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Sarah Cawood breaks down as she details coming off HRT and antidepressants amid cancer battle

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Sarah Cawood broke down when she described the impact of stopping hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and antidepressants during her battle with breast cancer.

The presenter, 50, took to Instagram to share a heartbreaking update after she went public in September with her stage one breast cancer diagnosis.

Sarah sat in her parked car and cried as she explained how to stop what she was taking to relieve her menopausal symptoms and take various medications for her hot flashes, which has depression as a side effect.

Heartbreaking: On Monday, Sarah Cawood, 50, collapsed in an Instagram video as she described the impact of stopping HRT and antidepressants amid her battle with breast cancer

Sarah captioned her unedited video, “I’m solving one problem. Then another one takes its place. Breast cancer is shit.’

She told her followers, “I ask you a lot for a favor today. I’m sorry I look so tired and washed out and c*t…

‘In a nutshell… I went on the Clonidine for my hot flashes. Because of my breast cancer I had to get off my HRT so then my hot flashes were terrible so I went on Clonidine for that.

‘And also when I start my Tamoxifen (medicine against breast cancer), I have to get off my SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, an antidepressant).

So tough: The presenter explained how to stop what she was taking to ease her menopausal symptoms and take various medications for her hot flashes

Health Update: In September, Sarah revealed she had been diagnosed with stage one breast cancer, after doctors discovered a lump during her routine mammogram

‘I was given a very low dose of Citalopram. That and the HRT completely wiped out until my menopause symptoms. I was gold. I was kissing. Nothing bothered me, I was really calm, I never lost my temper.

‘Now that I’m taking the Clonidine, one of the side effects is depression, which I noticed almost immediately when I started taking the pills. But I only found out today that it was a side effect

“Besides, I’m off the citalopram now, so I’m cutting the little pills in half. And so I don’t know what to do. Every time I solve a problem, another one takes its place.

“So I don’t know if any of you ladies with breast cancer have the answer, because tamoxifen apparently also causes depression.”

At that moment Sarah cried and through the tears she said, “I’m so sorry. And I didn’t want to cry because everyone will send me nice messages and I won’t have time to answer them and I’ll feel guilty.

Throwback: The presenter who previously ran ’90s favorites Live And Kicking and Top Of The Pops admitted she’s ‘lucky’ doctors discovered the disease early

“But it’s been like this all weekend and it’s just not like me, so I don’t know what the solution is. I have to make an appointment with a doctor tomorrow, but I’m not a priority.

“And I hate to feel this way because I don’t like to let it pass me by, it’s so precious. So if someone from the pink army can help, what should I do?

“I need to get rid of the hot flashes, but I also need to protect my sanity…so I don’t know what to do. I wasn’t sure if anyone had any tips?

“I just want to feel like myself again… It must be this Clonidine stuff because I was absolutely fine until I started taking that a week ago…

“And the hot flashes are much better, but I feel like everyone is kidding me. And all my kindness and kindness is gone and I hate my family and I just want to be alone all the time.”

Important: In addition to undergoing treatment for her diagnosis, Sarah said she is engaged in raising her two children Hunter, 10, and Autumn, nine.

In September, Sarah shared: The sun that she will undergo a lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy and long-term hormone treatment.

Sarah explained at the time of her diagnosis, explaining that doctors sent her for follow-up after undergoing a routine mammogram because they discovered a lump in her breast.

After an ultrasound and a biopsy, she was told that the lump was not a cyst, and she assumed the worst when she made her way to the surgeon.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer, Sarah, who lives in Essex with her husband Andy Merry and their two children, said doctors reassured her that the condition was treatable.

The TV personality even joked that it was the “Carlsberg of breast cancer,” referencing the popular “if Carlsberg did” advertising campaigns of the early 1990s.

Progress: After her diagnosis, Sarah revealed that she will undergo a lumpectomy, radiation therapy and long-term hormone treatment

She explained, “The surgeon said, ‘Can you see that? That’s a very small cancer.” And I went, ”Oh, OK, is it aggressive?”.

“And she said, ”No”.. And I went, ”Brilliant”… I was like, “OK, so easy to fix?” really a big problem.”

“It really is the Carlsberg of breast cancers. If you must have it, this is the one to have. I feel really happy.

“There are people who are really in the creek without a paddle, who have cancer, and I’m not that person.”

Sarah rose to fame in the 1990s for her presentation role in The Girlie Show, before hosting Live & Kicking, Top Of The Pops and the Eurovision Song Contest.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, affecting more than two MILLION women every year

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. There are over 55,000 new cases in the UK each year and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it affects 266,000 and kills 40,000 each year. But what causes it and how can it be treated?

What is breast cancer?

Breast cancer develops from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.

When the breast cancer has spread to the surrounding breast tissue, it is called an ‘invasive’ breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobe.

Most cases develop in women over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.

Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage, and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.

The cancer cells are classified from low, meaning slow growth, to high, meaning fast growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after being treated for the first time.

What Causes Breast Cancer?

A cancerous tumor starts with one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or changes certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiplies ‘out of control’.

While breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing breast cancer, such as genetics.

What are the symptoms of breast cancer?

The usual first symptom is a painless breast lump, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.

The first place breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this happens, you will get a swelling or lump in one armpit.

How is breast cancer diagnosed?

  • Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, which is a special X-ray of the breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
  • Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small piece of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess whether it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver or a chest X-ray.

How is breast cancer treated?

Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.

  • Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removal of the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
  • Radiotherapy: A treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation that are aimed at cancer tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
  • Chemotherapy: a treatment of cancer using cancer drugs that kill or prevent cancer cells from multiplying
  • Hormone treatments: Some forms of breast cancer are influenced by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower levels of these hormones or prevent them from working are commonly used in people with breast cancer.

How successful is the treatment?

The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can then give a good chance of a cure.

With the routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70, more early-stage breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated.

For more information visit breastcancercare.org.uk, breastcancernow.org or www.cancerhelp.org.uk

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