Soothing The Soul During Chemo

It's the day of treatment number five, and I am VERY excited about being able to say that I only have three treatments to go after today; it now really feels like I'm on the home stretch which is a big achievement given where I was after the first couple of treatments.

My health over the past couple of weeks has continued to be good and so much better than every other treatment so far, so chemo for me is definitely getting easier! Many people ask whether you get worse as the treatment goes on as your immune system is operating at about 30% and for me, with the help of a strict new diet and lots of probiotic supplements, I am surprising myself at how my body is bouncing back and tackling the treatment.

After reaching the half way milestone, my beautiful partner Matt got a new job, so we have taken some time out to have a holiday together before he starts today. For me, it was really great to get away and forget about breast cancer and chemo for a few days and to feel like a normal person again! We had an AMAZING break and I really encourage anyone going through chemo to take time out to go away and treat yourself........in fact we had such a great time that I have forgotten what the feeling of chemo is like......... so it is true; holidays soothe the soul!

My new diet with no wheat, dairy, soy or gluten is going well and I have really not found the adjustment difficult at all. Yes, we need to be more organised than before and take a few supplies with us but overall, I really feel that our diet now is how everyone should be eating all of the time. The focus is very much on meat, veges, salad and fruit and my body is feeling so much better for it! For snacks, I can eat nuts, fruit, avocado on corn bread or any home made treats (with potato, buckwheat or rice flour).

If I do fancy a treat, thai and indian cuisines are best for me as they have a base of coconut milk and I can eat rice! So there are many many options and I am enjoying the response my body has been giving me since the change. I really believe this and all the other advice my kinesiologist has given me will lead to a long and healthy existence!

A friend who has had cancer very kindly sent me a product which he believes helped to cure him. It's imported from the US and is called Mona Vie. It is a blend of the Brazilian Acai berry - a superfood- and 18 other beneficial fruits. It's great to experiment with new products like this so I will take it for a few days, see how I feel and also take it to my kineso to get tested! (thanks Glenn!)

So today my drugs change and they are supposed to be much easier than the ones I've had before...... I can only hope that tonight, tomorrow and the next week brings me good health and that I continue to feel good and strong during treatment. I am pretty confident this will happen although I am feeling a little nervous.

It has been so great to forget about cancer and chemo during this treatment and I am feeling so much happier that I'm another step closer to defeating this disease and getting back to living a normal life. I am hopefully going to be well enough to return to work part time next week which is very exciting - (I have forgotten what dressing up in skirts and heels feels like, so Alannah I'm back very soon!!!).....  thank goodness I've been keeping the brain as active as I can and my boss and team have been keeping me in the loop with the happenings in the office so I am looking forward to going back.

So after today, FIVE down and THREE to go....... what an amazing feeling!

xxx