‘A year in the life’

October 23, 2024
6:34 am

January

1st – happy new year, looking forward to a fun 2023. Holidays booked for June and October, everything to look forward to

6th – neighbour posted on Facebook, purely for awareness, she had been diagnosed with Breast Cancer before Christmas and check for visual signs, not just lumps. This resonated with me as sometime in 2022 noticed something on my right breast.

9th – popped into the doctors surgery for an appointment, cancellation this afternoon. Back later and a referral, eek!

10th – online and an appointment with the breast clinic on the 17th.

17th – mammogram, biopsy, examination, told will call when they have results. I’m convinced I have breast cancer!

26th – a different consultant. She tells me I have DCIS breast cancer, grade 1, slow growing, non aggressive, tumour 23mm. Options : lumpectomy, mastectomy, possibly radiotherapy, chemotherapy is unlikely but no guarantees. Have a think and we’ll call you back, but first an MRI.

February

6th – MRI. What more can I say, it was flipping noisy. Had to laugh as the compartments where your boobs go/hang are cavernous. Only being small I think I just skimmed the surface, lol.
Applied to join FFUK.

10th – MRI results. Again a different consultant. This one told me that if I had a lumpectomy I would need a lattimus dorsi flap, err no, I think one op is enough thanks without compromising my back. So, a mastectomy, reconstruction, err I don’t think so, but will meet a breast care nurse and see what’s what.

15th – recon meeting. A definite no thanks. Surgery date 15th March. Let FFUK know my surgery date, now a fully fledged member.

March

6th – General pre op health check. Breast clinic pre op. All good. Just need to prep for the 15th.

13th – Junior Doctors strike

14th – Nuclear medicine appointment @ 1pm. Didn’t get to hear until 12 noon that my surgery had been cancelled! Completely out of my control, and strangely calm about it, annoyed but calm as totally out of my control.

16th – advised SMX surgery rescheduled for 13th April. All is good.

20th – junior doctors announced another strike over Easter and the following week. Rang the breast clinic, BC nurse can’t confirm anything, now I’m getting angry.
Decided to take matters into my own hands and called one of the consultants secretary. She was lovely and said she would speak with them in the morning and get back to me.

21st – call first thing and there’s a cancellation, would I like it – yes please. Surgery date 3rd April.

April

3rd – arrived just before 7. Taken through and shown my bed/cubicle. Registrar came and marked me up for right SMX + sentinel node. Consultant came and introduced himself and said I was last on his list, probably about 3, and he’d see me later. Nuclear medicine for blue injection. Not sure what time was what, but it was a long boring day. Eventually went down at 3.30. Don’t really remember coming too but had an adverse affect to the anaesthetic so kept in over night.

4th – Feeling better and home by 1pm, accompanied by a drain. On an absolute high, adrenaline must have kicked in as felt like I could take on the world.

5th – err down with a bump, think I slept most of the day. Just have to wait for my results from histology how.

I have a holiday booked for early June to Montenegro and Croatia and the balance is due, made the decision to cancel as too many unknowns – had it spread, would I need radiotherapy? I sobbed, it’s really the only time I’ve cried! I do love my holidays.

8, 12 and 15th – visit from a district nurse. Drain out in the 8th, dressings off on the 12th and discharged on the 15th. Did check in with me by phone everyday though.

27th – visit to the Breast Clinic to see the physiotherapist.

28th – back to the BC for results. Tumour smaller than thought, 11mm, and is hadn’t spread, what a relief, so incredibly lucky.

May

12th – DEXA scan. Results – all good.

30th – Back to the BC for a prosthetic fitting, I now have a foob.

And, as they say, the rest is history. Great support from friends, both visiting and taking my dog out for walks, as I’m on my own. Really did take it easy, did my exercises, lived in pj’s for a week, if I felt tired I slept, at 2 weeks walked my dog with a waist/running lead, drove at 3 weeks. Basically just listened to my body. Fortunate that I’m retired, so no real pressure on me, mentally or physically. Batched cooked enough for a couple of weeks beforehand, so no cooking.

October

8th – yeah, finally it’s holiday time, overnight in a Gatwick hotel.

9th – fly out to Dalaman, Turkey for an activity holiday. Just what the doctor ordered. Canoeing down a river, cycling, kayaking on the sea, walking in glorious countryside and fabulous weather.
Canoeing and kayaking not exactly in my comfort zone, but thoroughly enjoyed it. During the day went flat, couldn’t be doing with a foob whilst being active, did ‘dress’ for dinner though, lol. Embracing the ‘new’ me and loving life.

Found FFUK members a fantastic support network, offered a wealth of information, just a great community.

May 2024 :

mammogram on the remainder – all good.
Annual appointment with BC, all good and discharged! That was a bit of a shock. 4 more mammograms and 4 years of Anastrozole, and that’s it, fingers crossed game over.