Assessing damage from chemotherapy

To refuse chemotherapy for breast cancer is tantamount to suicide. Very few people who have been diagnosed with stage 2 or greater have survived the disease without aggressive treatment. Having said that however, I am well aware of the lasting and detrimental effects of chemotherapy drugs. Every day I feel those effects; my joints hurt, my brain dysfunctions and my eyesight waivers. What else has been done to my organs and other bodily systems I can only guess. While my oncologist continues to monitor me for recurrence or metastasis from the original breast cancer, blood tests will alert us to changes in my blood or markers of new cancers. There is a slight risk of a leukemia related to chemotherapy but there is no overall test to reveal the damage to other cells that will cause problems now or in the future. Heart tests usually done before and after specific chemo drugs look at damage to heart tissue and function, but what about the liver, kidneys and bladder as the body eliminates these toxic drugs? It is all overwhelming if you think about it. It is my goal to stay positive, while providing info and encouragement to breast cancer patients and survivors through my blog. There is a reality though that comes with battling the disease and facing it is glum and heartbreaking. We have been damaged and wounded in our fight, and admittedly we may be great, new and whole, but we will never be the same in health or spirit as before the diagnosis of breast cancer. Assessing the da...
Source: Life with Breast Cancer - Category: Cancer Authors: Tags: Breast Cancer Source Type: blogs