Cancer-Related Fatigue

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Reading a short article about cancer-related fatigue on Medical News Today, and one important fact got my attention: "Tumor Size was a predictor for cancer fatigue." Suddenly, I got a lot of flashbacks in my head for those times when my mom complained about feeling extremely tired, and I shrugged it off as old age. The message is simple: PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BODY. Listen to what it may be telling you. Do not disregard fatigue, headache, pain, etc. These may be symptoms of a more serious disease. See a physician immediately. And a lot of times, we abuse our body. We make excuses not to see the doctor because we're so busy with wok, meetings, chores, etc. We're busy with other people but ourselves. It's a simple message, but it can save lives. 

This and That

Image courtesy of http://jigzone.com

It's been a busy couple of weeks, but I hope to be back in FIGHTINPINK to continue the fight against cancer. Just to update you on my mom's health, she's now on a new protocol called "Gemcarbo", which is a combination of gemzar and carboplatin to treat metastatic breast cancer. It's a Day 1 Day 8 cycle, meaning she'll take the Gemcarbo chemotherapy on the first day, then take a Gemzar push on the 8th day. Then there's a rest period of 1 week, then she'll do the Day 1 Day 8 thing all over again. She started her Day 1 last Tuesday, and was able to use her portacath, which is really less painful but a bit tedious to prepare. The doctor had to make sure that the portacath area was sterile, so a lot of preparations had to be done. It turned out well, but Mom didn't continue with her Day 8 because her WBC was too low. So now, she's resting a bit, and trying to gain enough strength for next Tuesday.

The night before going to the doctor, my mom had a minor anxiety attack. We were praying the rosary, when she stopped in tears and when I asked her what was wrong, she said she felt like God wasn't really listening to our prayers. I had to assure her that God was listening, and He will remain present throughout this entire chemo. She even entertained the idea of stopping chemo, because she felt much happier and more alive without it. But it also came out of her that just won't work, because if she doesn't get treatment, the cancer cells will proliferate. The next day, during our doctor's appointment, I also mentioned this to the doctor. It's really great to have a doctor who cares, and Dr. Querol took the time to assure Mommy that she was doing well, even better than some of her "batchmates". He really believes that my mom will get through this, and I'm really just happy that he gave those reassuring words. What's more, there's a glimmer of hope for triple negative patients. Dr. Querol mentioned a new drug from Sanofi Aventis for triple-negs, which is something that we're really looking forward to.

So that's it for now, thanks to those who continue to visit my site. God bless you all, cheers! :)