the above title pretty much tells u all there is to know.
on april 22nd life was relatively simple and unworried.
april 23rd i went for my 1st mammogram at the grand old age of 47. random selection programme being introduced in my area to bring down the age of mammograms from 50 to 47. so i was selected purely by chance.
i was recalled to hospital 10/14 days later as scan had shown something that they were worried about.
2nd scan and biopsy were done 2 weeks after 1st mammogram
and a week after that i went back to hospital again for the results. which were that i had DCIS in my left breast. was told there and then that my options were a WLE of mastectomy. went home and cried. next 48 hours were a blur. i was so up and down. all over the place really. decided that i could not make any decision myself as didn`t feel i knew enough. was referred to breast reconstruction surgeon and saw her 2 weeks later.
her opinion was mastectomy was too drastic at that stage and that i should have a quadrantectomy on my left breast, with reconstructive surgery on right breast so that they would be comparable in size. i elected to have my sentinel node taken out at same time.
op day came and nervously i went in at 7 in the morning. op was actually at about 1.30. all i knew was when i woke up in a ward about 5 hours later. stayed in hospital over night and then came home.
the tissue that had been removed from both breasts was then sent off for analysis. i went back to hospital 10 days later for the results only to be told the results weren`t back and that i should return a week later. which i did.
was then with much apology from the surgeon (no idea why she apologised as she had never made me any promises only told me she would do what she could to rid me of all that needed getting rid of) told that they had found far more cancer cells in my left breast than they had expected and that they had also found an area in my previously `healthy` right breast. it was immediately suggested that i have double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction using fat and tissue from my tummy area.
i was then referred to another hospital where they could do this kind of surgery.
i had initial meeting with new surgeon and breast care team. followed by a ct angiogram. both went well. and then i had an appointment there last week where they did all the pre op checks that they do,
and this is where i am now. all tests n checks done. op is booked for next wednesday. so i am just waiting now. in between having mad panics at what i must do to get ready to be in hospital and away from home for a week.
i feel ok. as all way through this journey i tend to take 48 hours to get my head around what has to be done. and now all i want to do is get it over and done with.
thank you if you have stuck with this and are still reading. my first attempt at a blog. prob should have read 1 before starting but nothing ventured etc. just hope it makes some sort of sense and thank you again
