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Missing magnesium and fingerprints
Last week was supposed to be my “good week”, being the phase in the chemo cycle when things are meant to be settling down and I’m supposed to get a few days to feel a little more like myself before the merry-go-round starts again. Except, somewhere around Wednesday, I started feeling progressively ‘not quite right’……
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You couldn’t make it up…
Anyone who knows me will know how passionate I am about our NHS. I appreciate that it has its shortcomings, but overall, I believe it is something to value, cherish and be proud of. This week, however, once things started to unravel, it became an unstoppable tsunami of bureaucratic errors. It all started on Monday,…
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Another bump in the road
Just when I thought I was beginning to understand the rhythm of chemotherapy, the weekend had other ideas. Having sailed through round two of my targetted treatments without any major dramas, I rather optimistically assumed I was on the home straight for a “good” and “positive” cycle. Instead, Saturday was spent clocking up six hours…
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Never saw that coming 😱
After an unexpected emergency overnight stay… I survived the night! (Always a good start to any day, I think!) I was admitted with kidney failure and sepsis following my first round of chemotherapy, which wasn’t quite how I imagined this week would go. Thankfully, the care has been excellent, and I will be transferred to…
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First chemo: Days 5–7 – One Step Forwards…
NB: These posts are written from notes I made at the time. Some days they are reflections; some days they are simply a record of getting through the next hour. Previous The next few days became a lesson in not getting too excited by small improvements. Day 5 began much as the previous ones had…
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Captured!
The next few days became a whirlwind of tests and appointments at both the main hospital and local community clinics. Looking back at my diary as I write this, I attended six separate appointments in the space of just ten days. Before long, it became a logistical challenge simply keeping track of where I’d been,…
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Lots of words I sort of recognised
My appointment to see a breast surgeon duly arrived through the post a couple of days later. This time, my husband took me to the clinic on the Monday morning and we listened together as, the breast surgeon explained that my “poached quail’s egg” was in fact a 30mm grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma that…
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“D’you think it’s cancer?”
At the time of writing, women in the UK are routinely invited for free NHS breast screening at some point during the three years after their 50th birthday, and then every three years until they reach the age of 71. Breast screening uses a test called a mammogram, which takes two quick X-rays of each…
