6 Rounds (ding ding)

It's been a few weeks since my last blog post but I thought I'd wait until I had a bit more to say. I've been waiting for the last 2 weeks while my samples went off for Oncotype DX testing in America so I've had 2 weeks of no appointments or hospital visits which has been nice. I didn't realise how much time I was spending there til I had a gap!

Back to been a mum 🥰

With that in mind and me been on the mend physically after my op we decided to go away (to the seaside) for the week to my dads. It was lovely, just what we needed! It was a bloody busy week though! We did all sorts with the boys - days out, cinema, soft play, ice cream, funfair and going to the beach. I really appreciated been able to do the mum things with the boys again after the last few weeks of having to take a back seat due to recovering from my op. I know it sounds super mushy and a tad cringe, but it's also good for the soul sometimes to just strip everything away, get some sea air, feel the sand in your toes and have time away from home to be able to appreciate what you do have and be grateful for it. I know Ry disagrees because he hates the sand, especially in his toes or when the boys or covered in it, but I love it! and Jack is usually naked within 30 seconds of us going near the beach and in the sea, rain or shine.

We've also been cracking on with our garden, we wanted to get it looking nice for the summer and I wanted to make sure there was somewhere nice other than the house that I could mooch about in should I end up been poorly over the next couple of months. I'm proper shit at gardening though. Or looking after plants, they usually end up dead or as a stick within a few weeks - I really don't know how I've managed to keep 2 children alive and healthy for so long really. So I went to B&Q and got myself some stuff to cut down trees (learnt that these are called secateurs and NOT claws as I thought) and paint for the fence. Proper adulting stuff!

The Nitty (Titty) Gritty

So, after 2 weeks of chill and a little bit of getting antsy from waiting (because I do not sit still and like to know everything NOW!) I finally had my first appointment with my Oncologist (aka Cancer Dr) on Thursday morning. My Oncotype results came back at 27/100 which states that in ladies my age with that score, there is a benefit of chemotherapy. So I will be having 6 cycles of chemo which will be spaced 3 weeks apart. The Dr that I'm under is brilliant, she was really good at explaining everything and telling us why she had chosen the treatments she had and what data it is backed up by (which was pushing all the right buttons for the nerdy part of me!). We'd been talking for a while and she said she was surprised by how calm I was and reminded me that there with her was a safe space to cry, scream and let it all out. But I didn't need to. The reality was, I actually felt 10x better than I had over the last few days as I was waiting to know what was what. From the very beginning I was told that chemo was an option and the likely path and as much as I was hoping and praying that I was going to get away with just a bit of Radiotherapy and then Hormone Therapy for the forseeable, I did know it was a strong contender. On the flip side, I'd also discussed what we would feel like if the Oncologist turned round and did say "no chemo for you!"... would I be scared that I'd not nuked the cancer as much as possible? would I feel like I'd had all the treatment I needed?. It happening though, I'm having chemo and it's due to start in around 2/3 weeks. I'm due to have 3 rounds of EC chemo followed by 3 rounds of Docetaxel chemo.

Sucker punch 👊

The thing that's sucker punched me the most so far (I'm sure lots of other shit is gonna hit over the next few weeks! - You can still be positive and deal with shit!) is that chemo means I'm going to have to temporarily withdraw from my degree while I focus on my health. I know I'm definitely going back once all the treatment is done but I'd be lying if I said it didn't upset me, but it's because it means so much to me. I know that there's stuff I can be doing in between and who knows what doors might open in the meantime. I know its normal to have these little 'blips' and its all part of the process and I'm feeling loads better this morning which is surprising given that Ry invited some of the girls round last night to cheer me up and a good few bottles of prosecco disappeared! 🤪

Genetic Testing 🧬

I've also had a few messages over the last few weeks from lovely people asking if I have considered genetic testing. The answer is Yes! As I'm under 30, protocol in my trust is to refer for genetic testing. This means they'll test for mutations in the BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB & TP53 genes - each of which give (different) increased risks of developing Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer if mutations are found. I'll keep you all updated with how my testing goes but testing takes a while for the 1st person in a family to be tested so my results aren't due back to the end of Aug/start of Sept. This isn't a massive concern to me at the moment though as I've already had a mastectomy so the results do not change anything for me immediately.

Soooooo, I'm just waiting for the dates of my chemo to be confirmed, also planning on getting a port put in my chest (sounds grim 🤢 but means they don't have to dig in my arms each time they need blood or wanna give me anything) and waiting for my genetics to come back. I'm trying to find solution to getting my eyebrows tattoo'd or microbladed on quickly in the next few weeks cos personally, I think the eyebrows will make me look more human when I'm a baldy. I'm rubbish with makeup too so I think I at least need a guide on where my eyebrows usually are or ill end up walking round with wonky eyebrows or looking surprised! 😲 I am also rapidly googling and looking for everything I'm gonna need to keep me going and make me more comfortable as I fight through the upcoming 6 rounds!🥊I'm gonna pop some TikToks I found on giving your boobs a quick check that I liked at the bottom, hope they're useful!

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Love, Kirst x

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6 Rounds (ding ding)

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