So I just wanted to chat about menopause and HRT. There’s a lot of noise in the media about it. Which is great. Menopause affects 50% of the world.

Most of the time, I forget I’m completely flat. I never wanted reconstruction. I could never have imagined myself with implants. And the other surgery options were off the table for me.

6 months ago, I posted this on my personal instagram feed. It’s nice to see how far I’ve come … I am SO lucky that so many people care enough to ask me how I am. And I always answer, ‘Yeah I’m really good. Getting used to my new normal’.

You never forget. You never stop worrying about recurrence. But, as crazy as it sounds, I feel like cancer has been good for me. Here are 9 positive things I’ve learned from cancer.

I was bald, exhausted, sick and trying to deal with the logistics of another healthcare system and help prioritise mum’s needs. It’s not how it should be. At that point in time, I needed someone to look after me.

Here is the last 18 months in a few seconds. I hadn’t realized before having cancer how much I was self-defined by my long, blonde hair.

After 18 months of active cancer treatment, you’d have thought I’d be finished with hospitals. But I chose to go back and have my ovaries out too. Why?

The MCC is a 40km trail running race in the Swiss and French Alps. It’s a pretty prestigious event to be part of. And seemed like a perfect idea as a post cancer goal.

When most people think about cancer treatment, chemo is usually front of mind. But radiotherapy takes up a chunk of time too and comes with its own long list of side effects.

3 days ago, I put my back out. Doing one of those silly, twisty moves you know you shouldn’t do. It’s the first time in my entire life I’ve hurt my back.

There is so much noise in the media around strength training. But I will still always be a cardio girl at heart. Why?

Alcohol is classed as a group 1 carcinogen. Which is the highest, up there with tobacco and asbestos. There is a proven link between breast cancer recurrence and drinking.

When a ‘normal’ person has a headache or a funny twinge somewhere in their body, they ignore it. For anyone who has had cancer, we automatically think “METS”.

I feel like everywhere I look, someone else is banging on about strength training. So I’m jumping on the band wagon. What’s all the hype?

If, like me, you’ve had lymph nodes removed - I’ve had a full clearance - it means you’re at high risk of lymphoedema. What is it and what am I doing to dodge the bullet?

I have never been a girlie girl. I’m sporty and outdoorsy. But I didn’t take into consideration the cancer cost of losing my femininity.

At 48, I am post cancer, post menopause and taking hormone therapy. For the next 10 years. All of those are associated with weight gain. So how have I avoided it?

There is a reason why sleep deprivation is used as torture. It’s brutal. The world is very bleak at 2 o clock in the morning, night after sweat soaked night.

Having cancer is undeniably terrifying, life changing, and lonely. But what no-one tells you is that many - most? - cancer patients find it harder once the treatment is all over.

This isn’t a sermon about nutrition or a lecture on fasting during chemotherapy. But here’s what worked for me. I hope it helps!