I second this. Anytime we complain about little things we should think of how brave all of you are! I’ve had a handful of friends who have had cancer and watching their bravery has made me quit whining about aches and pains. Hope all of you have many more decades of riding, all cancer free.
You guys are awesome.
All I have to say.
Bless you and good luck to you! The people on this board are great and it really helped me to hear their stories. I was in the same situation about a year ago. My hair didn’t start to fall out until after my second chemo treatment. Then it just came out by big clumps so I shaved my head. I found my skin too slippery for just a bandana to stay on my head. So under my helmet and when at the barn I wore a bandana that had a knit skull cap sewed into it. That worked perfect, and it looked like regular barn wear. Because I drank so much to flush the drugs from my system after a chemo treatment I was peeing alot and couldn’t get a good nights sleep so was very tired. Don’t forget to take your stool softner before your treatment-it makes a big difference.
For the three days after a treatment I planned to not go to the barn or ride. Don’t push yourself when you are feeling good because the exhaustion comes on fast and hits hard. Other than that I rode and did stalls, just a lot slower and with more breaks. I thought dealing with the drains was a lot worse and more limiting…:yes:
I haven’t had chemo properly, but the medication I take for arthritis is a chemo drug, and I would agree with people who are saying to take it easy and kind of let how you feel guide you. Some weeks (I take it once a week) it hits me very hard and I basically sleep all day the day after. Other weeks I feel fine. I have yet to figure out how to predict what kind of week it will be. 
One thing in particular I’ve found is also that often even if I’m feeling reasonably good the day after my weekly dose, my muscles seem to be MUCH more prone to fatigue and will take longer to recover than they would otherwise (days, not hours). So even on a good day I try to avoid a lot of physical activity. (Meaning I do paperwork chores or the like, and don’t go on any hikes or decide to reorganize the kitchen, not that I spend all day in bed.)
Obviously your experience will vary, but I figure if people share what they experienced you might be able to more quickly identify it when you’re experiencing something similar, and take advantage of someone else’s solution for the problem.
I think I can speak for most cancer survivors in that we don’t consider ourselves brave - we had something unfortunate happen to us and we’re doing the best we can. I used to think of people with cancer as brave before I was diagnosed, but then realized I was scared and nervous but had to get on with it. I laugh sometimes when reading obits about someones “brave battle with cancer.” I think there’s a lot cowardly battles going on, myself included, where the operative word is “scared” not"brave" but you do the best you can.
I think I can speak for most cancer survivors in that we don’t consider ourselves brave - we had something unfortunate happen to us and we’re doing the best we can. I used to think of people with cancer as brave before I was diagnosed, but then realized I was scared and nervous but had to get on with it. I laugh sometimes when reading obits about someones “brave battle with cancer.” I think there’s a lot cowardly battles going on, myself included, where the operative word is “scared” not"brave" but you do the best you can.
Thanks to COTH to open up a place to share our exper
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/Leena_photos/Photo006.jpg)
This one was right after the chemo:
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/Leena_photos/Entrainementdu13mai.jpg)
Later on starting this marvelous greenie on summer 2008
[IMG]http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h148/Leena_photos/IMG_0635.jpg)
This summer was really hard…really tough on me while I start a new cocktail in may after a year on hormonal therapy. I was puffy and a couple of shows scheduled…I thought I was really going to die.
I realise I was sick and I had to give up a bit…
I agree that we are not that brave but I would say for myself that my survival instinct is very high…Like for others, I did not know before but I take it day by day without seing the big picture.
The drugs I received so far are 10 treatments with Taxol-Carboplatine, 3 treatments of Caelyx, 3 with Topotecan and 4 of Carboplatine-gemsy.
Good luck to every cancer fighters and survivors !!!
Wow, I hadn’t been on here in a week or so, and it was so good to read all the replies. I had no idea there were so many cancer survivors on this board, and knowing that you are out there definitely helps. I agree with the day to day approach; that is how I’ve been handling it as the big picture seems to overwhelming. We moved to Denver today a day late because of the snowstorm (everything is now in storage phew!), so the past 10 days have been a chaotic mix of packing with a flu scare thrown in for good measure.
I found that the chemo knocked me flat out for the first four days. I slept through most of it, no nausea, but also little recollection of much that happened around me. Since then I’ve felt pretty good and have been able to ride, but just not as hard as I would normally. I found that I was easily winded and at one point I did get a bit dizzy, so I stopped and realized that I shouldn’t push myself too hard. We’re still looking for the perfect barn here in Denver, so we haven’t moved the horses yet, but my next chemo is Tuesday and I’ve told myself that I don’t need to worry about it until we’re settled in our new house and I come out from under the Chemo Fog Round 2.
As for brave vs. scared, for me it’s a mixture of both. I have days where I just KNOW I’m going to get through this and others where I bawl my eyes out about what I’ve had to go through and what I still face. My main feeling is that it’s just not fair. I feel like I was just about to start the next phase of my life (getting married, having kids, starting my own business) and the timing is just all wrong to have this happen to me right now. Unfortunately cancer’s timing is just not one of those things you can control…
[QUOTE=lolalola;4454480]
I think I can speak for most cancer survivors in that we don’t consider ourselves brave - we had something unfortunate happen to us and we’re doing the best we can. [/QUOTE]
Unfortunate!? That’s not the word that first came into my mind.
However if I said what that word was then I’d be getting a warning or a ban from Moderator 1 
Having cancer doesn’t necessarily stop making you afraid of dying but by heck it stops you being afraid to live.
Some people like to counsel, “Well, there’s always a silver lining.”
Bullcrap.
Sometimes bad things happen. And you don’t have to pretend there is any socially redeeming value about any of it. The trick is to get past it.
To add my two cents: when I was going through chemo for breast cancer a little more than a year ago, I did not ride the whole time. Too, too, too tired. And sick. Nor did I muck stalls (I have 2 backyard horses) or do anything remotely physical or activities that might make me prone to infection–my husband did that. But I did commune with my two horses ( I have a sensitive Arab mare who is tuned in to me like a friend and a Canadien gelding who is a big sweet Teddy bear type) and the minute I was clear and free (about a month after my last treatment) I started riding again and I haven’t stopped. The joy of it!
Give yourself permission to nurture yourself and take the best care of yourself that you can, in whatever way that feels right.
I used to think of people with cancer as brave before I was diagnosed, but then realized I was scared and nervous but had to get on with it. I laugh sometimes when reading obits about someones “brave battle with cancer.” I think there’s a lot cowardly battles going on, myself included, where the operative word is “scared” not"brave" but you do the best you can.
Oh… God. You folks humble me to tears. :sadsmile: In a very GOOD way, but… a loose definition of courage I always hold onto is “Courage isn’t not being scared, it’s being scared to death, but going on anyway.”
I have nothing useful to add, except my prayers for each and every one of you dealing with cancer. I only had the most minor of ‘scares’ and it was fine.
I am just so profoundly humbled when I consider how much I whine about and wallow in my own issues… when there are those fighting so much bigger issues, and YES, with COURAGE.
riding with chemo
Nothing is so good side for the inside of a (Wo)man then the outside of a horse
Bill it to Hippotherapy
all the best to you
