Well, I haven't written anything on the renovation blog since August last year, so thought it was time for some updates. I am still slowly plodding along with getting the house up together, although it is now very livable and pretty damn cosy. I will take some photos and update those parts shortly too.
After what was a difficult start to last year, I hoped things would get back on track and some sort of normality would resume....but oh noooo. In late August I found a lump in my left breast - sadly, on the day of my lovely Grandmother's funeral, who had also died from breast cancer. I'm not generally a pessimist, however I just knew this wasn't right, so off I trek to the doctors. The doctor said he was sure it was a cyst, but given my age (young obviously :)), and my family history of breast cancer, he wanted to refer me for tests under the two week rule - something we thankfully have in the UK. I did stretch this to three weeks as we had a holiday to Malta bang in the middle - very much needed!
On the 13th September I went through a triple assessment in the breast clinic in Cheltenham. Entailing a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsies, to be told that yes I have breast cancer - ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to be exact. Truthfully I knew this anyway before anyone said those words. Id seen the scans, and it just didn't feel right. However, nothing can prepare you for those crushing words 'I'm sorry it is cancer'. My world stopped, my anger boiled! I didnt feel sad until weeks later, and the worst part was telling my parents and children. True to form, we are all pulling together to come out sane & hopefully well, the other side.
Treatment is 6 rounds of chemotherapy - joy..., surgery in whatever format is most effective, and numerous rounds of radiotherapy. This will then move on to herceptin and aromatose inhibitors to aim to keep the cancer at bay longer term. Thankfully my lymph nodes & bones are clear at present. I'm on round five of a gruelling chemo regime, and this week I will see my breast surgeon, a lovely, gentle giant of a man, who I'm hoping will fix me! I have been warned to expect treatment to last a year, it's all a bit bewildering!
All of the treatment is being finely balanced with liberal doses of fatigue, pain and sickness management, friends and family pitching in, and trying to manage getting the red shed finished for when I'm better - Dean is still working his socks off! Ideally that will give me some options with regard to work/life balance, but who knows what that will look like in the future?! I'd love it to be a working artists studio, office space, perhaps even air bnb. Either way I have to find a way to financially get by, as working 5 days a week may no longer be a viable option...Oh and I want to get some chickens when all this is over. I didn't have time to be unwell previously, but perhaps this is a way to stop and take stock of how short life can be. Maybe having a mid-life mortality check, is one of the most important realisations I have experienced. I love life, and am not ready to check out any time soon.....xx
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