i returned to work part time after receiving cancer treatment for most of 2012. my employer is great at supporting my needs and letting me take my time phasing into work. Like most people getting over cancer i just want to be like everyone else. people tell me i look better than i did before. i've lost weight. take time out for myself. go out alot with friends now and think of my health.
i feel so much better, and sexier.
my reconstruction started last March 2013. i had a tram flap procedure. getting rid of my 'muffin top' while the surgeon reconstrcted a breast with it for me. unfortunately , due to radiotherapy the healing process took along time. i was down in the dumps and thought the reconstruction had not worked. with the help of the wonderful surgeon and nurses i returned to work in July 2013.
Last week, September 2013 i managed to walk five miles a day , just like i had before my diagnosis. it felt like a huge achievement. i work the same hours as before and do all the things i want. some things don't get done, like cleaning the car, making sure food is on the table at a certain time.
instead, i go to the theatre and laugh and laugh with friends. i don't get stressed over many things. of course i worry about my daughter and husband but give them the strength to deal with their problems and not burdon me.
i will visit the surgeon next December to see when the rest of the reconstruction can be carried out. i have agreed to have my other boob reduced. I feel much more womanly now.
I get admiring glances , whistles, smiles and even get asked out by men younger than me. what a turn up for the books.
My surgeon and I chat and joke as well as discuss the serious surgical procedure which i want him to do. He is one of the UK's leading plastic surgeon specialising in breast reconstruction. All other medical staff recommend his work. So i'm sure my breasts will end up looking wonderful.
I'm off to Mexico next weekend. I even dare get my tummy out in the sun now that the scars are barely noticable. i still keep my boobs and chest covered whilst in the sun. i exercise, eat and drink healthily.
i have never been happier and sometimes feels the cancer happened to someone else.
i really wish that everyone who has had cancer or has it now could feel the same way.
