I have a new side effect that I think really sucks. So one side effect from chemo is decreased fertility. Which, in general, is fine, because I'm not really interested in using my fertility now or anytime soon. For a woman, decreased fertility can mean early menopause, which is hopefully temporary. So no periods for a while, which actually isn't so bad. The major concern is that my period won't come back and I won't be able to bear children in the future. Two of the doctors I've talked to (my oncologist and my surgeon) both seemed to think my period will come back. My oncologist, who is some sort of statistic fiend, said I have about an 80-85% chance of my period coming back, which I think is a pretty good chance.
I'm not really thinking about my fertility much. I would be upset to find myself sterile, but I'm not one of those girls who's always dreamed of having kids. I'm not necessarily sure that's what I want, and even if it were and I were unable to get pregnant, I could always adopt. It works pretty well from what I hear...
Anyway, the fertility thing isn't the crappy side effect. It's the hot flashes.
Naturally, along with the menopause (I was supposed to get my period over a week ago I think... didn't happen... sorry to all you people out there who really don't want to hear about my menstrual cycle... just part of the territory these days...) come the side effects of menopause, including hot flashes. When I mentioned them to the nurse on Tuesday, it was as if she was a psychic. She asked if I was having trouble sleeping because of them.
Yes. In fact I am.
The random flashes of feeling REALLY hot throughout the day aren't so bad. They don't last very long, and usually I'm wearing a jacket or something and can just take it off until I cool off. But I've been having trouble sleeping through the night because I wake up super hot and sweaty, similar to trying to sleep when you have a high fever. Before now, sleeping all the way through the night wasn't a problem. I hate waking up in the middle of the night. It really affects how rested I feel the next day.
I opened my window to try to keep it a little cooler for me. That's helped a little. It's funny; at first I didn't make the connection between my trouble sleeping and chemotherapy.
Hot flashes at age 25. That's a rich one.
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I often find that wearing a cape to bed keeps me cool. Sometimes I even tape this flask to my leg, empty of course!! The flask bares the name " Wayne " I sometimes put it under my pillow along with a small bag of cut hair that someone once had given me. That meant alot!!!!
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