Tag Archives: carol dunlop breast cancer recovery

The Grass is Greener on the Other Side of Breast Cancer Survival

You always hear that saying about people looking for the greener grass, but they never find it. However, I’m here to tell you that I’ve actually found the greener grass. It’s on the other side of cancer survival. I’m a survivor and I don’t need a doctor to tell me that I am clean, I know it already and I feel it inside.

I say the grass is greener because before my diagnosis, I was just living my life, day to day. I would say I was happy, but I was only putting in half the effort. It’s like when everyone around you says you’re “on fire,” but you know down deep inside you the fire could burn better and brighter. No one can do anything about making the fire burn better but you.

Then you get this life-changing diagnosis and you think that you may die sooner than you expected, but you get a second chance and WOW! What a difference. (more…)

Posted on March 7, 2024 by Carol

Opting for Chemotherapy: Have I Been Poisoned?

By Carol Dunlop at OptimumBodySculpting.com

When I first informed friends and online followers that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had decided to move forward with chemotherapy, I received so many opinions that I couldn’t think. In the end, I had to fall back on the old saying about opinions—everyone has one—then move on. Wow! I heard everything from “Wait, don’t do it!” to “you’re being poisoned and your body will never recover” to ”why?” It really took me by surprise as to how deep peoples’ opinions run. I also received a lot of positive feedback, but you always remember the negative more, don’t you?

So after I digested everything and scratched the rest, I opted for the temporary “poison.” I didn’t feel that pumping my body full of supplements with their own side effects was worth the risk of maybe not working. I can honestly say that the chemo has been …well, not that bad. Yes, I did get sick, so sick that I couldn’t get out of bed for a couple days, but of the five treatments, so far, to have just one like that has to count for something, right? And now I’m on my last one. Yeah! Double Yeah! I feel that I have been through the fire and back with this whole process. It really isn’t over because now I have hormone therapy to look forward to. (more…)

Posted on March 1, 2024 by Carol

Winning Prescription for Breast Cancer Recovery: Keep it Simple, Stupid

When I first began my breast cancer journey, I couldn’t get enough input of what to expect and craved glimpses through the journey of others. I wanted to know what mine would be like. Now that I am finishing up the middle part—chemo—I have some room for reflection on my journey thus far.

Deciding to have the mastectomy was the easiest part of this journey, for me. I wanted to have the least possible chance of the breast cancer coming back and I figured it would be a great opportunity to sculpt my body. What woman wouldn’t want that? Dealing with the pain from the mastectomy and the reconstruction, now that was a whole other story of survival, whew! I have a high pain tolerance, but believe me; pills were in plenty of supply. The only thing that I had to worry about was taking too many or staying on them for too long, but my husband kept that in check.

Getting chemo was a HUGE stressor for me. I lost 10 pounds before the first treatment from stress and worry alone. Then I had the first one, gauged my body’s reaction, and moved on to the next and the next. Now, I’m at the end, the last one YEAH! (more…)

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Carol

Breast Cancer Isn’t What’s Going to Take Me Out

Guest blogger, Carol Dunlop is certified through FiTour as a Personal Trainer and through the American Red Cross as a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. She has competed and placed in several Fitness America and National Bodybuilding competitions. Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 2024 and she is sharing her story of survival at DietsInReview.com. Check out her website, OptimumBodySculpting.com.

Having watched the movie “Five” on Lifetime TV that depicts five different breast cancer stories and the impact that this disease has on everyone, including those around you, I have come to the conclusion that this disease isn’t “it” for me. I probably won’t know what “it” will be, but breast cancer will NOT cause my demise.

The movie starts with the story of a little girl wondering why her mom is in her room and wanting to know why all those people are in her home. It’s set in 1969, at a time when children were seen and not heard and neither were they told anything about “grown-up stuff” apparently. My heart went out to that child and I couldn’t imagine having my daughter in such a confused state when there was something obviously wrong with me. (more…)

Posted on November 9, 2023 by Carol

Reflections on My Fight with Breast Cancer

Guest blogger, Carol Dunlop is certified through FiTour as a Personal Trainer and through the American Red Cross as a CPR, AED and First Aid Instructor. She has competed and placed in several Fitness America and National Bodybuilding competitions. To receive your Free E-course “How to Burn Calories While you Sleep,” check out her website, OptimumBodySculpting.com.

It’s been over a month since I heard the word “cancerous” in connection with myself. It feels better to know that all the cancer that the doctors could see is now gone. They told me the operation was the first part and depending on the size of the tumor, chemotherapy would be the second part, if it was needed. Immediately, I put all the “ifs” out of my mind and stopped worrying about getting or not getting chemo and my reaction to it, until I needed to deal with it, as a factor.

Compartmentalizing the whole process, at each step, has helped me get through this. I’ve learned that women can do that! Ha! I did it and it has worked well for me. (more…)

Posted on September 9, 2023 by GuestBlogger