Day 23 - Breast Cancer and wine

Sunday, February 29, 2016

Day 23

I know I said I would write about this the other day…but I am doing it now instead!  In 2004 I was diagnosed with breast cancer….in both breasts.  Stage I for both.  I did 2 surgeries, 8 rounds of chemo and 30 days of radiation.  Because of some past health issues, I had the kind of chemo where you don't lose all of your hair…My hair thinned out so much you could see my scalp in some places.  I looked like a train wreck!  Plus, you couldn't wash it a lot…GROSS!  I digress….My chemo was every 2 weeks.  I never felt nauseous but I was completely, 100% exhausted.  I had 3 little kids.  It was not easy.  So, the first week after chemo I wouldn't drink…but by the 2nd week, I would feel much better and I did drink…not a lot, but I certainly held my own with the wine!  I confessed this all to my oncologist and remember, that was 11 years ago.  There wasn't yet the connection between alcohol and breast cancer.  She told me just not to gain a lot of weight, as weight holds or produces more estrogen (I can't remember which) and my cancer was estrogen positive.  Hello!  I just got a ticket to continue drinking!  Woohoo!  Breast Cancer wasn't going to rob me of my red wine!!!  Yeah!

Well, fast forward a few years and all of the studies point to a big link between alcohol and breast cancer.  The limit for women in the USA is seven 5 ounce glasses of wine PER WEEK!  Heck, I could take care of that in one day sometimes!!!  What was I going to do?  I know…I am taking medication (tamoxifen) daily for 5 years to keep the breast cancer away.  That must protect me from the effects of alcohol, right?  Can you even believe that I bought my silly story????  What an idiot I was!!!  Well, after 5 years on the drug, I got a 2 year drug holiday, but the medicine is supposed to continue for another 2 years in your body…so I was technically safe, right?  Then I started another drug which I have been on for 3 years now.  Still safe, right?  

Oh how we can trick our minds into believing ANYTHING in order to get our wine fix!  I am so embarrassed to even share this.  I am educated!  I help people who have breast cancer!  But, I was not helping myself…except to another glass of wine!!!

I hope I didn't screw it all up for myself.  Time will tell.  It's scary.  No wake up call for me..until now!  It's never too late, right?

Wishing you the wake up call you need!

Love,

Sober at 53