This is not something that I have gone into in too much detail here on my blog. In fact it's not something I've wanted to make public to the world at large but now as the treatment comes to its conclusion let me fill you in.
Back in mid February, being a woman of a certain age, I got the letter through the post asking me to attend a routine mammogram which I duly did without an awful lot of thought.
Two weeks later I received a letter asking me to come into hospital for a further mammogram. Everything was worded very much along the lines of 'nothing to worry about but sometimes we have to do a second one'.
A few days later I was in the Breast Unit of my local hospital; I had another mammogram and was told there were a few white marks they needed to look at a bit closer and that after the mammogram I would have an ultra sound. So sure enough after a short wait I had an ultra sound and something was mentioned about having a needle procedure at which point I thought 'ok so by needle you mean biopsy - this is getting real'. After a long wait I underwent a biopsy, I then had a week to wait before I could go back for the results.
So as you can probably guess the results weren't great. I was given a diagnosis of Ductal Carcinoma in Situ; a form of breast cancer found in the milk ducts. Thankfully what was found was small and at a very early stage. The treatment plan set out before me was to undergo a lumpectomy, to remove the bad stuff, followed by a course of radiotherapy that would reduce the risk of re-occurrance.
Within three weeks of my diagnosis I was back at hospital for the lumpectomy. Thankfully this was all completed within a day and I was back home to recover. After confirming that all the nasty stuff had been removed and allowing sufficient time for my body to recover after the operation I then started a course of radiotherapy; 15 treatments in all.
Yesterday I saw my oncologist who was very happy with all the treatment given and then today I visited the radiotherapy department for the last time. It felt kind of strange to leave my gown behind today, this has travelled back and forth with me over the last few weeks and it seemed very poignant to leave it there...
These last four and a half months have been a whirlwind and at times a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Our lives were given a bit of a side swipe, our routines knocked out of place, our emotions thrown into turmoil, all of the usual life stuff was put into a whole new perspective.
I have been extremely fortunate to have had my amazing hubby and kids to support me all the way through this; a set of friends who would do anything for me and a fantastic team at work who have given me the time and space to get through it all.
I was extremely lucky that this was found early on and dealt with so efficiently. I cannot thank enough the wonderful team of NHS staff who have looked after me with such care and compassion. I have emerged at the end of it all in the best state possible; all the treatment has been successful and now I just have yearly mammograms to make sure it stays away!
So today I rang the bell to signify the end of treatment and then indulged in some cake to celebrate!
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