Happy Anniversary to me...

It was two years ago today that I received the terrible diagnosis that would change my life forever. On Friday 13 May 2005 at the age of 33 I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

A day I will never ever forget, but as time goes by a day I hope to think about less and less...

2 years on...

2 years ago today I went to see my gp about a lump in my right breast... What a horrible scary time that was and one that I don't want to dwell on just now because I actually feel quite good at the moment.

Back to reality

Well, I am back and I really did have a great time. Not only was it a trip to another country, it was well and truly a break from cancer world. I can honestly say that for the first time in 2 years I didn't think about breast cancer much. Apart from a few problems getting my swimming boob dry, I felt just like any other person away enjoying their holiday with their family.

It really was just what I needed. I don't even begrudge the extortionate amount I had to pay for insurance now, it was worth every penny.

Mixed day

I've had quite a nice day today, swimming, babies and friends all round but then I spoke to my mum and I completely forgot that her friend (same age as me) was at the hospital today having a lump checked out. She had a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy. Results next week... I felt sick to the stomach when my mum was telling me about it all. Apparantly the hospital was PACKED. All those poor people...

More bad news

My aunt phoned earlier, her best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a few weeks ago and had a mastectomy last week. She got her post op results today, and has found out she will be having chemo and rads so is a bit upset. My aunt was a bit flustered about it all so phoned me for a bit more info. Horrible, nasty disease.

Where do I start??

Thought it was about time I had a go at this. I've had a rough couple of years and feel like I need to offload some of it in the hope that it will help me move on, or something like that...

Well, 2005 was a bad year for me. I should have known when I spent New Years Eve in bed, full of cold it wasn't going to be a good one... I'll try and keep this short, but here is a quick summary of my breast cancer journey in 2005.

• Mid March 2005 - I discovered a lump while showering - the lump that would change my life forever.
• April 18th - plucked up courage to see GP about the lump and was referred to breast clinic.
• April 29th - went to breast clinic. Got prodded, poked, squashed and scared.
• Friday 13th May 2005 - a date I will never forget because I was diagnosed with breast cancer, at the age of 33. So, I went to the pub and got very drunk.
• June 6th - The day of operation number one, my first ever hospital stay. A lumpectomy and axillary clearance, and not very much sleep... Hospitals are not a good place for sleeping!
• June 17th - A bad day cos I got post op results and they weren't very good. Here's the science bit... My cancer was Grade 2, 23mm, 6 lymph nodes involved, er+ and pr+ (and since found out HER2-). No clear margins (spread up to 60mm). So, I was told I had to have a mastectomy. I cried a lot that day and felt really defeated. I was also told I was going to have CT and bone scans. A very scary time!
• July 4th - had bone scan.
• July 12th - had CT scan.
• July 19th - had mastectomy. I found out the results of both scans literally just before op - both clear!! Hurrah, some "good" news at last!
• July 29th - got post op results. No nasty surprises this time. Told I had to have chemo (E/CMF), radiotherapy and tamoxifen.
• Aug 5th - started chemo.
• Aug 26th - shaved hair off, sick of finding it everywhere...

And so it went on... trips to the hospital every few weeks, needles, no hair and feeling crap.