I realise that the title of this post sounds like something I might have written on a student’s academic report when I was teaching at Guildford College, but please read on!
After my lumpectomy procedure last Monday I am happy to say that I have not really been in any pain although I have had a little discomfort around my right armpit (from where the three lymph nodes were removed).
I have been carrying out the physical exercises I was given and Colin and I have been quite active with gentle local walks around RHS Wisley and the National Trust property, Hatchlands Park. I have been quite tired each day but have paced myself carefully and taken regular naps.
Yesterday we saw the Consultant Oncoplastic Breast and Skin Cancer Surgeon who gave me the result of the biopsy of the breast tissue:
“The tissue that was removed was found to be “pathologically inactive”. In other words, no remaining cancer could be found; the tumour has been completely eradicated by the chemotherapy treatment”
I was absolutely delighted and (to say the least) very relieved that there is no need for a further procedure to remove more tissue. Indeed, the Consultant doesn’t need to see me for another six months, which takes us all the way to December. Also I do not need to have another mammogram until then.
Of course the planned radiotherapy treatment will still go ahead in a few weeks’ time, daily for three weeks. Belt and braces, just to be sure.
Also, the three-weekly antibodies treatment (Perjeta and Herceptin) will continue until next February as originally planned. This is protective treatment.
After giving me the wonderful news, the Consultant then removed all the surgery dressings and he was very pleased to see that the cuts have started to heal quickly.
He told me to stand in front of a full length mirror to see how my right boob looked compared to the left one. I was amazed to see that despite the surgery they looked pretty much the same as each other (well, as much as they ever were!) apart from the right one still being a quite vivid shade of blue from the dye he used. It will probably stay that colour for up to six months which is going to be very weird!
So again, no need for any further surgery to correct “the look”.
Apparently the type of cancer I had was slightly “oestrogen positive” and there are drugs which I will take for up to ten years to prevent a reoccurrence. I will start on Letrazole, which may have some short term side effects, such as hot flushes (oh joy!) aching limbs and digestive issues. It’s most likely that these side effects will abate after a month or so but, if not, there are alternative drugs available to try (such as Tamoxifen or Arimidex) until I find one that suits me.
For many years I have had osteopenia (a bone condition that can lead to osteoporosis) and since one of the long-term side effects of the continuing drugs regime is a reduction in bone density, I went to the Imaging Department for a bone density scan to set a baseline for future monitoring.
I am also due to have my next heart scan since you may recall that the antibodies treatment can adversely affect this vital organ. It’s called a multi-gated acquisition (MUGA) scan and it creates video images of the lower chambers of the heart to check whether they are pumping blood properly. It shows any abnormalities in the size of the chambers (the ventricles) and in the movement of blood through the heart.
Hopefully the result of the MUGA scan will be normal.
So there you have it, everything’s looking much more positive and the forthcoming treatment should be pretty routine, if lengthy. We are starting to plan for the future again.
As always, I will only post here if there is anything significant to say… I might be getting better but please don’t stop your lovely messages of support!