Important Lessons I Learned from Chemo - SHARE Breast Canc...

SHARE Breast Cancer Support

2,432 members871 posts

Important Lessons I Learned from Chemo

BklynCatwoman profile image
2 Replies

With chemo being more than 3 years behind me, I still have to remind myself to be grateful. I wrote a piece about this for Ravishly. Here's the link, if you're interested: ravishly.com/2015/11/16/imp...

Written by
BklynCatwoman profile image
BklynCatwoman
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
2 Replies
missa13 profile image
missa13

BklynCatwoman This is a great article! Would you mind copying/pasting the text of it here? Sometimes links are funky.

BklynCatwoman profile image
BklynCatwoman in reply tomissa13

Thanks, and sure! Here's the copy and paste:

5 Lessons I Learned from Chemo

Contributed by Catherine Gigante-Brown

In 2013, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer. I never would have imagined the whirlwind my life became—mastectomy, reconstruction surgery, emergency surgery to remove the reconstructive tissue expander hardware because of a terrible infection, and finally, chemotherapy.

In the thick of it, my friend Danielle, who, only two years before, had become paralyzed from the chest down after falling 300 feet in a near-fatal rock-climbing accident, told me, “I’m sure you will go through a period of grief, but I’m glad they found your cancer. You’re going to be okay. Now you’re in the club of super-strong women who conquered this! Sometimes I feel like this accident is the best thing that happened to me.”

Part of me thought Danielle was crazy but another part knew she was right. And she was! More than two years later, I not only conquered cancer but I also kicked chemo’s butt. I refused to let myself feel defeated or depressed. I refused to curl up into a ball and die, even though there were days when I felt so fatigued I barely had the strength to breathe.

Just like Danielle learned life lessons from her fall, I learned from chemo.

1 – It’s only hair.

Hair grows back, sometimes bigger and better than before. Besides, I’m not defined by my hair—none of us are, chemo or not. I started to appreciate the fact that a “bad hair day” was infinitely better than a “no hair day.”

2 – Appreciate life’s simple pleasures.

There were days when I felt so crappy that the best thing that happened to me was sliding between the bed sheets. When even your skin hurts, there’s something to be said for simple pleasures like those clean, soft sheets or the scent of lavender on your pillow.

3 – Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill.

In a weird way, being on chemo forces you to take everything else in stride. You realize pretty soon that everything other than cancer—i.e. missing a train, being late to your dentist appointment—is no biggie compared to the suck factor that is chemo.

4 – Savor every bite of food.

When you feel nauseous most of the time, even a morsel of food that doesn’t make you retch is a gift. Although I had meds to keep the queasiness in check, my mouth felt as dry as ash. I tried to savor every bite as best I could, chew slowly, thoughtfully. And I try like hell to keep that thought with me afterwards.

5 – Size doesn’t matter.

Only being, and staying, healthy does. I didn’t lose weight on chemo—the steroids I had to take along with them made me ravenous. I was getting up in the middle of the night and eating cold hamburgers from the fridge. My main goal was to get strong enough for my next chemo infusion so I could get the nightmare behind me and focus on being well. So, I stopped weighing myself. I stopped counting Weight Watchers points. I just fixated on staying strong. And even today, carrying around extra pounds from the meds I take daily to keep my estrogen level down, I still try to take that in stride. After all, there are worse things than a jelly belly.

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

A break from chemo

hello, I have MBC, essentially I have been on some form of chemotherapy for over 2.5 years. The...
Warrio profile image

Should I have chemo with an Oncotype score 25?

got the intermediate risk score and now oncologists say I need to make a decision about the chemo....
nanda29 profile image

What happens after Chemo?

So I finished chemo almost 2 weeks ago, have to see my oncologist next week to discuss what happens...
Mmnyc profile image

Seeking Surgery & Chemo Advice Please

I've just been diagnosed with invasive ductal cancer which already spread to a lymph node. I'll...
Tinydancer1 profile image

Side effects after chemo

Has anyone else had continuing side effects following chemo finishing ? It’s four weeks since I had...
Chick44nzrn profile image

Moderation team

See all
Jslanovich profile image
JslanovichAdministrator
Well1501 profile image
Well1501Moderator

Top community tags

Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.

Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.