The Uniboober

This week I'll be having the final of four "double-dose" chemotherapy drugs known as doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide . This will be the final cycle of what my oncologist calls the ' heavy hitting' chemo, also known as a "dose dense" program given two weeks apart (if tolerated by the patient). Doxorubicin is also known as The Red Devil , a nickname given for its red colour and swathe of side effects, all of which have affected me: It makes yellow urine turn red for 1 - 2 days after chemo. Not just a light shade of red, but blood red upon your first wee after receiving treatment. (Luckily the oncology nurses gave me a warning on my first dose otherwise I would have panicked in the bathroom!) Fatigue Hair loss Diarrhea Mouth irritations Cessation of menstrual cycle. Two weeks after this last cycle of heavy hitting chemo finishes, I will begin 12 cycles of paclitaxel , given once a week for three months. At the same time, I will be...

My genetic testing results came back negative for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. So what does this mean for me? Essentially it means I have a mutation in a gene other than BRCA1 or BRCA2 that has increased my cancer risk, but the mutation was not detectable by the BRCA test. It also means that my breast cancer was caused by another type of gene mutation, likely coming from my father's side of the family (various types of cancer, including breast cancer in females and males, features heavily in multiple generations on my Dad's family tree). BRCA Fast Facts Did you know that every human has both the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes? Despite what their names might suggest, BRCA genes do not cause breast cancer. These genes normally play a big role in preventing breast cancer; they help repair DNA breaks that can lead to cancer and the uncontrolled growth of tumors. However, a small percentage of people (about one in 400, or 0.25% of the population) carry mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. ...

My wonderful, amazing, kick-arse mother (below right) has now traveled twice from far, far away (well, three hours' drive away) to join me for my latest two chemotherapy treatments at SCUPH and check up visits to my oncologist at  Coastal Cancer Care , Dr Michelle Morris MBBS MPH FRACP. Healthy poke bowl dinner on chemo eve at Raw+Rice with my beautiful boy and my Mum, Sue In recent weeks both Mum and I were privileged to meet Samuel Johnson, Hilde and the crew from Love Your Sister on their Queensland roadshow so for Round 3 chemo Mum and I were adorned with our LYS villager gear.  Also joining me for chemo was Sparkles, my gorgeous little beanie-boo teddy given to me by my little man to bring sparkle and shine into my shitty days. On a positive note, today's blood results were excellent and my oncologist is pleased with my progress so far. Three rounds closer to the end of the process to rid my body of this motherfucking cancer! I...

In early June I noticed that hair loss had infiltrated my arsenal of chemotherapy side effects. I had already started shedding in certain southern areas which, while it sounds convenient for a woman, is still unsettling to look and feel like a moulting Persian cat dropping hair here, there and everywhere.  My scalp was itchy and sore with the hair feeling quite sensitive to touch.  By the 3rd of June, washing and combing the hair on my head became quite interesting and resulted in copious amounts of hair strands falling out. That's when I knew it was time...time for "the big shave". In the weeks prior, I thought I didn't give a shit about losing my hair but it turns out that I actually felt more emotional about it than previously expected. The big deal about losing my head hair was that it would expose my cancer treatment to anyone who saw me. It would remove my ability to choose whether or not I wanted people to know what was going on with my life and my he...

Tuesday, 4 June 2019 Today, on the day of chemotherapy Dose 2, was a strange mix of mild apprehension (hair shedding in handfuls), utter contentedness, relief and happiness plus a highly relevant brush with super-star fame. My mum Sue (below) came down to visit this week to be here with me for Dose 2 of chemo. She wanted to be here and "help out with the family and home duties" but the best part of having her here is just having her here. It has given me a sense of calmness and contentedness knowing that she is simply here - this amazing woman who created me, loved me, nurtured me, guided me, schooled me, encouraged me, supported me and has enveloped me with love at every opportunity. Mums are super special and there's no other time that I've probably needed my mum to be here for me and my family. My mum Sue joined me for chemo Dose 2 My PowerPort in action Today's serving of chemotherapy Head hair shedding in handfuls The other excitin...