Lonesome Rhodes had wild mood swings. He’d be very happy, he’d be very said, he’d be very angry, very depressed, and I had to pull all of these emotions out of myself. And it wasn’t easy. – Andy Griffith (credit @ brainy quote)

I am not lonesome Rhodes but I experienced all of the moods above. I get frustrated easily. I become quarrelsome. I am sad. I am angry. I am irritated. I am constantly annoyed over everything. I have become a monster. All these mood swings in a split second.

Taking AI drug over the years has changed me slowly into a mood swings monster. The effect that this tiny pill brought to me is scary. I snapped over things so easily that my family handled me delicately. They don’t know when I will be set off, when I will get irritated. All these things when you tell your oncologist, they will say my other patients don’t experience it or they will say I don’t think it’s part of the side effect of AI drug. For many breast cancer survivors undergoing hormonal therapy, we don’t want to behave that way yet we cannot help it. The pill messes up with your brain, your mood, your self worth.

The journey is tough but you are not alone. We questioned ourselves if it is worth the pain to complete the 5 or even 10 years of treatment, my take is at least I can bravely say I have done all I can. There are no regrets.

“When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt (credit @ https://www.invajy.com/perseverance-never-give-up-quotes/)

So to all breast cancer survivors and current patients, let’s persevere and move on. Let’s not have regrets in our treatment and let anyone have the chance to say “if only …”