A letter to my person before breast cancer



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<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Words from Kim MacDonald. "data-reactid =" 31 ">Words from Kim MacDonald.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Kim MacDonald is a spokesperson and spokesperson for the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and an award-winning meteorological reporter for The Weather Network."data-reactid =" 32 ">Kim MacDonald is a spokesperson and spokesperson for the Breast Cancer Society of Canada and an award-winning meteorological reporter for The Weather Network.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Dear before breast cancer,"data-reactid =" 33 ">Dear before breast cancer,

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "You knew something was wrong, was not it? You were used to being called back for ultrasounds and mammograms that had revealed something dubious. Slight panic followed from time to time with relief. "It's just a cyst," they would conclude. Your breasts were screaming at the wolf so many times that it was hard to believe them when something was really wrong. I'm glad you insisted on getting answers. Better late than never, is not it?"data-reactid =" 34 ">You knew something was wrong, was not it? You were used to being called back for ultrasounds and mammograms that had revealed something dubious. Slight panic followed from time to time with relief. "It's just a cyst," they would conclude. Your breasts were screaming at the wolf so many times that it was hard to believe them when something was really wrong. I'm glad you insisted on getting answers. Better late than never, is not it?

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "You have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Deep breathing. Your future self is typing this, having a coffee and planning to go to yoga and then work later. You did it! I thought I would give you this spoiler alert to relieve the biggest worry of your life."data-reactid =" 35 ">You have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Deep breathing. Your future self is typing this, having a coffee and planning to go to yoga and then work later. You did it! I thought I would give you this spoiler alert to relieve the biggest worry of your life.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "I know you have a lot of questions. Your oncologist and nurse have given you the plan which includes eight cycles of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and 25 cycles of radiotherapy. It's a normal course of action. Many women undergo surgery first, but your tumor the size of a tennis ball is too big. Chemotherapy will help reduce it, so you will do it first."data-reactid =" 36 ">I know you have a lot of questions. Your oncologist and nurse have given you the plan which includes eight cycles of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and 25 cycles of radiotherapy. It's a normal course of action. Many women undergo surgery first, but your tumor the size of a tennis ball is too big. Chemotherapy will help reduce it, so you will do it first.

<figcaption class = "C ($ c-fuji-gray-h) Fz (13px) Py (5px) Lh (1.5)" title = "Chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Kim MacDonald)"data-reactid =" 53 ">

Chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Kim MacDonald)

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Chemotherapy is bad, but the good news is that it's not as bad as you've always imagined. You will only feel really bad for about three days every two weeks. You can manage it. You will not vomit as they do in movies. This is because you are going to take heavy drugs to prevent this from happening. Your doctor wants this to be as good as possible, so if you experience any side effects, it will give you something to do to relieve it. The list of side effects is long and varied and changes for each chemotherapy treatment, which is odd. Again, you can manage it."data-reactid =" 57 ">Chemotherapy is bad, but the good news is that it's not as bad as you've always imagined. You will only feel really bad for about three days every two weeks. You can manage it. You will not vomit as they do in movies. This is because you are going to take heavy drugs to prevent this from happening. Your doctor wants this to be as good as possible, so if you experience any side effects, it will give you something to do to relieve it. The list of side effects is long and varied and changes for each chemotherapy treatment, which is odd. Again, you can manage it.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "You will shave your head before losing your hair. It was a smart move. It is easier to make short hair fall than long hair. This starts to happen right after your second chemotherapy infusion. Gradually, until you are completely bald. I will not lie. This part of the process is not great for you, but you do not look as bad as you think. You will wear wigs, scarves and hats and you will get by most of the time. Some days you cry and that's good too. You can not be strong and positive every minute."data-reactid =" 58 ">You will shave your head before losing your hair. It was a smart move. It is easier to make short hair fall than long hair. This starts to happen right after your second chemotherapy infusion. Gradually, until you are completely bald. I will not lie. This part of the process is not great for you, but you do not look as bad as you think. You will wear wigs, scarves and hats and you will get by most of the time. Some days you cry and that's good too. You can not be strong and positive every minute.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "One thing you will not know is that chemotherapy gets you into early menopause and that there is no turning back. Prepare for hot flashes. It will seem inconsequential after a cure for cancer, but it's still an inconvenience without which you could have lived without a few years."data-reactid =" 59 ">One thing you will not know is that chemotherapy gets you into early menopause and that there is no turning back. Prepare for hot flashes. It will seem inconsequential after a cure for cancer, but it's still an inconvenience without which you could have lived without a few years.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Before I tell you what you need to know about surgery, I'll tell you something great. The support and love you will receive during all this will be different from everything you have known. You have decided to make your diagnosis public and you never regret it. It's a strange analogy but support me. It's almost as if you were at your own funeral. People think you could die, so they tell you what they really feel for you. Because you do not work, you spend a lot of time with the people you love the most. And it goes both ways. You tell people how you feel about them too. There is a lot of heat and blur that occurs. In this crazy and busy world, these moments are priceless."data-reactid =" 60 ">Before I tell you what you need to know about surgery, I'll tell you something great. The support and love you will receive during all this will be different from everything you have known. You have decided to make your diagnosis public and you never regret it. It's a strange analogy but support me. It's almost as if you were at your own funeral. People think you could die, so they tell you what they really feel for you. Because you do not work, you spend a lot of time with the people you love the most. And it goes both ways. You tell people how you feel about them too. There is a lot of heat and blur that occurs. In this crazy and busy world, these moments are priceless.

