Surgery

I made it, finally chemo was over and done with. It felt like it took a lifetime; my body had changed in so many ways. When looking in the mirror I saw a completely different person. I knew I was still a long way from the finish line but the relief of having completed chemo was incredible. People would walk past me not recognising me as I had changed so much.

When I started this journey, I felt as if I had handed over my body to my doctors, I was not in charge, my job was to survive and make it through chemo.

After two weeks of recovery, which I enjoyed as I had no toxins administered, I met with my surgeon to discuss the next step of my path to beating this dreadful illness. As I mentioned before, there are many different forms of breast cancer and my breast cancer was a HER2+ and FISH+, so extremely aggressive. We had completed two gene tests being the BRACA1 and BRACA2 gene tests to see which type of operations I would need to have. Thank goodness both results came back negative. It was my first scan since October 2023, and I was so nervous to see what the doctor would find. Millions of questions were running through my brain, I could barely breath.

Had the chemo worked or not?

Whilst the surgeon was checking the scan on the screen I tried to read his expression, I looked at Kevin and tried to read his expression but they both looked shocked. Tears started rolling down my face, there was no way of holding those back. Was this it? Why was no one saying anything? Finally, my surgeon started talking and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The chemo had worked, 80% of my tumour had been “killed”, only 20% was still active. At this point my surgeon got even more excited, took his measuring tools out which I am sure my dad used to have in his workshop too, and gave me even better news. Since the chemo had been so effective I could have a lumpectomy “only” instead of a mastectomy. My tears of fear turned into tears of happiness, what a relief. The pain and agony I had gone through over the past six months had paid off and I realised there was finally an end in sight to this ordeal.

D day had arrived, I went in for surgery and all went well. Lumpectomy was successful, my lymph had been removed and I had completed another big step in my path to survival and recovery. Two nights in hospital and I was allowed to go home. Thank goodness I had Kevin to help as it is impossible to move your arm initially. I needed help with everything, simple task of getting dressed was not simple anymore. A week after my surgery I went for my follow up appointment with Dr Reddy. Up until then I could barely move my arm and had to complete exercises my physio Donnee Ness had given me before I left the hospital. Please follow the physio’s instructions to avoid additional problems which can be avoided. Buy big T-shirts you can pull over your arm without having to move it as that is painful in the beginning.

I had not seen my scars as they had been covered up and I was so nervous to see what had happened to my body. What I imagined and what I was about to see were two very different things. It is absolutely amazing what Dr Reddy managed to do; I could not believe my eyes. Yes, the scar was still fresh and hadn’t healed yet, but it was really nothing in comparison to what I thought it would be and what I had seen on various sites.

More tears of joy followed when I asked him: “Is it all gone? Is my cancer gone? Please tell me it is gone.” His answer pertaining to the tumour in my breast and lymph nodes was yes, your tumour is gone.

It is impossible to explain what relief and joy I felt at that moment; my team had done it, we had climbed and conquered another mountain successfully. I was still alive.

Next up, radiotherapy and recovery