At last...Five year Mammo passed!

 Long story short...I passed m

y five year check up. Only had it confirmed 10 minutes ago when I checked my online health records.

I have had delay after delay so it has been a long drawn out process this year. Bloody COVID caused delays with me getting back to NZ when I wanted to in January so that meant instead of getting clearance in February, my specialist follow up appointment was rescheduled to March, then rescheduled again as the specialist was away. I finally got to see her and then she signed off on me getting my mammogram. (It still annoys me that my DHB have decided that to get people to stick with their specialist appointment they make you have the mammogram after you’ve seen them.)

I got a call last week to arrange my mammogram appointment and was able to get that on Monday 19th April. I was told afterwards that I didn’t need to wait around, everything looked ok, they’d be in touch if they needed to after it was double-read. 

I have to say my heart sank at this point because that’s exactly how it played out 5 years ago. “The radiologist isn’t here right now, we’ll be in touch once it’s been checked” and we all know how that turned out. 

So I have been on edge the whole week, not sleeping, trying not to panic, checking my on-line health records twice a day wondering what the hell is going on and why does this always happen just before a public holiday weekend, anxiety complicated by my GP being away sick AND the GP practice changing their online computer system. So tonight when I checked the lab results and there’s still no mention of my mammogram I thought I’d look under patient notes and WHOOP WHOOP there it is 19/04/2021 Mammogram NAD those glorious 3 letters means No Abnormality Detected and I can finally say I’m a freaking bloody 5 year survivor of Breast Cancer

Over joyed that I don’t have to do the specialist visits anymore and that I still get free yearly mammograms.  I am thinking of those who haven’t been as lucky as me, so some annoying delays and a little bit of panic is nothing compared to that eh!

I am celebrating with a nice cup of sleep tea

Here’s an update on my hair 

https://givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/annes-hair-is-going

Super freak

It’s been a while since I posted anything. Since my treatment finnished in March 2017 I have been off travelling the world and doing live-in care work for the elderly in the UK and office temping in NZ to pay for it

I got to see Polar Bears in the wild, and more of Canada. Orangutan in the wild in Sabah, I’ve been to Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Malaysia. I’ve explored small English villages and towns I would never have thought to visit. Met some amazing people along the way, and revisited friends and family in Scotland and England.

Most of the time I don’t think about Breast Cancer unless I meet someone who’s going through treatment or I’m due for my check up. I’ve tried different hormone drugs and after consistant side effects that started off being manageable and then became downright nasty and debilitating I made the decision to stop taking them. This was after trying the 3rd one, the one that should have been no issues, the one my surgeon talked me into trying because it was my last drug option and because I had an aggressive type of BC, also the one that I haven’t told my surgeon I’ve stopped taking.

The 3rd one started giving me the exact same symptoms the other 2 had started with and I’d had 6 weeks break before reluctantly trying tamoxifen. I decided to stop because I want to live my life and not just exist so I said sod the drugs, Cancer you’re going to  have to find me first

It’s coming up to my 3rd mammogram after being diagnosed and I’m really dreading it, I’m freaking out already and it’s still another 2 months away and I haven’t told anyone. Perhaps it’s the whole going off the recommended hormone treatment that’s playing on my mind even though there is absolutely no way I’m taking them again.

If anyone going through BC reads this, please don’t think that you’ll have the same experience, everyone is different and you need to make your own decision. You may not have any side effects, if it wasn’t for the awful joint and muscle pain I’d still be on Letrozole. I’m just one of the freaks whose body unfortunately does not tolerate these types of drugs. Just like taking one of those cold treatments that’s supposed to help you sleep can have the completely opposite effect on 1% of people who take them...that would be me too. I also don’t like watermelon, total freak. I should be part of a scientific research, is there a link in people who intensely dislike watermelon and drugs not working as they should on them???

Lucky lucky lucky....

I've finished my treatment and while there have been a few tough moments nothing comes close to that dreadful day driving to the Dr's office after getting the phone call the afternoon before. Trying really hard not to panic until I had something to panic about, while at the same time thinking about what I'd want for a funeral, convinced that it was probably stage 4 and I was doomed doomed, doomed.

It was a relief to hear it was only a bit of cancer, invasive but caught early. Even when it turned out that "Roger" was more aggressive than anyone had picked, I still thought Man, I've dodged a bullet and I'm incredibly lucky. 

I can hear you saying "WTF" she's had cancer! Well, I'm still standing and I reckon I'm extremely lucky...

