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
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