Results Day. 13th July 2010

My appointment was for 3.40pm so I arranged to meet Wendy in the cafe at 3.00pm, just to catch up and compare notes. Unfortunately, we sat waiting for each other in 2 different cafes!! Doh! Our appointments were for the same time with the same doctor, so inevitably, one of us was going to be delayed. We were both still sat there at 5.00pm and were the only 2 patients left in the building. I was called in at 5.20. Em agreed to take notes for me, as sometimes you only catch bits of information. (Particularly if its bad news. Then you just hear the bad bits and everything else just kind of fades into the background). We sat for another half an hour in a consulting room. Mr Gandhi came in at about 5.50pm with a breast care nurse. He apologised for keeping us waiting and got out my notes. He said there were a few things we needed to talk about, so we would take them one at a time. First one was that I need more surgery. Seemingly, the safety margin they cut out with the tumour had some microscopic cancer cells in it. They need to take more breast tissue away. Mr Gandhi assured me there was still no need for a mastectomy though.

Secondly, they are going to start chemotherapy straight away because 8 out of the 17 lymph nodes they took had cancer in them. I am quite glad I asked them to take them all out now!! At least I don't need more armpit surgery. Chemo should start in about 3 weeks, after a body scan and a consultation at The Christie. The doc said this would probably go on for about 8 months. When that is over, I have another op and after that I have hormone treatment ( the tumour was hormone receptive) and radiotherapy. Its all a bit crap really. I guess apart from the op, I am still having the treatment I expected, just in a different order.

Em, as always was brilliant and took it all on board then shrugged it all off saying " Its just treatment to make you better"

Mikey came home from his conference early cos he was worried about me. I am ok though, so we decide that a bottle of wine would be a good idea. We talked about things and how crappy and unfair it all is but we all have each other for love and support. I really do have a lovely family!!

Got a mail from Wendy later in the evening. Can´t believe it! She had exactly the same news as me. Wendy has to go in and have the rest of her lymph nodes out after her chemo. We should be starting chemo at the same time, so I have a chemo buddy!!

I am going to try and raise some money for Genesis by shaving my head. I know its a bit of a cheat really because it will fall out in a couple of months anyway but I will still do it. I have roped Wendy in on it too, so it will be a double shave.

In fact I may try and find some more shavees ( I don´t think that is a real word!!) and have a mass shaving. Don´t know where or when but it will be fairly soon. Will keep everyone posted.

I have probably forgotten loads of things but if I remember anything, I will tag it on later.

Remember girlies.......KEEP CHECKING!!