I was talking with a cousin who had a very serious illness a couple of years ago. He has ongoing affects from this. We were saying how isolating it can be when you go through things like this and how, for a while, your world narrows to just what you need to do to get through each day. I don't think you can really understand unless you have been through it yourself. That is why this site is so great because it allows us to 'talk' to others who do understand.
It is so hard to know what is 'normal' for this situation unless you can connect with a whole bunch of people who have faced similar hurdles. One thing I think is important is not to judge yourself by what others can or cannot do during treatment. We don't all experience the same effects and it does not mean that some of us are just not trying hard enough! I remember a lady on here joining in a 'conversation' that a couple of us were having about being hospitalized after developing a high temp during chemo. She had had the same chemo as us and had 'sailed' through working full-time all the way. I guess she was telling us this because she thought we might feel better if we had hope that the next couple of chemos might be better. It just made me feel very defensive as though I just needed to get up and try a bit harder!
I think you have been very unlucky to have had a few extra hurdles in your experience so far and lets face it chemo really kicks you when you are down already! Sometimes we need to give ourselves a bit of credit and realise how well we have done to just keep going with treatment. It takes an awful lot of courage to keep turning up for the next treatment when your body has been through so much.
Hope that you can get a copy of your pathology and that having it explained more thoroughly with the oncologist will help you. Knowing why things are happening the way they are helped me.
Sorry no bright ideas from me about going out in the heat. I was very fortunate to have most of my hairless time in winter. Take care. Deanne xxx
