A letter of complaint

To whom it may concern: Don’t get me wrong, if I had to get a cancer, I know I got the right one (breasts are very popular, not least amongst the research community) at the right time (had either of my grandmothers developed a cancer when they were 37, they wouldn’t have lived to tell the tale). I know that I am blessed to have been treated by the NHS, even if some of its wheels are coming off. I know that I am lucky, lucky, lucky in spades, not least because Tamoxifen-the-wonder-drug exists. I could do the Tamoxifen-induced medical menopause with barely a whimper, really I could. I buy moisturiser by the bucketload, because my dry, prematurely ageing skin absorbs it so fast. I take cod-liver-oil to ease my joints and I keep an eye on my weight and I try not to be mood-swingy and laugh at the hot flushes. All of these things are manageable, if not a lot of fun. But periods as well? The other day I was standing in the kitchen knocking back paracetamol for menstrual cramp when I was savaged by a hot flush. That’s not on. Water retention around the time of my period undermines the self-esteem I try so hard to maintain, and makes me uncomfortable and cross, usually with people who don’t deserve to have my uncomfortableness and crossness taken out on them. I have always been clumsy around the time of my period, but clumsiness plus arid skin makes for bruises I don’t remember getting and grazes that take an age to heal. I have wrinkles and spots, for c...
Source: Bah! to cancer - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Cancer Treatment wellbeing menopause side effects Tamoxifen Source Type: blogs