…not dead yet and still stylish!

Well, as stylish as one can be in a blue hospital gown! I took this selfie right after surgery when I was still a bit lala from the general anaesthetic!

My life has taken a bit of a plot twist and I’m currently busy on a side quest that I wasn’t expecting, but I’m more than ready to deal with, overcome and head back to my main life!

I’m always in training for something. An upcoming run or charity fundraising event. I used to be in Master’s Athletics and competed with others in my age range and I’m proud to say that I did win the occasional race and nice medal.🏃‍♀️

I’m also always in training for life. Running, weight training at the gym for strength, dancing, a bit of swimming and some yoga/pilates for flexibility.

This is my lifelong training for everything. Physical well-being, emotional well-being and joy & happiness in what my body is capable of doing and ageing as well as I possibly can.

Life however, can throw a curve ball at you that you just weren’t expecting.

Fortunately, I have great hand/eye coordination and can catch anything coming my way and throw it right back!

I found a lump in my breast. At the initial scan they said it was probably a swollen lymph node and nothing to worry about. I was advised to have a follow up scan after a few months.

At the second one the radiologist was more concerned and said I should have a biopsy. My GP (regular doctor) sent me off for the biopsy which I had on a Tuesday.

Two days later on the Thursday, I saw my doc’s number come up on my phone and I was like “aaaah shit, that’s going to be bad news.”

He said I had breast cancer in the right breast. He’d made an appointment for me to see him the next morning, at that appointment he told me he’d made an appointment with a breast/oncological surgeon for the following week. He then said that as an “old school” GP he was ordering a CT scan for me (click the link if you want more info on what a CT scan is about) and that most modern medico’s don’t bother with a CT scan for a breast cancer diagnosis. Good he did, more on that below.

Everything then moved at lightening speed. I had blood tests and the CT scan the same day.

I saw the surgeon on the Monday morning, she said I needed surgery to remove the lump/tumor followed by radiation treatment. But that it was one tumor and prognosis was good. She did mention she already had the results of the CT scan and there was “something of concern.” So she ordered a PET scan for the upcoming Friday (more on PET scans at the link if you want/need more info.) I had the PET scan on the Friday of that week, earliest they could book me in. That one is a little more intense than the CT scan and is looking for “hot spots” tissue/cells that “light up” as they are likely cancerous.

The surgeon also said she had availability at the end of her surgery list the very next day after the Monday appointment. She then asked if I had any questions. I asked when I could go for a run and head back to the gym after surgery. She laughed and said most people need encouragement to lift their arm and do some stretches!

So Tuesday morning my daughter drove me to the hospital for admission. I had to have another procedure first whereby they inject a radioactive substance into the tumor (OMG that one really hurt, no local anaesthesia!) To see if it goes to the lymph nodes. If so, then the cancer has decided to have a wander further into the body.

Mine had wandered into one lymph node. So in addition to the lumpectomy the surgeon removed 5 lymph nodes, the sketchy one and a few more “just in case” I still have some – which you need, they tend not to take all of them out these days. The lumpectomy is “breast conserving surgery” aimed at keeping as much of the breast intact as possible, rather than a mastectomy.

Fast forward to one week and one day after surgery (Wednesday of the following week). I had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon. And I also got the results of the PET scan.

So, first up – the surgery was successful, the scar was healing really well. I’d been going for really long walks every day (surgeon said I could), including a hike on the weekend.

Then came the news of the PET scan results. There is a “hot spot” on my abdomen, a tumor there adjacent to my aortocaval close to the coeliac artery & adjacent to the left ureta… and a “lit up” lymph node in my left groin. Oof, that was unexpected.

The new tumor is not related to the breast cancer at all. It’s completely separate and they have no idea of the severity (other than it’s already decided to travel to a lymph node – rude!!)

I will be having a biopsy of the lymph node this week to confirm what it is and what stage it’s at. Then it’s chemo for me.

I will also be sending my lovely GP, Dr Gary, a giant bunch of flowers for ordering the CT scan. If he hadn’t, this new issue would have remained silently making it’s way through my body and creating deadly havoc on the way.

Everyone, my GP, my surgeon, the breast care nurses, my friends are all like “you are so fit and healthy” this is such a shock.

Yeah, it’s a shock to me too. But like I said ^^ I have been in training for living life. I am fit, I am healthy, I do have cancer. I am in the best possible physical and emotional fitness to deal with this and whatever is coming at me in the next few months!

I have the best support and I am so, so fortunate that I have my wonderful daughter who is my rock and has come to every appointment with me and spent hours hanging around the hospital with me. My lovely sister who has offered to fly across the country to be with me. The most amazing friends who dropped off meals for me after surgery and that I can call on at any time. And a beautiful, compassionate, kind and caring man in my life who has totally blown me away with his capacity for empathy and kindness. I am so very blessed!

And to finish on a high note. We are going dancing this Saturday night (doc has cleared me), but only for gentle partner dancing, a bit of jive (no rock n roll) and the odd line dance. I have a cute pink dress ready to wear and bunny ears (it’s is Easter this weekend after all!) Happy Easter y’all, however you may or may not celebrate!🐇🐣

Here’s another pic of a different hospital gown… blue and burgundy seem to be the colour range! I think both suit me 🥰