Bid for pink items donated by celebrities at Buy Once Give Twice, including Katie Price’s riding jacket, George Sampson’s signed cap and Lorraine Kelly’s dazzling pink shoes. Check out whats going on over at wear it pink.

The next stage is convalescence. We don’t seem to like to use this term much as it conjures up images of old ladies sitting around in chairs, however if you look at the meaning then you will know that the Latin term means  ‘to grow strong’ - rather apt under the circumstances.

Once you have recharged your batteries, then you can begin to build up your physical and emotional strength. Don’t push yourself as there are no rules on how long it takes and I believe that if you rush this process it will only cause other problems later down the line.

Once you have recuperated and convalesced, you will start to look at life differently and hopefully change the things you were not happy with. However never forget that life will never be the same again as whatever your prognosis, whatever your hopes, whatever your personality, the second that you know that you have cancer your life changes irrevocably.

For many women, their sense of security and safety is undermined, their hopes for the future compromised, their trust in their world denied. The whole process from diagnosis, through treatment to completion is entirely and utterly abnormal, for months your life is taken over by what must seem like an endless stream of clinic visits, of being prodded and poked, scanned and punctured, of waiting and watching, of hopes realised and hopes dashed.

Your life has been taken over by others, run to someone else’s timetable. There is every reason for wanting to get back to some thing that is yours to control, yours to manage, back to something familiar. However, to try to do that when so much has changed is a difficult, if not an impossible task.

The trick is how to regain control and stability in a changed world. Rehabilitation, therefore, is a process of regaining and refreshing old skills, learning and refining new ones to enable you to live the sort of life you want. So what are the tasks that have to be completed in order to get through the process that I have talked about.

Below are 4 survivors whose fame has kept breast cancer in the public eye. If we all do a little, then a little means a lot.

Anastacia

In January 2003, she was diagnosed with breast cancer aged 30. Her first reaction was denial, but she now appreciates that it was her doctor’s insistence that she underwent a mammogram that ultimately saved her life.

Since then she has set up the Anastasia Fund alongside The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, encouraging women under the age of 40 to be more aware of the risks.

Cynthia Nixon

The Sex and the City star did not reveal her diagnosis due to the stigma associated with having cancer in Hollywood.  Since then, she has become a breast cancer activist who even managed to persuade the head of NBC to air her breast cancer special on prime time television.

Kylie Minogue

In May 2005, Kylie underwent surgery in France to remove a lump in her breast, and then spent the next 15 months battling the disease with chemotherapy.

Now in remission, she is outspoken and honest about her disease, urging younger women to check their breasts frequently so as to assist early detection.

This is where I want to start - after the treatment has finished and at the point where you can begin, bit-by-bit, to deal with all that you have been through and all that is to come.

You may have had to endure months of treatment by knife, chemicals or radiation until you are probably sick of the whole business, now is the time to heal, both body and mind. I don’t think we quite realize what impact it has on our lives and those around us too.

This stage is all about dealing with the process of healing both physically and emotionally, as this is such a critical stage in our recovery.

For me this happened in three stages: recuperation, convalescence and rehabilitation. You have to go through all the stages in order to come out at the other side, you will only then are we able to move on and face the next one.

If we look at each stage in turn, then we should start with recuperation, one of the many paradoxes of cancer is that, more often than not, the treatment makes you feel worse. This is not surprising - we cut and possibly mutilate, inject you with poisonous and powerful chemicals, subject you to dangerous rays all in the name of treatment.

The aggressiveness and power of the treatments are a necessary response to the power of the disease, of course, but this very power takes its toll in other ways. These interventions place enormous physical strains on the body. There is often little time to recover from one treatment before you have to begin another.

The treatments themselves may make it difficult for you to sleep and eat properly - two important parts of the body’s defense and recovery system. Some of the treatments drain your energy and resources to such an extent that it’s as much as you can do to put on the kettle.

Add to this the emotional turmoil - the dealing with the impact and implications of the diagnosis, the uncertainty, the upheaval, the additional burden that you feel that you are imposing on family and friends, the loss of so many aspects of your routine.

Emotional stress can be as energy consuming as any physical activity. After all that, is it any wonder that you feel wrung out and exhausted, without resources or reserves? Is it any wonder you just want to get back to doing the things you used to before the diagnosis but find yourself falling at the first hurdle because you simply find the whole thing too much.

I think that, however smoothly your treatment has progressed and however well you have tolerated the various indignities to which you are subjected, you will most definitely need  some time simply to recharge and recover - to recuperate - is absolutely essential.

This is the necessary foundation on which to build recovery. There is no one right way or length of time to do this. It may be a few days or a few weeks, months or years, how long will depend on your state of health before your diagnosis, your age, the intensity, frequency and length of your treatment and so on. Take however long you feel you need. Recuperating is the very first step in a process of rebuilding.

Its Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I wanted to share some of the initiatives that are taking place in the month of October. So without further adieu here goes:

Sunday 5 October

South Yorkshire athlete Jessica Ennis is stepping up to the mark to help raise money for women with cancer. Jessica is urging Barnsley fans to step out for the Think Pink Walk on Sunday 5 October in aid of Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity. Registration costs £5 per person with children under 10 free. For more information contact: The Weston Park Hospital Cancer Charity office on 0114 2265370.

Friday 17th October

Think Pink Ball 2008 held in aid of Breakthrough Breast Cancer will be held on Friday 17th October 2008 at Norwich City Football Club. Guests of honour will be Professor Sir Martin Evans, winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Saturday 25th October

Help raise funds for the Think Pink appeal by taking part in the Ribbon Ramble on 25th October 2008 and raise money for Breast Cancer Research in the West of Scotland.  For more information contact Lindsey McArthur on 0141 330 495.

