You were told it was just part of treatment.

The hot flashes that soak your shirt at 3am. Joints that ache getting out of bed. Fog you're scared to mention because someone might think the cancer is back. Sex that hurts. You brought it up once, heard some version of "that'll happen," and stopped bringing it up.

It is part of treatment. That was never the same thing as nothing can be done.

I'm a nurse practitioner who specializes in menopause, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 35. First Steps is the part I'd want you to have before your next appointment: how to tell what's menopause from what's treatment from what's worth getting checked, a two-week tracker to take with you, and the exact words to use when the conversation stalls.