I’m not sure if “cancer changes everything” is a thing people say, but if it’s not, it should be. Because it does. Any serious and/or debilitating illness changes everything. I’ve seen it with ME/CFS, POTS and now cancer. So far cancer has been the most disruptive, but not the most debilitating. We’ll see how things progress.
One interesting (to me) way that cancer changes everything is medication. I haven’t seen that before with my other illnesses. For example, my surgeon instructed me to stop taking birth control pills. Apparently, they’re high in estrogen and can feed the cancer (or something like that). It’s unfortunate because I’ve been using the birth control pills for years to control how often I menstruate — every nine weeks. Menstruating tends to be extremely fatiguing for people with ME/CFS and POTS, so that helped me conserve my energy. Now that I have cancer, it’s back to every 3-4 weeks for me. Aren’t I old enough for menopause yet? 😆
Another change is with my medical cannabis. The NP that certified me for medical cannabis this year advised me to refrain from smoking or vaping now that I have cancer. Other non-inhalation-based methods of administration are still fine for pain, nausea, etc. She said smoking or vaping could contribute to cell mutation and decreased immune system strength. No idea whether that’s true, but it seems like sensible guidance.
My pre-op appointment is Friday. That’s just my PCP’s office clearing me for the lumpectomy, so it shouldn’t be a huge deal. Hopefully just a couple questions, a couple tests and a blood draw.