It’s been a while since I’ve posted a cancer update because there’s not been much to say. I’m on Tamoxifen for at least five years and am living with its side effects, as well being grateful for the protection from hormone-related breast cancer it delivers.
My breast reconstruction is unlikely to happen any time soon, thanks to the pressure of the pandemic on the NHS. Which is absolutely right, of course, and cosmetic operations like mine will naturally come bottom of the list. I’ve met my surgeon, had the scans and had ‘before’ photos taken – a proper topless modelling session! So I’m ready to go and will wait patiently for my turn, whenever all the current craziness has subsided.
2021 news
It’s funny how medical appointments fall in your calendar. You don’t have any for months and then two letters arrive and they’re like buses. My annual mammogram was the day before my final echo heart scan. I had been having the heart checks every three months due to the Herceptin injections that I received for a year, from December 2018 – 2019. Despite my last Herceptin injection being over a year earlier, they check your heart for a while still, just to make sure it’s functioning correctly.
So I had these two checks at St Richard’s, and the following week I got a call from one of the oncology doctors at Portsmouth. The Pompey medical team had managed my chemo and radiotherapy, and she was calling me to see how I was and whether the test results were OK.
Luckily they were both good – no signs of anything nasty in my remaining breast and my heart was beating well, so she gave me some really good news. I WAS DISCHARGED FROM ONCOLOGY!
Ticking boxes
So although I’ve been discharged from the team in Portsmouth, I’m still under the care of the Chichester breast team, and Macmillan nurses. They’re there for me if I have any worries and my reconstruction is organised from there even though it will be done in East Grinstead.
It’s weird though – although it’s really good news to be discharged it didn’t feel like a big thing. It’s a bit like when it’s your birthday as a kid, you think that being one year older would feel really different, but it doesn’t. It’s just one more step on your journey. Your final chemo, your final radiotherapy – they’re all milestones you pass but none feels like closure. There’s no such thing really.
I’m really mindful that we live on a knife edge and our bodies can suddenly turn against us. We think we’re relatively healthy, walking around without a care in the world, but you never know what’s going on inside. I don’t say this to be negative as I think I’m a very positive person. I just don’t take anything for granted. Life can flip in the blink of an eye, so you really need to live for today.
It’s hard at the moment though, with all the pandemic stuff going on. I’ve got so much on my bucket list that I want to do, places to go, people to see – but I can’t plan anything. I had to cancel our big Californian adventure last year because of Covid – and I’m desperate to get back out there, when it’s safe to do so.
Anyway, it’s another step on my cancer journey, another box ticked, and I’m grateful to still be here to tell the tale….
WOW ALI, I MUST BE HONEST I HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE HAVING TO COPE WITH THIS HORRENDOUS ILLNESS, HAVE ENJOYED YOUR POST. IT MAKES ME REALISE THAT THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE GOING THROUGH MUCH TOUGHER TIMES, AS WE ARE ALL SO CONCERNED ABOUT COVID, FAMILY AND FRIENDS. SENDING MUCHO LOVE AND BEAR HUGS XXXXX 💗🙏
This is wonderful to read and thank you for sharing your brave journey with everyone. I think you’ve been a great inspiration to us all, and your posts will help so many women going through the same.