Best Of

Shared with gratitude to the original author, Kylie Dahl. Expressing what so many of us feel but aren’t always able to put into words.

“No one warned me that this part could hurt like hell.
I’m on Herceptin and a hormone blocker, and the joint pain is relentless. Hands, hips, knees, shoulders, back, feet stiff, aching, screaming first thing in the morning like my body’s been hijacked overnight.
And here’s the part that messes with your head
People think treatment gets easier once chemo ends.
It doesn’t. It just changes.
There’s no drip, no chair, no obvious “proof” you’re still in it just a body that feels older, slower, heavier, and angry for no clear reason.
This pain isn’t weakness.
It isn’t complaining.
It isn’t me being dramatic.
It’s what happens when you rip hormones away from a body that’s relied on them for decades and expect it to just cope.
Some days I move because I have to.
Some days I rest because I need to.
And some days I’m just bloody over it.
I’m told it can get better with time and I’m holding onto that.
But until then, I’m done pretending this part is “fine”.
If you’re on hormone therapy and silently struggling, hear this
You’re not imagining it.
You’re not failing.
And you don’t have to suffer quietly.
This counts as hard.
And I’m saying it out loud.”

💛