A year ago, when we started Fill the Gap we expected to be flooded with calls from recently-diagnosed women looking for answers to all the questions we were sure they had. And while we've had great response, we've fielded remarkably few questions. In fact most of what our myriad of volunteers do is listen.
I've been noodling this conundrum for awhile now, and I think I know what's happening, Once you've been thru chemo and radiation and tamoxifen and all those things you think of all the questions you would have liked to ask, but didn't know to ask them. That's what we were thinking when we founded Fill the Gap. But in reality, as you're going thru it, you really don't have a clue. I can remember sitting in the Dr. Winer's office at Dana Farber and running out of questions. So here's a list, ladies, of things you should be asking your oncologists – and I'm sure there are a lot more out there.
- What impact will chemo have on my intelligence and brain power – is there a difference in the chemo brain impact of AC, EC, Taxol, Herceptin?
- What impact does tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors have on my sex drive? Which is going to have a lesser impact on my sex life? Is the vaginal dryness reversible? Is there anything I can take for it? How much does that cost?
- If I have a choice between a double mastectomy and being on Tamoxifen - -what will impact my sex life less?
- What impact will all this have on my relationship with my husband?
- What anti-depressants do you recommend when the full impact of all this hits me – after the treatment is all over.
- How soon after this is all over can I start coloring or perming my hair?
- What can I do besides Tamoxifen etc to keep it from coming back? Food? Diet? Exercise?
- Which will have a worse impact on my ability to run/jog/play tennis etc Tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor?
- What's the difference in cost between the various treatments ?
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