First Post

I am starting my cancer treatment and thought a blog would be the most useful way to track my treatments and thoughts. I was diagnosed in July and just started chemo this week, which seems like a long time, but there were so many tests and doctors' visits in between.

I'm taking this the best way possible - I was feeling great and not showing any symptoms, so I decided to have a fun and carefree summer before treatment started.

One funny part about this is that I'm considered a "young lady" in the cancer world. I'm in my late 30s (not even mammogram time yet - just found a lump myself and it turned out there were a couple more I didn't feel). Just a couple of years ago I was pregnant and everyone was treating me like an ancient pregnant woman. I guess the average breast cancer diagnosis is in the 60s?

Overall, I feel pretty positive about this - like I will get through it and it will be another impetus to take care of myself and live the life I want (which I mostly do anyway). The hardest part for me is being a mother to a toddler. The first thing I had to do when I got my diagnosis is wean him - and that was so upsetting to me, though it went better than I expected. I'm worried about him seeing me sick or feeling sad if I'm too tired to play with him.

On the other hand, having that responsibility (plus continuing to work from home) gets me out of bed in the morning...