Wednesday 1st February
Firstly let me assure you that the bad news does not relate to me. I was going to title this entry "Home Straight and More Bloody Cancer" but I thought that might put some of my readers into a bit of a tail spin.
I have now completed 15 rounds of Herceptin and have only another 3 to go - hooray! Apart from taking 3 attempts to find a vein my visit went off smoothly and uneventfully. However the unit was understaffed due to one bad back, a migraine which necessitated a visit to A & E and a broken ankle. I am beginning to think that perhaps the inmates are in a slightly better state of health than the staff!
As for the bad news my oldest friend, or rather the friend I have known the longest (as I have many friends who are way older) had a birthday party in January. She took me to one side and told me that she too has breast cancer. It would appear that she will have to only (and I use that word carefully) have to undergo a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. I wrote to her the following day and I have to say it was the hardest letter I have had to write. It was difficult to tell her what she can expect without coming across as completely doom laden. As I said cancer is not a battle but a long, hard and boring slog which has to be endured.
The thing that surprised me the most was that I was considerably more upset and annoyed that she has cancer than I was when I was diagnosed. I couldn't quite work out why at first and then it struck me. Up until this point I was labouring under the complete misapprehension that since I had "done" breast cancer that was it. It wouldn't have to be dealt with again by anyone, which I realise is completely mad.
Cancer will always be there but hopefully the remedies and survival rates will continue to improve.
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