• Lucky I paid to have my mammogram, the one that picked up my sneaky little tumour "Roger", lucky I didn't just wait another year for the free one
• Lucky I had health insurance, I was so close to cancelling it, what if I'd had to wait for surgery?
• Lucky my surgery went well
• Lucky I had no sickness with chemo
• Lucky the government now pay for 12 months Herceptin
• Lucky I sailed thru radiation
• Lucky I could work most of the time
• Lucky that I had oodles of sick leave because my work place let you accumulate up to 80 days (I've still got sick days left!)
• Lucky my home town now has chemo and radiation treatment available here and I didn't have to travel to Waikato Hospital
• Lucky to have awesome support from family and friends.

What I've learned along the way

• Not all Breast Cancer is the same, there's so many different types, stages and different treatments
• Not all chemo makes you throw up, and they have great anti-nausea drugs....take them, before you need them!
• Chemo isn't a weight loss plan...damn it!
• There seems to be a cancer etiquette in the treatment room, like no one talks about what they're having treatment for or how they're doing, if you do talk it's more likely to be about anything other than the big C
• Hormone treatment sucks
  Of all the stuff I've had done this is actually the worst. The muscle aches and pains are getting gradually better so maybe I will stick with it, I've decided 1 year at a time - that's do-able right?
• I will now flash my boobs at anyone
  I'm so proud of the fantastic job my surgeon did, the scars are minor. He should give me commission
• I had no idea of the HUGE emotional roller coaster the whole thing would be. Just when I thought I was doing great and keeping up my sense of humour, I would be hit with an emotional tsunami over something trivial, usually at traffic lights for some reason
• There's a place in NZ that can make your ashes into fireworks
  ... and that my friends is what I want you to do when the time comes, when I'm an old bag of over 80 still rocking my awesome boobs
• You can laugh while having procedures, some things are just funny!
• You can laugh at cancer jokes, while going thru it.
  My brother sent me the most un-pc one ever, and it saved me during one of my tsunami turns. 
• It helps to have un-PC friends, ones who say stuff like "You can't die, who am I going to go on holiday with" or "That sucks, have a beer"

Physically I still have a slight bruise on my left hand from the last herceptin, my left big toenail is still growing out from the weird blood blister chemo reaction, my hair has grown so much I need a proper haircut - I still have chemo curls and I'm rocking the grey. I still have my boobs, with 3 scars, and 3 small blue tattoos. My right armpit has a very mild loss of sensation from the lymph node biopsy scar just below my armpit to the top of where "Roger" was. I've gained weight, I don't want to know how much.

Mentally, I think I've coped well, and I'm determined to shake this off and get on with living, so I reckon I'm home and hosed and so this is the end of my cancer blog.
Thank you everyone for what you have done for me.
Isla for coming to all those early appointments, insisting I stay at your place after surgery and after the first few chemos, and everything else.

Jessie for giving up her room, Gads, Kat and Tom for putting up with me invading your space and Kat and Tom for hacking my hair off.

Ali & Mum for being there and words of encouragement, Shirley and John for the calls, txts and jokes, all the rest of the family too for your checking in on me.

Andrea and Delwyn for the care parcels every chemo week, then every herceptin not missing a single one - my god you two are awesome.

All the other friends and workmates for the beers and laughs and hugs and txts just when I needed them. Told you I was lucky!

I may give an update a year from now, maybe not. I may be too busy living my life.

I am now about to head off on my travels, you can read all about it here, when I get around to working on it....

http://madcowmoovements.blogspot.co.nz/
And so the final words go to Six60 Only to be, just for the lyrics.. "Ain't it good to be alive"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGWX3sjk46A

Bet you thought it would be Kylie...

WE ARE DONE!

Well it's official now - cancer - we are done!

I had my last specialist appointment on Monday, it was a quick check up, no concerns (apparently I'm completely normal!) and a gentle talk from the Nurse Practitioner about how some people are filled with trepidation at the end of treatment and some can't wait to be released...

Nurse practitioner Marc:
Anne, you are being discharged from Oncology, you'll have a check up in about 6 months with your surgeon and free yearly mammograms for about 5 years. How do you feel about that?"

Me (grinning like a loon): That's fantastic, I'm going to dance my way out of here and can you give me a prescription for 6 months because I'm off overseas

Nurse practitioner Marc (also grinning like a loon)
Wow, that's great, where are you off to...
conversation turns into travel advice

And yes I did a bit of a twirl down the corridor, tried to walk normally in front of those still waiting for consultations, floated out the main entrance, did a bit of a hop skip and a jump on the driveway and hummed my theme song for this post on the short walk back to work, with some skipping involved

We are done - sing a long now!

