tips for better mammogram?

[maillotpois]

Great news! No more rads for Red!

[goride]

Red - thank you for sharing your very personal experience with diagnosis and treatment. It is both inspirational and educational.

[emily_in_nc]

red - thank you for sharing your very personal experience with diagnosis and treatment. It is both inspirational and educational.

+1!

[redrhodie]

I'm so glad that someone has found this helpful. If I hadn't known someone who went through it, it would have been way more scary, especially based on fictional portrayals of cancer which were mostly all I knew. I think my experience is pretty typical of early stage cancer, so, if you find a lump, don't freak out, but get it checked out sooner rather than later.

And yes, Crankin. We'll be able to ride soon.

[redrhodie]

I did the lbs ride this morning, and for the first time, I really felt the effects of the treatment. I was dropped for the entire ride. A sweet guy who also had cancer stayed with me, so I wasn't alone, but it was really clear I have been through something major. I'm a little freaked out by it, because what if this is permanent? I know it's probably not, and to be doing 30 mile rides at this point should be proof that I'll be fine, but it was a hard wake up call.

Now I'm exhausted and crying, which is not like me, but I bet this is normal. Some kind of PTSD, maybe?

[Blueberry]

((((((((redrhodie)))))))))

I am not a doc - but I just found a couple of journal abstracts that say fatigue is the worst in the last week, and usually resolves within 3 weeks to 3 months. Hang in there, and be gentle to yourself! You are amazing, no matter how far or fast you can ride right now.

[indysteel]

What Blueberry said. Your body needs time to recover, but you'll get back to your old form in time.

For as strong and positive as you've been, I have to wonder whether you have processed through perfectly legitimate feelings of fear and sadness, too. Remember that it's okay to feel all that you're going to feel. It's not a sign of weakness or defeat. So have some good cries. My guess is that they'll be cathartic.