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Radiation (Photo courtesy of Kim MacDonald)

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Back to the surgery part. Oh man! You have a lot of time to think about that before it happens, which is good or bad. You decide that you want a double mastectomy and you do not want reconstructive surgery. You still maintain these decisions a year and a half later. You make these decisions based on the aggressiveness of your cancer. You do not have much to say in all of this, but you feel that you can mitigate some of the risks by taking these steps. Your doctors will not always agree with your choices. They will come so keep pushing for what you want."data-reactid =" 85 ">Back to the surgery part. Oh man! You have a lot of time to think about that before it happens, which is good or bad. You decide that you want a double mastectomy and you do not want reconstructive surgery. You still maintain these decisions a year and a half later. You make these decisions based on the aggressiveness of your cancer. You do not have much to say in all of this, but you feel that you can mitigate some of the risks by taking these steps. Your doctors will not always agree with your choices. They will come so keep pushing for what you want.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The operation is not extremely painful and you will leave the hospital the next day. After a day or two, Tylenol will be the only painkiller you will need. Hurray! The drains that hang from your body will only last a few weeks and you will not like it. It's all part of the process. You'll be fine."data-reactid =" 86 ">The operation is not extremely painful and you will leave the hospital the next day. After a day or two, Tylenol will be the only painkiller you will need. Hurray! The drains that hang from your body will only last a few weeks and you will not like it. It's all part of the process. You'll be fine.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "The mental part is more of a challenge. You are going to have trouble with that. A lot. This does not help that "Shape of You" plays on the radio every half hour. Finally, it becomes easier. Just imagine your 11-year-old personality and it's still you. Everything seems perfectly normal using knitted prostheses or knockers. You will never have to worry about gravity, so that's it. At night, you put your hand on your chest and you can feel your heart beat like never before. It is a reminder that you are still alive. Try to kiss that."data-reactid =" 87 ">The mental part is more of a challenge. You are going to have trouble with that. A lot. This does not help that "Shape of You" plays on the radio every half hour. Finally, it becomes easier. Just imagine your 11-year-old personality and it's still you. Everything seems perfectly normal using knitted prostheses or knockers. You will never have to worry about gravity, so that's it. At night, you put your hand on your chest and you can feel your heart beat like never before. It is a reminder that you are still alive. Try to kiss that.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Your hair starts to grow back as soon as you finish chemotherapy, but they are much slower than you would like. You grow it from scratch, do not forget. As I write this, your hair is thick and has become very short. You are like yourself again and that makes you happy. What can I say? We are vain when it comes to our hair. Be patient. Time goes on even when you're not having fun and your hair is coming back."data-reactid =" 88 ">Your hair starts to grow back as soon as you finish chemotherapy, but they are much slower than you would like. You grow it from scratch, do not forget. As I write this, your hair is thick and has become very short. You are like yourself again and that makes you happy. What can I say? We are vain when it comes to our hair. Be patient. Time goes on even when you're not having fun and your hair is coming back.