So what next for me? 
I gave notice a couple of weeks ago. I'm flying out on 9th May to the UK. I'm going to do a mix of live in work and travel, and come back to NZ via Canada in October'ish - Polar bears here I come. All being well I hope to have an endless summer and go back to the UK via other travel routes in April 2018

I'm intending to wrap this blog up with a final review and maybe a link to a travel blog, trying hard to come up with a name, check the short list, suggestions welcome - serious and otherwise.

• Life's too short for spirulina
• but wait there's more..
• Faff's off [FAFF = fabulous almost fifty five]
• Busting out
• 2FACBA ventures [too fat and can’t be arsed]
• Snowbird flies away
• Madcow moovements

Hello... from the other side

I had my LAST herceptin treatment on Thursday, last ever, last needle, last trying to find a vein. It was a 2 try attempt again and Nurse Jenny told me I have done particularly well, as most people restricted to using only 1 hand and having treatment over a year, end up having a port [and not in a glass] so yeah for me.

It was a very emotional farewell to the RNs, how do you thank them properly for being calm, reassuring and friendly, every time they treat you, without fail? There were tears on my part, I had said I was going to dance my way out however this session there were a few patients who looked like they were having a tough time and I didn't think it was cancer etiquette to be celebrating in front of them. I do intend to do a bit of salsa sway or elegant pirouette after my last specialist appointment though, and I don't care who does see that.

I have returned from my "Adele" celebration, extra special as my friends completely spoiled me and I had a night in a gorgeous hotel in the Waitakares with another surprise being 2 of my friends swapping their Thursday night tickets for Saturday so they could celebrate with me. Adele was worth the extra hour in traffic it took to get to Auckland and the queues to get in, and the being tired today. Although that could partly be the celebrating with champagne and port back at the hotel afterwards

Not sure what I've done to deserve the awesome support of my friends and family but you guys have got me thru this, so stand up and take a bow. I must confess that I'm going to miss pulling the cancer card on you all, however I am ecstatic to be able to say "Hello ....from the other side" [see what I did there?] and I have decided that I am cured. 

The next episode will update you all on what I'm planning to do next, I bet you can't wait, get the G&Ts ready...

Joy to the world...One year on!

26 Jan 2016 was the rogue mammogram
05 Feb 2016 was diagnosis
02 Mar 2016 was surgery

01 Mar 2017 - Passed my mammo WOF whoop whoop.

Despite being pretty convinced I have got this beaten, I have been having annoying visits from the horrid "what if" monster in my head, and oh my god has it been vocal in the past 2 weeks. It's nasty little nagging voice constantly popping in and out. It has now been squashed..dead..deader than the dead parrot in the monty python sketch....AND I have had my penultimate Herceptin round today...AND despite being particularly eye watering and I'm going to have a massive bruise, it was a hole in one...AND a box of cupcakes was waiting for me when I got home.

Joy to the world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2wutEzjy_E

In da club....and almost out of the club

It's been a very busy 3 weeks, I've put my stuff in storage, I'm now living with Mum while my sister takes a break (she's living with my other Tauranga sister) and I'm going thru the process of getting my house rented. This is all so I can save some money and get travelling later in the year, the polar bears are getting closer!

Herceptin on Thursday didn't have the best start, the usual fine veins problem cropped up again and this time a new RN took one look and told me she was chickening out and getting someone more experienced. Kirstie was the more experienced RN called in and she took one look and got me to soak my hand in the bucket of hot water again, and then she got it first go. Phew, last 3 times it's been two goes each time so very pleased she could get a vein. Thank goodness I only have TWO more rounds, and it's only 39 days to go before my last session. 

I was talking to Kirstie waiting for my veins to behave, sitting in the chair next to the radio, and we got talking about songs and associating them with events in your life, and I told her that I'll always remember the first song I heard in the car when I was driving off after my diagnosis, which was "In da club". It actually made me laugh because I thought, yeah you're in the cancer club now.

I'll probably never meet you 50 cent, and you'll probably never read this but thank you anyway for making me laugh at a very stressful time. I've always loved your song and because I'm slightly weird I don't feel like I can't listen to your song any more, it has the opposite effect because I'm sooooooo almost out of the cancer club and back in da real club man!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qm8PH4xAss

And because I know you're all dying to know, I've almost achieved my aim of sitting in every chair in the treatment zone. Some I've been in more than a few times because somebody else has been in the chair I was eyeing up, I wonder if I have the nerve to ask someone to move because I have to sit in their chair to achieve my stupid goal???