So, it’s now been 3 weeks since finishing my radiotherapy and ringing the bell. I am now part 4 -the rebuild! I am on a mission to put myself back together and enjoy my life. This week I had my first zoledronic acid infusion (to help prevent cancer recurrence in my bones). I had been warned it may cause flu like symptoms, and they were not wrong! I went to bed Monday night fine and woke up at 4am Tuesday with headache, nausea and aching bones. It’s now Wednesday evening and I’m feeling much better. I’ve even manged to do two PT sessions in the park.
Its so lovely getting back to my usual things. I haven’t been back to outdoor swimming yet but before radiotherapy I went to the pool a couple of times for some swims. I’ve been hiking as much as possible and had a fabulous snowy hike up Raise last weekend.

I’ve been out for a meal and getting back to looking for films at the cinema and concerts. I am starting to feel like myself again. A couple of people have said that the spark has returned in my eyes. This is lovely to hear. Seeing friends more again is great and I’m planning to return to small runs and outdoor swims. There is a pottery course that I fancy having a go at and I have dropped a day in the office to make more time for my Personal Training. My electric guitar is starting to get a bit more use!
I have just returned from a fabulous reflexology session with my lovely friend Helen, who is very intuitive. She said she had thoughts of golden scaffolding…I must be rebuilding myself.
A friend said to me this morning, that prior to this, I’d be quite stressed about small things. But since diagnosis I have not seemed stressed about things, even having cancer. Its an odd thing. Its something so big, but I felt quite calm (most of the time, don’t get me wrong, I really did have my moments!) I think once I had a plan of treatment and started it, I was in survival mode and just getting through each stage and sometimes just getting through each day.
I did not want cancer to get the better of me and I tried my best to carry on doing just some of the things that make me who I am. Even in the middle of chemotherapy when I felt dreadful, I made myself walk round the estate and do some work. I am still having three weekly injections until the end of June and the infusions carry on for three years, but I can build up my life around those things and get some normality back.
Self-care has played a huge role in this cancer journey, but it’s been difficult at times to keep remembering to do it. I slipped out of my meditation for a while, and it showed. I am now back to daily sessions, and it is so helpful at grounding and slowing thoughts down. I’m still having counselling sessions with lovely Jan from Cancer Care and these have been so helpful, talking about things unrelated to cancer as well as cancer talk. The link to Cancer Care is here.
Reading self-care books has also been helpful to reframe things and reduce worry. I am reading The Fear Cure, by Lissa Rankin. It talks about cultivating courage as medicine.
It’s great to start planning things for this year. We are planning a break in Scotland in March, hopefully in lovely weather like it’s been today. I love holidays in the fresh air to reset yourself a bit. I have a pile of books that I want to read so holidays are a good time for that! My hair is growing back well now. Its warmer now when I go out so usually make do with one hat rather than two!
My youngest son will be returning from his year long trip to Australia in May so I’m very much looking forward to giving him a huge squeeze. My oldest son is getting married in September so I’m currently looking for a dress to match my pink shoes 😊
There are lots of things to look forward to in this new year. And they will be appreciated even more now.
A link to my previous post is here.