Cancer You Picked the WRONG Chick!

Well with only 7 weeks left of 2016, Rick and I can finally breath, finally plan and finally enjoy what's left of the year. Why? Because I am officially done!! No more surgeries, no more treatment, I am done, done done.

Our visit to my lovely surgeon today, heralded the best news ever. I went in expecting to be told, that those pesky nodes in the armpit that showed up in the last two scans, would be removed. But no, after the team meeting with the local specialists, and a phone call to one spectacular Professor in Brisbane, the decision has been made that I am to be treated as a person who no longer has cancer in her body, and I move to the next phase of watching. I will be seeing my surgeon and my oncologist every 6 months, which actually means I'll see someone every three months. At each visit I will have a thorough examination, I will have mammograms and ultrasounds every 6 months with the occasional CT scan thrown into the mix. They and I will be vigilant of any symptoms and my health. My goal is to drop another 5 kilos to get me to about 66kg and increase my exercise. My diet is pretty good so I'm heading in the right direction.

The word "cure" today was used, but I'm not yet comfortable to hear or accept that yet. I know that my particular cancer has a higher risk than other breast cancers, or recurrence in the first 3 years. So I'm going to go with remission for now. Having said that, I will do my utmost, to put this now behind me. I will spend the next 8 weeks working on improving my health and healing from the chemo and radiation and getting ready to get back to work in January.

This year has been long and hard for our family, but there are also families for whom it's been just as difficult or traumatic and worse. We are lucky, we can put this behind us and move forward. Others have not been so fortunate, and I am so grateful for the second chance I've been given.

We've also received so much love and support from so many people. Lots of lovely offers have been made, and while most haven't been taken up, just the gesture meant the world to us. Rick and I are so not used to being people in need of help, we are usually ones to help out. So the role reversal has been challenging, and humbling. But the love shown to us, and our families, has been overwhelming and just beautiful and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

I will still pop in here to say Hi and keep you all up to date after each visit. Thank you for following my "adventure" and thank you for the love xxx

Are We There Yet???

Well I had hoped to be able to let you all know by now, that all treatment is finished, and now I'm just taking some time to heal my body, find my new normal (pfffft as if I'll ever be normal) and find some real enjoyment in the last part of this year before I return to work in January. Well as we know, this road is never straight let alone straight forward. So here's an update thus far.

My last was during the last week of radiation therapy. That was fun, the dial was turned up and I was given what they call a "boost" week. So the highest radiation they can give the body to the neck tumour site, the axilla (remember I hadn't had the surgery in that area that's usually done, due to it spreading to the neck and therefore being rushed into chemo treatment) and to the tumour site to the neck. My fatigue increased, and I experienced some breakdown in the skin to the neck and the top of the breast area, but I really feel I got off lightly compared to many who go through this. I also had my fabulous mask to wear to lock me into place for the treatment to the neck. Thankfully I discovered I wasn't too claustrophobic and handled that okay as well.

Following the radiation, I got to put my handprint on the radiation clinic wall to signify the end of treatment. My mum had treatment there 12 months ago for skin cancer, and I got to squeeze my little hand in with hers. That meant a lot to me.

The next week I had my bone scan and full body CT as well, and the results came back really good with no real sign of cancer left. So we're all pretty happy with that news. But as always there's always a "but"  I am waiting on a decision from the multiple disciplinary team as to whether I have more surgery to the armpit to remove the nodes that showed up as enlarged in my scan just prior to starting radiation treatment.

It's been explained to me this way. The normal process for my breast cancer treatment, following the discovery of the cancer in the sentinel nodes (remember they are the fist line of defence and if the cancer wasn't there, it wasn't further in the body) was for mastectomy and full clearance of the nodes in the armpit, then chemo and radiation to mop up any leftover cancer cells. But because I'm so freaking special, and the cancer was found in the node in the neck, I had to have chemo to stop the spread of the disease. So now they need to go back and consider whether the correct procedure will be to watch and observe these small nodes in my armpit, or is it safer to just remove them, and that way the can look at them and determine if there are any cancer cells in them. 

I was never happy with the idea of this, I'd been warned of the high risk of lymphedema (I've added a link here so you can read all about it, just click on the link). However my surgeon feels that with the new way of removal etc, my risk will be minimal, as long as I'm careful. Either way, if they decide that's the best course of action for me, and that means the risk of recurrence is reduced, then I'll take it thanks.

I have an appointment to see him again on Monday. By then they'll have had their specialists team meeting and he'll have spoken with Professor Ung in Brisbane who has been involved in my case all the way through. If it's surgery, I'm classed category one which is surgery within 30 days, so I am hoping to be still on track to return to work in January :) YAY Happy Days!!

In the meantime, I have had other lovely days to celebrate. Our beautiful Lilly bug turned one the day I finished treatment. These grandbabies of ours have given us such light to an otherwise crappy year. I know I complained long and loud when the kids decided that they'd both have babies together and I'd become a nana twice 8 weeks apart, but the cuddles and kisses (and videos when they or I have been too unwell to be round them) has kept me going this year.

Also we had our Girls Night In and I got to talk to all the lovely ladies there about my journey. Firstly let me apologise for talking so long. But many of you know me, my family and my friends, and I wanted to to really grasp this journey. We've all attended these nights, and listened to these statistics and talks for years now, yet I was completely blindsided by this. I wanted it to be personal so that you would really take in the information that could help you or your friend who might find themselves walking this walk. I promise to anyone else if I get to speak to your group, I will keep it much shorter lol.  

The great news is that the weekend raised just over $1000 so great job girls!!!

So that's it for now, stay tuned folks and as soon as I get more news on Monday, I'll let you all know.

Thank you for all the love and support shown to Rick, Kiah Michael and me, my family and my friends. I'm hoping that we really are nearly at the end of this treatment and all that's to happen is wait out the next 3 years and be cancer free. xxx