One thing leads to another

The other day I put on my new glasses and climbed in the car. I was driving to see my cardiologist about an ahrrythmia that I think developed from taking Effexor for serious hot flashes caused by the chemo induced menopause. Whew. That's a mouthful but more importantly, that's the slippery slope. Once you are on it, it is hard to get your footing and get off.

I see (and hear) a lot of talk about Chemo NOT being the cause of all of these medical issues. Even though more doctors acknowledge that chemo brain is a real thing, there is still some debate. My eyesight got worse during chemo. Was it the chemo or was it just age? The eye doctor said my eyes were going to deteriorate eventually so this was just part of my natural aging. The hot flashes? Well, let's face it I would have gone into menopause some day, hopefully a few years later but eventually it would have happened.

But here is where things started to get complicated. I decided to do something about the hot flashes. I heard others were having two or three a day while I was having them every hour! Something along the lines of 12 or 14 every day AND the night sweats as well. I thought it couldn't hurt to ask the Onc what to do about them. He said to try Effexor. It works well for many women.

I wasn't too keen on taking an anti-depressant. I try to avoid taking any drugs but those damn hot flashes were really getting to me. I thought, "what the heck I'll try it." So I did. From the first day I felt a little off. I was nauseous almost immediately but that subsided in the first week. By the end of a month I was noticing my heart "racing" or "fluttering" or skipping beats. On my next visit to my Onc my problem with my heart was confirmed. And so now I am sliding down the slope. I have a new kind of doctor and new tests to take and possibly new medicines in my future.

One thing leads to another. If I had just put up with the hot flashes would I have avoided this? I don't know. Maybe I would be having this problem anyway. Maybe it wasn't the Effexor. Maybe it was the Adriamycin. All I know for sure is that a year ago I was walking on smooth and level ground and now I'm on a slope and I can't seem to get my feet planted in a secure place.

One thing leads to another

A comment from one of the women in my support group.

"...afterward we're expected to pretend like our bodies haven't been assaulted, our hormones are now fine, and we haven't been through hell."