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Oct 10, 2017 12:55AM
Faithonfire
wrote:
Nice to meet you too
I just threw a shot out in the dark seeing if anyone would need or like to know that there are options available with long term diagnosis such as ours during times of systemic interruptions like chemo treatments or pregnancy that temporarily make conventional medications a less viable option vs risks that might not be properly understood as it pertains to the total health and quality of life issues that factor in to the informed decision making process.
I am very proud of you for your great achievements in aa that well surpass my own at the moment. I had 10 months alcohol free before I was diagnosed but chose not to do aa because I was working my cbt therapy at the time and had enough skills to keep me as out patient and continue the brutal chemotherapy prep diagnostics biopsies and every horrible medical test needed in record time!
This is not my first setback but what I learned in aa previously helped me to have an emergency plan in place to seek treatment and have my husband take care of our three teenagers and their busy schedules while I adjust to the medication changes and minimize the trauma as much as I can in the face of full symptoms flare ups.
It is hands down the hardest thing I have ever had to do, and right now they all feel as if I have abandoned them no matter how I try to explain it to them.
We all need to allow ourselves to ask for and receive the help we need to stay as stable as we can in light of our circumstances pre and post diagnosis and what kind of plans we can arrange just in case. I have always prepared for the worst and hope for the best but I'm no fool and the worst enemy to my success is me. Knowing better means we can do better. For me those were some hard lessons learned and I hope I can spare anyone my pain level with what I can do now that I wish I had known sooner.
I have to get up early for my surgery meeting before chemo treatment so I will be a wreck for the next few days and already have my therapy the next day, every time.
It really helps me to know we are not alone in this journey no matter what anyone we love may say or do to ignite an already critical moment. For me, the hardest person I ever had to forgive was and still is myself.
Best wishes and best of luck to you, I will check back as soon as I'm strong enough to
Dx
6/25/2017, IDC, Both breasts, Stage IIIC, ER+, HER2-
Chemotherapy
7/14/2017 Abraxane (albumin-bound or nab-paclitaxel), Cytoxan (cyclophosphamide), Doxil (doxorubicin), Methotrexate (Amethopterin, Mexate, Folex), Taxol (paclitaxel), Taxotere (docetaxel)
Chemotherapy
9/2/2017 AC + T (Taxol)
Surgery
1/9/2018 Lymph node removal: Left, Underarm/Axillary; Mastectomy: Left, Right; Reconstruction (left): Tissue expander placement; Reconstruction (right): Tissue expander placement
Surgery
1/9/2018 Lymph node removal: Left, Sentinel, Underarm/Axillary; Mastectomy: Left, Right; Prophylactic mastectomy: Left, Right; Reconstruction (left): Nipple reconstruction, Tissue expander placement; Reconstruction (right): Nipple reconstruction, Tissue expander placement