“Welcome to my Blog. My name is Susan and I am going to write about my first chemotherapy experience with Taxol.”
When Sweet Louise Member ‘Susan’ approached Support Coordinator Sinda Hall to see if Sweet Louise would host her blog on the website, the answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’
“We were very keen to feature Susan’s blog,” said Sinda. “Her personal story, shared with helpful tips and told with irrepressible humour, is a fantastic resource not only for Sweet Louise members but for all women with a breast cancer diagnosis.”
Susan’s blog offers a rare, informative and honest insight into the reality of chemotherapy treatment, a journey that women diagnosed with secondary breast cancer may undertake more than once. Prior to her treatment, Susan researched available material and found personal accounts were lacking. “I had assumed the internet would be overflowing with women’s accounts about the chemotherapy experience,” said Susan, “but when I searched on the net and in the library, I couldn’t find much. I wanted to know how I could best prepare my body and mind. I read a lot of blogs but not one talked about preparing for chemo.”
Susan hopes by sharing her experience she can help others prepare for a lengthy and, at times, difficult treatment. She provides readers with an upfront and honest account of the side effects, emotional ups and downs and day to day challenges that accompany this rigorous treatment plan. “It’s been a rugged week. One that I hope won’t be repeated for a long time. It started off with a weekend where I felt very lethargic. It was hard to find enjoyment in anything despite a sunny sky, DVDs to watch, friends to see, a party to go to. It felt like everything was just too much effort.” (From: ‘Somewhere between treatments 7 and 8’)
But there are plenty of practical tips as well, from gathering a support team who will be there for the long haul (“By the time I got home (from chemo) one of my ‘rostered friends’ had already let herself in and had put on the lights, heating and dinner. Then another rostered friend arrived and we all had a cuppa together. I sat on the sofa the whole time watching my two dear friends find their way round the kitchen.”) to planning well-timed leave days from work and special treats.
“If, like me, you are a chemo first- timer, I hope this blog will help you to prepare for the journey. This is just my experience and I know that everyone has different experiences. I have asked many questions about Taxol in online cancer chat rooms. Some women seem to sail through the experience; others describe it as Dante’s hell. I will find my spot somewhere in between, hopefully towards the former. Please, walk alongside me.”
Visit Susan’s Blog on the Sweet Louise website http://www.sweetlouise.co.nz/Page.aspx?PageID=114
