A Lumpy Bumpy Road

The Good News is that Eddie and I have parted ways. The Excellent News is that the pathology post surgery showed that the 2 lymph nodes tested were both clear of any cancer. This means no radiation. The slightly annoying news is that the medical oncologist's rooms have closed till the beginning of January.  I am getting better at resting.

Summary :   Eddie and I are still attached. I have decided to make a bigger effort to rest more. Details :    Eddie and I may  part company on Tuesday at the earliest, maybe not. Earlier on this lumpy bumpy road I realized that while comparing my road with how serenely and gracefully John traveled along his alpine brain tumor road was  often helpful , there were times when thinking about the 2  together was not helpful.  I have found another occasion. Up to now  my thinking  has gone along the lines :  I have had an external lump removed. This is in no way comparable to someone fiddling around in a brain for over 3 hours. That is major surgery, therefore what has been done to me is not major, therefore, because I am well and fit  I should recover quickly and get on with my life, not lounge in front of the TV doing nothing. I have lost count of the number of people that have told me I have had major surgery and should r...

Summary :  I am  physically improving and learning to accept that  my recovery may be slower than I would like. Details :    On Tuesday  I was told that the drain that was inserted during surgery to drain away blood (and whatever else - lighter in colour) had to stay in for at least 4 days AND until the output was less than 30ml on 2 consecutive days AND be not as dark as straight blood. I have been annoyed that, according to everyone I asked, I have no control over  the amount of liquid my body produces nor over the duration.    "Relax and be patient'  I am constantly told.  I am not good at either. Grumble, grumble. Wendy spent Wednesday night at my home and took me to the civic community health centre on Thursday morning.  More of the same advice. However the nurse did change the dressing of the drain site and I have been more comfortable since. More than 30mls.  I decided to change my approach. Now the bag that I ...

It was a good decision to spend a second night in hospital. I had an excellent sleep, despite the  3 interruptions and woke feeling bright, more alert than I have been for a while, and keen to leave. Wendy called in ( she lives very close by), N brought me home,  my younger daughter called in,they left and I pottered. Then  I decided I really could not wait till tomorrow morning for a decent cup of coffee.  I sort of complied with the rules I had been given - I asked my downstairs neighbour to come with me .  I got a big hug  from the proprietor when I went in. So I was inside being looked after. This rest of this afternoon has been weird. Part of my brain  is keen to move on, think of what needs to be done before Christmas etc. But I get distracted very easily so I know that part is still tired.  I know I need to rest. I am in no pain, just a bit of discomfort when I move in certain directions and the drain pulls.  Wendy insisted I shoul...

Today started and ended well. In between less so. I got up and walked up and down the corridor feeling fine. Breakfast,  surgeon, nausea, physio, more nausea, visit from my younger daughter and her daughter, breast care nurse, more nausea, felt exhausted, sleep, half cold lunch, visit from Wendy and her 4, decided to stay another night, ( maybe I am not superwoman after all) more nausea, visit from surgeon who had just finished his day in his rooms and came to find out what was wrong. Endone , which i had reluctantly agreed to take about 8am,  can make active people nauseous.  The nausea is improving and I have no need for panadol. I am assuming.this was the  problem . A minor bump on the road. My friend N was with me most of the day. I have 1 drain which hopefully will come out on Friday.. I have also accepted that it is best for me to stay home till after Friday. Except of course to walk down for my morning coffee.  Taken from one end of the  corrid...

I'm alive and almost kicking and one lump less.

Yesterday evening I sat on my balcony looking at the beautiful sunset. This morning, the first with no smoke for ages,  I sat in 'my backgarden', 2 minutes walk from my front door.  I was a bit late for the sunrise so looked in the opposite direction.

Yesterday's MRI could find no other unwanted lumps, nor any dodgy lymph nodes.  Again, not definitive, but hopeful.  I also had a CT scan of my neck to look at the size and position of the goitre so the anesthetist knows what she's dealing with, which is good. I have to be at the hospital at 7.30am on Monday for an 8.30 appointment at the imaging place where they insert dye to show up the lymph nodes.  I have been told that surgery has to be within 4 hours. So  surgery is not late in the day. A hopeful sign that I will be released on Tuesday. I have just come home from my morning walk. I was hoping to see the sun rise. I was a little late and there was a big thick cloud in the way.  On my way home I was thinking about the forlorn deserted boatshed and then saw the sun peeping out. .

Summary : Skip if you only want big picture info. What follows is an account of a day spent travelling along the bumpy road that I want to remember Details : I went for my normal early morning walk. There was less smoke around than the previous day. I figured my goitre is going to be a bigger problem for the anesthetist  than a maybe tiny bit of sludge in my lungs. But I was later than usual and missed sitting on my usual rock watching the sun rise, so a bit grumpy. A bit of a Down . Most mornings for the past few years I have been going to the cafe at the end of the street. I have got to know all of the staff. ( A few days ago I was pleased to be able to dredge from the depths of my very tired brain the words Buon compleanno to wish the Italian chef happy birthday)  I always smile when I go in. After my coffee I took an ordinary photo of the end of the bar/cooking space to remind me See below.  However, a huge Up came when I was leaving and standing near the cash re...

Summary :  I am having surgery next Monday 16 December at Calvary Private and will only, hopefully, be in overnight. More Details :    The surgeon  who Wendy and I met yesterday was very personable and very generous with his time.  He explained lots of things, including how the cancerous cells of  ductal cancer  behave differently to the cancerous cells of lobular cancer ( the one I have) and hence why the post-op treatment is often different. Apparently lobular carcinomas can sometimes present as 'spots' elsewhere in either breast - not necessarily surgically significant but possibly relevant to post-op treatment decisions. So I will be having an MRI on Friday. Apparently, as of November, Medicare will cover all the costs if the surgeon words the request carefully. This he did.  He had a space in his last operating list for the year next Monday.  Yeah. On Monday morning  I will have a sentinel node biopsy . A low dose of radioactive...

Two days ago. The peddle boats have finally returned to the lake. The smoke haze at 6.30 makes me aware of the devasted people who have lost homes. Just when I had got used to the idea of waiting till 2 January for surgery, I have been given an appointment this afternoon with a surgeon who is newish to town and may possibly have a theatre spot before Christmas for me.  More waiting.

The day before yesterday morning , 6am , 5 December 2019 Much beauty despite the dark cloud. Diagnosis day, 5 December, 2109 The day before yesterday, 4 weeks after a routine screening mammogram,  I learnt that I had invasive lobular carcinoma, grade 2.  Translation : carcinoma = cancer, invasive = cancer cells have moved out of the lobules of the breast into the surrounding breast tissue. The grade is a measure of the speed of growth of the cells , from 1 to 3. One would have been a better diagnosis , but 2 is better than 3. Neither the clinical director of Breastscreen ACT nor the ultrasound operator could find any lymph involvement. This is not definitive, but hopeful.  In the cancer world, this is an easily treatable cancer with an excellent prognosis. I am grateful it is not a GBM! The first step is surgery.  Because of the time of year, it will be difficult to get surgery in a timely fashion. My lovely GP is on the case. I donot like sayi...