Tag Archives: cancer

Lady Luck and the cancer demon

Posted on November 5, 2023 by sarahsouthwest

Somebody posted this on Twitter (X, yes I know, but…) yesterday, and I responded to it, saying it felt like victim blaming to me. They got a bit narky about it, and said it was really important to them, so … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Living with dying | Tagged cancer, luck | 6 Comments

Week 3. The break.

Posted on June 30, 2023 by sarahsouthwest

Oh, and I needed it. Last weekend was the Bad Weekend. Fatigue. I can’t desribe chemo fatigue. Fatigue to the point where having to make any kind of choice is overwhelming. I mean, any choice. Do you want pasta or … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Chemo, Living with dying | Tagged cancer, capecitabine | 7 Comments

Update. You know, health and stuff. And food.

Posted on July 30, 2022 by sarahsouthwest

So, the good news is that the chemotherapy is holding the cancer in check for now. Next scan in a month. The bad news is that the chemo is hard. And the worse news is that after this, when this … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Living with dying | Tagged cancer, chemotherapy, food, update | 6 Comments

Apologies

Posted on March 7, 2022 by sarahsouthwest

Last April I spent 11 days in hospital, on the oncology ward. You go there when you are really sick. Me? I had a catastrophic response to the chemotherapy medication I was taking. My body couldn’t process it. My immune … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Living with dying | Tagged cancer, illness, women | 5 Comments

Rollercoaster

Posted on September 28, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

I used rollercoaster as a title, and then I thought “Strange kind of rollercoaster – it only seems to be going down”. It’s been a tough few months. I started capecitapine in March, and then had a massive, overwhelming life-threatening … Continue reading →

Posted in Living with dying | Tagged breast cancer, cancer, motherhood | 5 Comments

Too many losses

Posted on September 28, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

As well as blogging here, I write poems at fmmewritespoems.wordpress.com. I also host poetry prompts at dVerse. This is the first prompt I ever wrote: https://wordpress.com/post/dversepoets.com/17153. I asked people to write poetry inspired by the art of Fay Collins. I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Living with dying | Tagged cancer, Fay Collins, loss | 2 Comments

Docetaxel

Posted on July 17, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

So, here we are at the start of Week 3 of my 3 week cycle. Side effects? Yes: Look at the picture. Can you see when the fatigue started to lift? Oh, the fatigue. Leg pain. Like my bones were … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Living with dying | Tagged breast cancer, cancer, chemotherapy | 12 Comments

A poem about cancer, or anything really.

Posted on March 20, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

4am and I’m filled with itthe taste in my mouthlike I’m stuffed with coinseach finger filled with itno4am and it’s here in the roomwith me I’ve been swallowedby cancer I’m a nodulefloating in a sea of cancerI breathe it in … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer | Tagged cancer, insomnia, poem | 1 Comment

Day 10

Posted on March 17, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

I went for a walk today, with my friend Julie. Get yourself a Julie. This is the kind of friend Julie is: When we first moved to Devon 15 years ago, I was training for the Moonwalk. The Moonwalk, ironically … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cancer, crying, friendship, living with cancer, support | 5 Comments

Palliative chemotherapy. Ugh.

Posted on February 25, 2021 by sarahsouthwest

Yes. Next week. Meeting on Friday. Had my bloods done on Tuesday, ECG just before I pick up my first course of capecitabine. I got my information leaflets through yesterday. I’m not wildly enthusiastic about this turn of events. We … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, Living with dying | Tagged breast cancer, cancer, chemotherapy, death, dying, palliative care | 8 Comments