As you may be aware, including from my BBC Radio 5 and BBC Radio 4 programmes, one of many things that has been disrupted by coronavirus, is cancer treatment – both initial diagnostics, and the ongoing treatment for those of us with incurable cancer …
Breakfast Show, BBC Radio Manchester
Anyway, Friday morning, I was up early to chat to Becky Want (and immediately fell asleep again) at just after 7:10am (go to 1:11, through to around 1:17):
#StageIVNeedsMore
The campaign still seems to be focusing a lot on primary diagnostics, but as you see what my friend Jo has been dealing with:
“Why me? Well I guess the question is; why not me if 50% will eventually get #brainmets?”
What happened to you in lockdown? https://t.co/CdjGHU4COG #SecondaryBreastCancer #AdvancedBreastCancer #MetastaticBreastCancer #BusyLivingWithMets #bccww #bcsm #PatientsTogether pic.twitter.com/0IUHCjOaMW
— Jo Taylor (@abcdiagnosis) September 6, 2020
My Week
Last week I was en route to spend Greenbelt with my bubble family, which we enjoyed, and I got home in time to do ‘beer’ and hymns from bed! Returned on Sunday for ‘The Big Picnic’, which also happened to be 3 years since my first diagnosis of primary breast cancer, added my drawing of ‘dreams‘; and headed for a socially distanced/masked walk with Lee. Monday was bank hols, which I mostly napped and made chocolate mousse... before heading in for treatment on Tuesday:
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Here we are – Paclitaxel No 4. #WaitingRoomFeet #BusyLivingWithMets #StageIVNeedsMore
Onto Wednesday with a bit more sorting and napping (and an unexpected phone check-in from my oncologist, who wants to me to visit for a check-in about 4-weeks), plus a big Zoom-chat, Thursday my cleaner came for the first time since February, and Andrew and Jane came for mousse! Friday/Sat was a little more tidying, another Zoom, and today I’ve mostly been watching ‘Away’, whilst trying to get my head out of it’s fed-up with drifting hair, skin breakouts, stomach malfunctions, never feeling like I have any energy – I really hope this treatment eases over time … not sure that’s a thing though!
Anyway, onto the last episode of ‘Away’ … and it’s treatment time again tomorrow…
Dr Bex Lewis is passionate about helping people engage with the digital world in a positive way, where she has more than 20 years’ experience. She is Senior Lecturer in Digital Marketing at Manchester Metropolitan University and Visiting Research Fellow at St John’s College, Durham University, with a particular interest in digital culture, persuasion and attitudinal change, especially how this affects the third sector, including faith organisations, and, after her breast cancer diagnosis in 2017, has started to research social media and cancer. Trained as a mass communications historian, she has written the original history of the poster Keep Calm and Carry On: The Truth Behind the Poster (Imperial War Museum, 2017), drawing upon her PhD research. She is Director of social media consultancy Digital Fingerprint, and author of Raising Children in a Digital Age: Enjoying the Best, Avoiding the Worst (Lion Hudson, 2014; second edition in process) as well as a number of book chapters, and regularly judges digital awards. She has a strong media presence, with her expertise featured in a wide range of publications and programmes, including national, international and specialist TV, radio and press, and can be found all over social media, typically as @drbexl.