When I was
first told I should have chemotherapy I did not think of myself as “needing”
it. Rather, I viewed chemotherapy as preventative medicine. I had Stage I
cancer which means there was no cancer in my lymph nodes or other parts of my
body. So there was no need for chemotherapy to kill cancer or put me into
remission. Once I’d had my surgery I was cancer free.
In many
ways this is true. I think of my chemotherapy treatments as destroying any “free
radicals” just in case the tests missed something and a cancer cell had escaped
into my system undetected. But there was more to it than that. Yes,
chemotherapy is a treatment to fight systemic cancer and works to put patients
into remission. It is also the only known treatment for triple-negative breast
cancer. There is no other treatment available (yet) that works to keep the
cancer from recurring. Breast cancers that are hormone positive are treated
with hormone blockers. Breast cancer that is Her2 positive is treated with
Herceptin – a drug that specifically targets the protein that the cancer cell
feeds on.
Now that
I know more about triple-negative breast cancer I understand the need for chemotherapy.
And I remain eternally grateful that I was diagnosed at Stage I. However, the
effects of chemotherapy remain with me. I am fortunate enough to have received
a newer treatment cocktail with fewer long-term side effects. And I only needed
four rounds of the poison.
People
are aware of the side effects of chemotherapy. The most obvious one is hair
loss. There is also nausea, changes in appetite, water retention, and chemo
brain. Maybe you’ve heard of chemo brain. Symptoms of chemo brain include
memory loss, trouble paying attention, trouble finding the right word,
difficulty with new learning, and difficulty managing daily activities. According
to CancerCare® patients “often notice
these problems during chemotherapy treatment. Within one year of treatment,
many people find these difficulties greatly improved or no longer exist.
However, for some people, chemo brain can continue for years following
completion of treatment.” Of course, many of these symptoms are synonymous with
aging.
When I was
undergoing chemotherapy the most striking impairment was my inability to button
buttons. I remember standing in my bedroom, dressing for work and having
difficulty buttoning my blouse. I felt like I was five years old and learning
all over again. I slowly and methodically made myself think and act through the
process. Eventually I reached a point during treatment that I gave up trying. I
simply asked my husband to button my blouse for me. He never said a word.
Symptoms
lasting more than a year after treatment are something that I call an after-effect.
I’m not a doctor. I am not medically trained, and I’ve never discussed this
directly with any of my doctors. But I am aware of the occasional after-effect
that was never there before chemotherapy. While I have surgery scars that are a
daily reminder, I can once again button my blouse in the morning without
thinking. My hair is long again. The swollen ankles are rare. I still have “trouble
finding the right word” and that started at age 43 with chemotherapy. In my
case, this particular after-effect is mild and I am fortunate enough to live
and work in an environment that has allowed me to learn to compensate. I guess
I’m one of those people who “find these difficulties greatly improved,” and in most
cases they no longer exist.
However, if you are a cancer survivor and are continuing to experience the after-effects of chemotherapy, I would encourage you to talk with your doctor.
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