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Original poster

Zombie's journey with breast cancer

977 replies

IamtheZombie · 15/04/2014 23:24

The thread that Val started has now been moved to General Health. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_health/2016081-Zombie-needs-her-limbs-holding?msgid=46439734

Please keep posting there if you wish.

As most of you know, I'm having my second mastectomy on Thursday. I will almost certainly need to have more chemotherapy.

This is my thread for those who wish to walk beside me on my journey.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
16
FuckYouChrisAndThatHorse · 01/05/2014 21:34

:o

Allalonenow · 01/05/2014 22:24

Glad all went well at the hospital today, hope you got the breakfast you were looking forward to.
Have a good day tomorrow, don't forget to rest mind.

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 01/05/2014 22:34

I did indeed, All. And mighty good it was too!

District nurse is coming tomorrow so I'll probably spend most of the day quietly waiting for her. I'll be able to tell her that the doctor and BCN are happy for me to be discharged from DN care. From next week I'll be back on the hospital treadmill anyway so will be seeing HCPs on a very regular basis.

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Allalonenow · 01/05/2014 22:49

Glad you enjoyed it, I've never had a McDonalds though they so popular.

It's good that you have got all that structure of care around you, I hope you take full advantage of it.

Have a good night Zombie
All Thanks

TheDoctrineOfSnatch · 01/05/2014 23:10

"Glad you enjoyed it, I've never had a McDonalds though they so popular."

How has that happened, All Shock

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 02/05/2014 12:40

Whoop, whoop!!!

The District Nurse has just left. She removed the dressing from yesterday and said I didn't need another one. So we said our final goodbyes.

It looks like a very small amount of fluid has accumulated. I'll monitor it but should be fine until I see my surgeon next Friday.

My neighbour is busy in my garden.

A very good day so far! Grin Grin Grin

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LineRunner · 02/05/2014 12:47

Zombie, that's great.

It should be a good weekend for being in the garden.

FuckYouChrisAndThatHorse · 02/05/2014 16:09

Hurray!

:o

Great news :)

Jux · 02/05/2014 16:52

Splendid Zombie! Glad it's going so well.

Mistle, yes, treatments do seem to have vastly different individual effects; my friend has non-Pthingie Lymphoma, and is having chemo. Far from being exhausted by it and all the other symptoms, she is full of beans and almost bouncing around! Yet, another friend has the exact same chemo treatments for the same thing and is utterly exhausted.

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 03/05/2014 00:32

I was extremely debilitated by chemo. For the first time in my life, I felt my age and more. I had no energy. Some days it was all I could do to get up, come downstairs and collapse into my chair. I really tried to live as normal a life as possible but it became increasingly difficult to do so. The debility continued throughout the radiotherapy and Herceptin. It was really only in about October of last year that I felt I was getting back on track.

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IAmTheGodOfTitsAndWine · 03/05/2014 00:36

Hi-five for a good day!

It took me a good eighteen months to feel normal again after finishing my treatment. It will be two years this month since I finished chemo/radio and sometimes it all feels like a distant dream. I hope it will be that way for you too, Zombie.

Allalonenow · 03/05/2014 00:40

That's such good news about the lack of fluid, what a relief for you Zombie . Hope the rest of your day has gone well, and that you get a good sleep tonight.
Pleased to see that you are keeping your neighbour's nose to the grindstone in the garden Smile

Have a good weekend. (gentle squeeze)

{Doctrine I must have led a sheltered life Grin }

WingDefence · 03/05/2014 07:17

Morning Zombie - glad to hear you bade farewell to the DN!

HeartsTrumpDiamonds · 03/05/2014 13:06

Chemo really is so different for every different person isn't it. Zombie I hope it is a lot less painful, debilitating, tiring than the last time!

Allalonenow · 04/05/2014 23:28

Hope your weekend is going well?
Hope you are resting?
Hope you are eating and have some treats too?

It's cold and wet here, so hope it is better for you.
All xx

Almostfifty · 05/05/2014 20:46

Just caught up after a weekend away. So glad to hear you're so upbeat.

I have just found out a very good friend is about to undergo either a single or double mastectomy, depending on the outcome of a scan next week. Reading your threads are helping me help her, so thank you.

Keep taking it easy.

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 07/05/2014 19:39

I decided to give myself a little treat before seeing my surgeon on Friday. Yesterday I took myself off to the train station, bought my Senior Railcard and a ticket and off I went. Nice hotel last night and a lovely leisurely day today before heading home.

Life is good.

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Wolfiefan · 07/05/2014 19:47

Glad you had a lovely day Zombie. Senior railcard? They don't make zombies pay surely?!

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 07/05/2014 20:00

They do Wolfie. There's no reasoning with them. Grin

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ZingWatermelon · 07/05/2014 20:20

Zombie

that's coz you didn't walk really slowly & say "I eat brain" in a creepy voiceWink

a hotel and leisurely stuff sounds awsome.

so Friday, huh?
is that when treatment options, start date etc will be decided?

(menu is hot choc & crumpets tonight - fancy any?Wink )

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 07/05/2014 21:25

Zing, on Friday my surgeon will be able to give me the full results of the pathology on the breast tissue and lymph nodes. The extent of the lymph node involvement will determine whether they want to do other scans to see if it's landed anywhere else. It will be when I see the oncologist in a week or two that we'll discuss which chemo I'll have and when it will start. My surgeon may be able to give me some idea (depends on what was decided at the MDT meeting yesterday) but I'll probably have to wait for the oncologist.

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ZingWatermelon · 07/05/2014 21:34

aha, so it's more like analysing what they know so far, rather then what's next.
got it.

I'm guessing best news would be "that's it, all out, not spread elsewhere" - is that correct?
(sorry, I have no idea, people in RL just don't explain stuff - understandably)

Original poster
IamtheZombie · 07/05/2014 22:05

The fact that it had spread to at least one lymph node (the one that was biopsied before surgery) means that chemo is definite. If the spread was limited to just that node and maybe one or two others immediately adjacent would be a fairly good indication that the cancer probably hasn't spread elsewhere. The more lymph nodes affected, the higher the risk of further spread. That's why they may need to so some scans to determine the full extent. All of that needs to be determined so they can plan the extent of the further treatments. I can't have any more radiotherapy to the chest but if, say, they saw something they didn't like on my liver, they might be able to use radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy to treat that. But that's all speculation for the moment. One way or the other, I'll know more after Friday.

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ZingWatermelon · 07/05/2014 22:09

Thanks for explaining.

definitely fx for best possible conclusion/result.

Sleep well, hope the scars are healing nicely!Smile

magimedi · 07/05/2014 22:28

Every digit I own is crossed for a good result on Friday.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX