourself.
Come back and let us know how it goes for you, and if you know more about your course of treatment or drugs, we'd be happy to do some more research for you. Take care (Somehow I know you will)!
Comment Reply
Hey, Dawn,
I'm really sorry to learn you have to have chemo. That's the pits.
I remain in awe of your attitude, but I also want you to let yourself be a little sad if you're sad, or mad if you're mad. Sometimes I think we feel such pressure to be "up" that we actually deny our own feelings. Let Terry take as much care of your feelings as you are taking of his. How did it go when you told him?
Did they tell you what to expect for your chemo in terms of number of treatments over what time period? And is it indeed an IV, as you said, or a port? Sometimes people get "ports" put in during their course of chemo and that way they don't have to have a new IV every time. Do you know what drug or combination of drugs will be in your chemo?
Have you ever found the Cancer Survivors Network? (Which is exactly where you belong!) They have discussion boards and chat rooms where you can ask questions and read about others' experiences with different cancers and chemo treatments:
http://csn.cancer.org/
I went on the discussion boards there and just searched for the word "chemo" and up popped lots of entries -- some were making chemo-or-not decisions; one was starting their chemo tomorrow, someone had just finished theirs, and some were in the middle of treatment. There was a real continuum there, which is good to remember when you're in the midst of it. Here's the results of that search page:
http://csn.cancer.org/search/node/chemo
Here's an extensive site on the chemotherapy journey, including information on side effects and even on questions to ask your doctor:
http://www.chemotherapy.com/?src=ppc&WT.srch=1
And here's a page on chemo from the Cancer Treatment Centers of America:
http://www.cancercenter.com/conventional-cancer-treatment/chemotherapy.cfm?source=googlesw&c=SW_Imm_Mkt_Call:Procedures_chemotherapy:chemotherapy:Exact&ef_id=1812:3:s_4b166f3fef2106bede00295f913e0dd2_2621881791:x7gjnUGvMUIAAA89BHQAAAAF:20090102001118
Eyes on the Prize is a gynecological cancer support site; if you go to this page and scroll down to "Endometrial (Uterine) Cancer" you can read several women's personal stories:
http://eyesontheprize.org/stories/dx.html#endo
It's important to realize, especially when you're reading about others' experiences, that your experience will be totally your own. You might have an easier (or a harder) time than some. Things that affect others might not affect you, but other things may. You are already doing what's most important -- you've been asking questions, making appointments, getting treatment and setting a course, and you have a fabulous attitude. Just take the time during chemo one step at a time, and don't be too hard on yourself.
Come back and let us know how it goes for you, and if you know more about your course of treatment or drugs, we'd be happy to do some more research for you. Take care (Somehow I know you will)!
January 1, 2009 - 5:28pmThis Comment
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