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| {Beautiful flowers delivered by a kind neighbour 💚} |
Hello friends,
I have news! It's mostly good 😊
First off, from my lab results this week, the surgeon got all the cancer and the margins were clear, plus there was nothing in my lymph nodes. I am very happy with this, as you can imagine.
However, the tumour, though small, was grade 3, which is the most aggressive kind. I'm just so lucky it was picked up on a routine mammogram as I wouldn't have known it even existed otherwise.
So the cancer is all gone, but because of the grade, as a preventative measure for the future, I will likely have chemotherapy as well as radiation. I'll meet with our hospital's oncology department in a month or so once I am fully healed from surgery.
Apparently the chemo is done in six doses over four months, every three weeks or so.
Then radiation. Then hormone treatment (medication).
So. It's still big and I am trying not to focus on all of that. I am trying to keep bringing my mind back to healing, calmness, living in today, no cancer present anymore, and the surgery is behind me.
I haven't been writing much but I've been journalling, and reading (two books a week currently!) I would love to put my experience into a book because I think it would be helpful for others in my position to read. Or even if someone has a friend or family member going through a similar thing.
It's all very surreal though. But, it's like anything in life, you deal with it as it comes up. You go to appointments and do what needs to be done and put one step in front of the other. Just follow the path that thousands of other ladies have been on.
There are lots of things to be grateful for, and the lab results showed that my kind of cancer was the hormone positive/HER negative type which is the most common, and they know how to treat it.
That's what I was told: it is 'serious but treatable' so I just have to trust that. My surgeon also said that the grade 3/chemo news is 'a tiny negative'. If I have to have a negative, tiny is good.
Keep well my friends, and I wanted to update you. I so appreciate all the kind messages, emails, and comments. More than you can ever know 😊
xx Fiona
I have news! It's mostly good 😊
First off, from my lab results this week, the surgeon got all the cancer and the margins were clear, plus there was nothing in my lymph nodes. I am very happy with this, as you can imagine.
However, the tumour, though small, was grade 3, which is the most aggressive kind. I'm just so lucky it was picked up on a routine mammogram as I wouldn't have known it even existed otherwise.
So the cancer is all gone, but because of the grade, as a preventative measure for the future, I will likely have chemotherapy as well as radiation. I'll meet with our hospital's oncology department in a month or so once I am fully healed from surgery.
Apparently the chemo is done in six doses over four months, every three weeks or so.
Then radiation. Then hormone treatment (medication).
So. It's still big and I am trying not to focus on all of that. I am trying to keep bringing my mind back to healing, calmness, living in today, no cancer present anymore, and the surgery is behind me.
I haven't been writing much but I've been journalling, and reading (two books a week currently!) I would love to put my experience into a book because I think it would be helpful for others in my position to read. Or even if someone has a friend or family member going through a similar thing.
It's all very surreal though. But, it's like anything in life, you deal with it as it comes up. You go to appointments and do what needs to be done and put one step in front of the other. Just follow the path that thousands of other ladies have been on.
There are lots of things to be grateful for, and the lab results showed that my kind of cancer was the hormone positive/HER negative type which is the most common, and they know how to treat it.
That's what I was told: it is 'serious but treatable' so I just have to trust that. My surgeon also said that the grade 3/chemo news is 'a tiny negative'. If I have to have a negative, tiny is good.
Keep well my friends, and I wanted to update you. I so appreciate all the kind messages, emails, and comments. More than you can ever know 😊
xx Fiona
May the good Lord bless you and keep you safe. Rest well & heal fully and quickly. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThinking of you and sending you warmest wishes for health, happiness and a speedy recovery. Thank you for sharing your news.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your good news. Continue to live your chic life and get plenty of rest and walks.
ReplyDeleteFiona, I'm wishing you well with your recovery. My Mum had breast Cancer after the menopause - very common. sadly it was very aggressive and caught too late. This was unusual in my family. In an effort to avoid it myself I have done a bit of reading about it. My Mum had taken HRT during the menopause and there is a link with the hormone eostrogen. There is also apparently a link with being apple shaped, carrying fat around the belly rather than pear shaped, carrying it around the thighs. Maybe the fat around the belly has eostrogen in it? Also a link with sugar,? I read Sugar causes a cortisol spike that causes fat to be laid down in the tummy area? My Mum carried excess weight in the tummy area. and was very stressed caring for my Dad who was disabled. I'm 60 this year and have spent the last year losing weight, 2 1/2 stone down, one more to go. I also have diabetes in my family and try to keep my sugar consumption down. I had a blood sugar test that came in at 36 and I read keeping it below 36.5 prevents disease as sugar causes inflammation in the body. I have no idea if any of this is true. All I know is that all the people in my family who developed Diabetes and then watched their sugar intake have so far all avoided Cancer, living into their early 90's. My Mum, MIL & FIL all enjoyed cakes and all got cancer. My Dad was diabetic but didn't get cancer. It is just my theory and may be worth your while looking into the sugar connection.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear they got it all! From my friends' and my own medical adventures, I'm sure that you're spot on about Focusing Forward! It's a lot of baby steps but you WILL get back to 100%. And you'll enjoy it even more than you did before. Sending strength, patience & rock solid self confidence from Chicago!
ReplyDeleteHi Fiona, that sounds positive. Chemo and radio will be tough but you can do it! Sending you all good wishes for your future good health. Amanda
ReplyDeleteSending good thoughts for healing and light! ❤️
ReplyDeleteHi Fiona. I’m happy to hear that all of your cancer was removed with clear margins and no spread to your lymph nodes. That is such a relief! I had the same dx two years ago however I was grade 2 so only radiation. Same type and positive hormone receptors. I have been on Letrozole hormone blocker for 2 years next week and while there are some side effects, continuing to live a healthy lifestyle with exercise, healthy diet and minimal alcohol it has been manageable. I am sending you positive thoughts for full recovery and strength during this challenging time.
ReplyDeleteBe well, Fiona! I've been reading your blog for so long, and you have buoyed me up many times. Really hoping you're through the worst of it. Big hugs. Beth M.
ReplyDelete