I got up today and celebrated life. I had my first normal poop of the week, 5 days after my first chemotherapy session. I am feeling good. I am going to have a good day and a great weekend!

Well, it is today Day 5 of my first cycle of chemo. Life is settling into a routine - get up in the morning, go for a brisk walk, have a high, high, high fibre breakfast then try to do a poop - shower and the day begins at 1pm!

Not bad, except the late start means a late end. I work on the computer at night and keep going, hence the late start. Must try to reset my hours to something more normal.

Today, I got a very nice text message from a breast cancer survivor - this is what it said: The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face to you and give you peace; he is your strength.

These little vignettes make each day easier, and lighter. I thank the Lord for people such as these who are so willing to spare some of their time for a stranger.

Sometimes, it is those from you you expect nothing who give the most. This is something I have learnt - with the initial diagnosis, everyone flocks around. But with the wearing on of time, it appears that it is the fellow cancer sufferers and survivors who will rally - perhaps they know what it is like.

The sad part is that I am not more than mildly disappointed in the rest - perhaps it says something about the quality of my life and my own relationships that I need to review and change. Perhaps it is only with crisis that people act - when you are not appearing to be going through a rough time, people think - 'oh, she's ok, we don't need to bother too much right now.'

But it is appropriate now to reassess. The question now is - with what time I may have left, who do I want to include? Who is important? What do I need to do to be able to stand and attest to a life that was well-lived - and sometimes it is the people who want to be a part of that life that is testimony.

Today is day 3 after my first chemotherapy session with FEC. My oncologist tells me she is putting me on a dose-dense regime ie, a higher than normal dose of 'e', which will hopefull reduce my risk of recurrence drastically. Well, hey! whatever it takes.

According to the blog posts I had read on FEC, I had expected to be completely out of it for a week. But it was surprisingly a non-event. I managed to do some light shopping after the chemo at about 3pm, get home and sleep the rest of the day away. Got up for dinner, visited with a couple of guests, then slept until 8am. Got up on Day 2 to run some errands, then did a full day's work from home in front of the computer, including a conference call at 7pm!

Day 3 - did a brisk walk, triumphed over the constipation, even though am still fighting the major heartburn.

Lessons learnt - take the steriods! I forgot one dose yesterday and ate poorly, Made up for it today, though. Drink those litres of water. It's a must, especially if you hate feeling constipated! I had sunburn on Day 2 - so, start with the sunblock from Day 1.

Listen to your doctor. I had read loads and loads on the computer, and it is ok to be an educated patient. But take all your questions to your oncologist. They are the final word, not writers on the web whom you have never met. Bottom line - cancer is an individual journey and no single treatment course is experienced the same way.

Doctors all tell you that attitude is everything - some say at least half the battle. Take heart from that and build your heart for battle. Read, change what needs to be changed. Understand the enemy completely and arm your defenses, physical, psychological and spiritual. Cancer is beatable. And remember - God is still in the business of miracles!

Finally, tell your friends and family you are going to start chemo. Accept their wellwishes and prayers, ask for their help if you need it. Don't be afraid to talk about your fears. Real friends will understand and this is one way to start identifying who will be there for what side of yourself you want to show.

They may want to help but need to be told exactly how. They may not all call. But some will, and those calls are precious. They remind you that you are cared about, and worth someone's time and concern. Create opportunities for other people to reinforce your own positive feelings of self-worth. After all, other-perception is what builds, for most of us, self-perception.