Weight Loss

hi penny,

 remember, you " can only cry so much, " so go ahead and cry if you feel like it.

 regarding weight, well i am  64 kgs and 5.3. ideally i should be 57 kgs. since menopause, i find it harder now to lose weight, as i am less inclined to rush about, my metabolism has slowed too, and i have less stamina. i try to do a bit though.... 

i do try walking.. they say 30 mins most days. i like to swim in ocean, or tread water in summer. there is also a spa pool here at a private house, i have been using for an hour a week. i would like to be 60 kgs, or a little under, but i am not beating myself up over it.  i like to listen to music too.. maybe dance at home etc.

 right now you need to focus on getting treatments over. maybe short walks may help, if you feel well enough and  do not have other health issues. go with how you feel etc. some days you may feel like no energy, others you may feel more.

glad you have support from family. it is good to have somewhere to turn. the treatments can knock you somewhat, but hoping you can get good advice on here, and also breast care nurse, or doctors. it is "ok to ask for help. " the emotional journey is as hard, or harder than the physical journey. some people find talking to a psychologist helpful also.

my two children were 10 and 14 at the time, and it can be hard on them also. there is information on children coping with a parent with cancer etc. on BCNA  or other sites. i just tried to keep their lives as normal as possible, plus told them the truth about the BC, and also that, fingers crossed it would all be ok. my son, who was 10, wondered, funnily enough, if he had caused the cancer by knocking my breast perhaps? i said ..no..odd how children think.. isn't it. 

my children are now 23 and 27 !

my hair thinned, i wore a cap mostly, and looked a  bit odd i am sure, but my family did not care, and it was summer while i had chemo. take a few photos while having treatment. soon it will pass, and you can look back.

 it is not easy now for you, but trying to find a bit of humour, or having a laugh, may help. ( i say this in hindsight, but i remember being in shock and terrified early on ) we are all feeling for you and your family at this time.

 try and find a bit of "calm " each day also, even if only for a short time. meditation and alternative treatments, i looked into too, but discuss with health professionals, as some alternative treatments can effect the chemo.

 all the best, kathy.