I’ve been working with Bloodwise over the last couple of months to try and raise awareness for blood cancer. Here’s one of those efforts come to fruition: CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE "It’s strange to think that I unwittingly carried my cancer for months. Perhaps even years. When those first few cells mutinied and... Continue Reading →
The cancer community, vast and ever-present, is one initially thrown together by circumstance; forged in fear and shaped by grief. At first, we cling to one another in the desperate hope that being around those whose footsteps we blindly stumble in might somehow lessen the gravity of the burden we each carry so confusedly.
At first it went unnoticed. Silent tendrils of smoke licking at the walls, and small flames creeping their way through each room. By the time it was caught the inferno had a firm grip and was raging uncontrollably, wreaking immeasurable damage throughout the place I called home.
Remember a good while ago when I blogged about my experience of being filmed for Macmillan? Well... Here it is in all of its glory, with guest appearances from Woody the dog and my ears (thanks for those genetics, Dad!). Enjoy - is that the right word? https://twitter.com/macmillancancer/status/1083412031154388992
Hopefully a relatively short update today just to bring everyone up to speed and to get back into the swing of things. Hah, yeah right.
LOOK AT MAH BELLEH! Day 1/5 of G-CSF injections done. These are daily home injections to stimulate my white blood cell count. Big shout out to Dr Nick for popping by today to do this, and to mum for being such a diligent documentarian (is that a real word?).
Yesterday my parents and I attended something referred to as a 'Confirmation of Consent' meeting with my absolute babe of a Nurse Specialist, Theresa. Sadly this wasn't some sort of disruptive feminist workshop, but a medical appointment about chemotherapy. The point of the session is to run through your cancer treatment plan, its side effects and risks, answer any questions you may have and then finally get your permission to start poisoning you for your own benefit.
Instead I have been wading my way wide-eyed and babbling incoherently through myriad conversations about my fertility. Basically, am I ever going to want to grow some sproglets inside of me one day? Because [spoiler alert], cancer and its subsequent treatment might make my chances of natural conception as likely as Trump winning an honorary ACLU award.
Whenever I have had to have an injection, I've tried to rationalise my fear by telling myself "it could be so much worse - sure, the 'flu jab is scary, but it's not like it's a bone marrow biopsy or anything". The idea of that particular procedure terrified me so much that everything else paled in comparison, and I was just glad I never had to face it. Until I did have to face it.
It's easy to look back and think 'why didn't I notice earlier?' (you know, before my cancer got to Stage 4), but the truth is that hindsight is 20/20 and when you're actually living through these symptoms they feel so unrelated and random.
![The [Other] C Word](https://theothercword.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/cropped-website-title-v2.png)
The [Other] C Word 