<figcaption class = "C ($ c-fuji-gray-h) Fz (13px) Py (5px) Lh (1.5)" title = "Photo courtesy of Kim MacDonald"data-reactid =" 105 ">

Photo courtesy of Kim MacDonald

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "YYou have about eight weeks to recover from surgery before the time of radiation therapy. This is by far the least painful of the three major breast cancer treatments, but it's not a picnic. It's amazing what you've experienced so far, your sense of difficulty has changed dramatically. You will have your first tattoos because of radiation. They have to put two or three tiny tattoos on their chest to know exactly where to turn these bundles. They look like all the freckles on your body, so you do not notice them at all. "data-reactid =" 109 ">YYou have about eight weeks to recover from surgery before the time of radiation therapy. This is by far the least painful of the three major breast cancer treatments, but it's not a picnic. It's amazing what you've experienced so far, your sense of difficulty has changed dramatically. You will have your first tattoos because of radiation. They have to put two or three tiny tattoos on their chest to know exactly where to turn these bundles. They look like all the freckles on your body, so you do not notice them at all.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "You will be lying on a table while the technicians adjust your positioning. They all leave the room when you are beamed by the music. It is neither tedious nor painful, but you will experience emotional difficulties. You feel a bit like a piece of meat lying on the table, with your scars and exposed chest like that. Everyone was kind and attentive, so it was not intentional. Most people do not fight radiation, but that will be your case. You will end up having an unpleasant sunburn, but like everything else, it will heal too. You have to go to the hospital five days a week for five weeks. So, when everything is finished, you will experience real relief."data-reactid =" 110 ">You will be lying on a table while the technicians adjust your positioning. They all leave the room when you are beamed by the music. It is neither tedious nor painful, but you will experience emotional difficulties. You feel a bit like a piece of meat lying on the table, with your scars and exposed chest like that. Everyone was kind and attentive, so it was not intentional. Most people do not fight radiation, but that will be your case. You will end up having an unpleasant sunburn, but like everything else, it will heal too. You have to go to the hospital five days a week for five weeks. So, when everything is finished, you will experience real relief.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "That's all that is important. You will visit as a result of chemotherapy every three weeks for one year for Herceptin infusions. This is a miracle drug and nothing that worries you too much. You will become familiar with needles, MRIs, bone scans, ultrasound and X-rays. There will be two minor surgeries over the big surgery for which you will not even have a clue. "data-reactid =" 111 ">That's all that is important. You will visit as a result of chemotherapy every three weeks for one year for Herceptin infusions. This is a miracle drug and nothing that worries you too much. You will become familiar with needles, MRIs, bone scans, ultrasound and X-rays. There will be two minor surgeries over the big surgery for which you will not even have a clue.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "You can do it. You are stronger than you think. It will change your life forever, but you will find a purpose. Do not be afraid. "data-reactid =" 112 ">You can do it. You are stronger than you think. It will change your life forever, but you will find a purpose. Do not be afraid.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "follow us on Instagram and Facebook for a non-stop inspiration delivered fresh in your stream, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK. "data-reactid =" 113 ">follow us on Instagram and Facebook for a non-stop inspiration delivered fresh in your stream, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyleUK.

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Read more:"data-reactid =" 114 ">Read more:

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Does the pill give you breast cancer? And other frequently asked questions"data-reactid =" 115 ">Does the pill give you breast cancer? And other frequently asked questions

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Reduce bacon and sausages to reduce breast cancer, say experts "data-reactid =" 116 ">Reduce bacon and sausages to reduce breast cancer, say experts

<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Men also have breast cancer "data-reactid =" 117 ">Men also have breast cancer

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