Bald Barren And Boobless

An honest and comical reflection of my journey through breast cancer

Tag: GP

How Long is this Bloody Valley??

sunrise out of darknessI woke at 530 am with a growing pain between my shoulder blades. Initially it felt like something literally stuck in my chest, the pain grew to be unbearable.

The pain just keeps growing, to the point where I don’t know what to do, I move, I take slow deep breaths, I walk, nothing eases it.   I lay there rolling about in pain, moaning, that too does not help.  I really don’t know what to do with myself.

After an hour of feeling like I was having a heart attack I get up and take some antacid, only out of complete desperation. After a second dose the pain began to shift. OMG, that was awful!!

Now I am almost afraid to move, so I make a note that on Day 6 post chemo this may happen. This is exactly why I decided to keep a journal. Apart from the feeling of “I am dying” on waking with his horrendous pain in my chest; I feel generally a little better today.

I still have toxic acidic burning diarrhea, a fuzzy head, I am in slo mo and my entire  body is sore ( like I’ve been hit by a bus).  Apart from that I feel better.

I saw my GP and had Acupuncture today. My GP at Sydney Integrative (Formerly U-Clinic) is wonderful. She listens, she helps, she is always willing to take the time. I am so grateful for her support.

I also had acupuncture today, it helps, it eases my symptoms, gives me relief from the pain and heat coming from my body. If you know of any one going through chemo and they are struggling please let them know that acupuncture may be of assistance. Gosh at the very least it is worth a try.

I am having weekly treatment with acupuncture particularly through the full on assault of chemo. I go home and rest. There is literally not much else my body will allow me to do. So rest I will.

I am believing that this is the beginning of the sun beginning to shine through the darkness of the valley I have been in. This is but a season and it too shall pass.

 

 

The journey begins

change-wordle

Monday 4th November 2013

So for the last 6-9 months I have been feeling like crap! I have had a really stressful year, have been waking feeling completely exhausted and I am always tired. My energy is low, everything is too hard, I get daily headaches, weird aches and pains and just feel like crap. I read an article on a plane recently that spoke about hypothyroidism so I went to see a naturopath on the 29.10.13. She said that I do have an under active thyroid so I need some specific tests to be ordered by my GP.

Today I saw my GP, I have spoken to her about how I feel before and she has always spoken about stress management.  I teach stress management so I am not saying I have nothing to learn but this is just too hard.  I simply don’t believe it is all due to stress.  However, I do feel like a whinger after speaking with my GP.  The way she looks at me when i reel off all of my symptoms.  I almost feel like minimising things so she just looks at me in a kinder way.

My GP appears to have her nose out of joint when I ask her for the blood tests requested by the Naturopath.  She says “but your thyroid levels are normal”.   I say “this was tested 12 months ago, “.   I also explain that this is not unusual with hypothyroidism which it is why it is commonly missed – she likes this even less and says “I will test your cholesterol”….. how helpful.  I even said I would pay for the tests and she refused to order them! I leave feeling deflated, unheard and like a hypochondriac.  I’m sure like thousands of other women who go to their Doctor with a group of weird symptoms and are told to “go home and rest”, or “take some timeout for yourself lovey”.

I call a girlfriend who is a nutritionist and she says “hey go to this clinic in the city, these guys work alongside naturopaths”, She also added, “what happened here is not good enough, you should be able to speak openly and honestly with your GP”.  I feel some what  empowered and make the call.  I have an appointment for the 8.11.13.  Hopefully then I will begin to get some answers.