There are a multitude of events the length and breath of the country, so get searching for your nearest Think Pink event and support Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Hold on just one cotton picking minute; you can’t make an event, well shame on you. No seriously, we all have busy lifes but theirs one thing we women always have time for SHOPPING! Support Think Pink by nipping down to the stores and buying something pink:

Next have the Forever Pink collection with pink umbrellas and spotted wellie boots.  You can pick up T-shirts, a pair of stylish bootcut jeans with a pink ribbon logo on the back pocket , as well as a tote bag with diamante pink ribbon detailing.

Tesco has a range of cute underwear, as well as a seductive hot pink lingerie set, which is being sold in support of Cancer Research UK.  Tesco are giving 10 percent from the selling price for every special item sold as a donation to its chosen charity, Cancer Research UK.

Debenhams has a range of BCAM products for sale, ranging from perfume and mugs to a pair of cute Totes embroidered ballet slippers (£10).

Ann Summers is marking a decade of supporting Breast Cancer Campaign with a 10 percent donation from sales of limited edition Ann Summers products. That means £1.20 from the sale of each pair of Sweet Cheeks briefs (priced at £12) and 80p from the sale of Miss Massage lotion (£8) will go to the charity this month.

Take your boyfriend, husband, partner, colleague, boss or friend. The more the merrier! As you can see, supporting Breast Cancer Awareness and Thinking Pink isn’t too difficult. Plus whilst your shopping for those pink goodies, tell your partner it’s all in a good cause.

Happy October Pinkies!

I’m so happy that I can finally get on a plane without worrying will I be OK.

First stop will be to see my cousin, she has always been on the other end of the phone asking how I’m doing.

My son although born in England has spent more years living aboard than he has living in the UK. So when it comes to visiting he loves it.

No language barrier, although his Spanish is better than my English :o) He loves the shops and of course, he gets all the attention a family can bestow. So he’s one happy chappie.

The holiday was great, I was able to spend time with my mother, cousins and friends. There was a little get together with some of my old school friends. Like friends revisited but with alcohol, I haven’t been able to drink for so long I’m looking forward to a gin or two.

The only down side is that I have to leave and get back to the grind. Whilst in the UK I have pondered what it would be like to be back permanently. I know how I feel on a day to day basis, but as I know from emigrating in the first place moving countries takes some planning.

Making a decision where my future lies, will take more than just one holiday however I feel safe being back in England.

Well its now started to grow back and I feel that I’m getting back to normal. However I do feel strange as it’s so short and I’m not used to it like this. Anyway every day it will grow a little more, I’ll be like rapunzal soon.

I went to my friends this weekend,  they live inland about an hour from here. It felt so good to get away I needed the break as things are very difficult at the moment and sometimes a change of scenery is as good as a rest.

When my mum beat breast cancer she said that it had made her a stronger person. I never quite understood what she meant, well I do now.

Whatever life throws at me now will not faze me, what could happen that could be worse than this.

Try not to keep things to yourself, this is something I have done and I regret it daily. My logic has been that if I carry on and don’t complain then all will be OK, How wrong I am.

I often go to bed and cry, not a good idea although sometimes to have a good cry helps and you don’t always want to drag everyone else down with you, tomorrow is another day.

People tell me all the time that I should start and put myself first, but how can I do this when everyone else is so dependant on me. I think it would be a lot easier if I had a partner that could ease the load.

In the UK there seems to be plenty of support groups that offer support, treatments and just somewhere to have a chat, I have not found the same support here in Spain and have found the whole process a very solitary experience.

It helps if you can talk to someone who has been through the same experience as yourself, as they are the only ones who really know how it feels and can help you.

I found myself looking at various forums just so that I could read about other people’s experiences and how they dealt with things.

I would have found it so much easier if I could have spoken to someone, it never helps to keep things to yourself and it will eat you away as it has done me.

I find myself in a state of shock and feel really withdrawn at the moment. I feel like I just want to hide away until its all over. When I lay on the slab having my radiotherapy every morning, I find myself saying, keep strong, not long to go now and it will all be over with. Then I can start to make plans for the future and believe you me, I will. My future has to better than my past.

The reason I wanted to do this, is that I never want anyone else to feel as lonely as I have. I know that I have got some very good friends and I don’t know what I would have done without them, but I still feel like this and probably will do until its all over. That’s why I am writing this and hopefully offering some help to someone else who may need it.

]]> http://pink.inspirecreativemedia.co.uk/cancer/home-alone.html/feed http://pink.inspirecreativemedia.co.uk/diary/taking-tamoxifen.html http://pink.inspirecreativemedia.co.uk/diary/taking-tamoxifen.html#comments Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:22:22 +0000 Susan http://pinkribbonandme.co.uk/?p=77 I had read up on Tomoxifen as I wondered what the possible side effects could be.

They listed the usual suspects, sickness, dry mouth and hot flushes.

The only effect I have noticed is the hot flushes, they seem to creep up on me at odd moments. These however are bearable and nothing for me to get over anxious about.

Julie has organised a walk to help raise funds for people affected by Cancer. The day will start on Saturday 5th April at 9am, meeting at the English International School in Marbella.

You will be asked to donate 10 euros per adult and 5 euros per child, we will supply water and T Shirts and then its off we go.

If you can come along and support me, as well as the many others out there, then please do I will be posting pics on my blog and will update you on how it all went.

Till then bye