21/05/07Unfortunately not all is well within our family. My lovely mum has cancer. Ironically, given my own scare last year, she has breast cancer and as yet we don't know how far it's spread. Mum went into hospital yesterday and is due to have surgery later this morning. So please, send some positive thoughts our way, or maybe remember us in your prayers if you have (a) faith.
I'm trying to stay optimistic. But to be honest I don't know if that's because I'm too scared of the alternative. We lost Dad almost 9 years ago and I don't think I'll ever get over it completely - the thought of maybe losing Mum too is just unbearable. It's also kinda tough being too far away to visit her while she's in hospital. Still, she came to stay for a few days last week and it was lovely to spend some time together.
Anyway. Here's hoping the op goes well and the subsequent chemo blasts any remaining cancer cells from her system.
Thanks heaps to my loyal friends who've already offered moral support. I appreciate it more than you will ever know. I love you guys.
23/05/07Well, my mum had her operation yesterday and it went quite well. They had to remove more tissue than they originally expected, but apparently have got most of the tumour. Mum's going to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy anyway so hopefully that will mop up any bits that 'escaped'.
The doctor wasn't sure but he thinks the CAT scan Mum had a couple of weeks ago showed no further spread of the cancer, but he's going to double check. Assuming his memory is correct that's excellent news of course.
Thanks to everyone for the moral support. It's hard being across the sea whilst all this is going on, but it's great to have you guys 'with' me. I'm able to telephone my sister (who lives in Guernsey like Mum) and can also call the hospital to speak to the patient herself so hopefully I'm able to do my bit of supporting them through this too.
01/06/07Mum saw her surgeon today. Unfortunately it seems that the cancer goes far deeper than originally thought, and so she has to go back into hospital next week for a full mastectomy.
Not only that, but apparently it looks like the muscle of the chest wall is also involved, which means a longer, more risky operation with a longer, more painful recovery time. So all in all, not so great.
The encouraging news however is that there is no sign of secondaries in the most common areas for it to spread, so hopefully they have caught it in time. We can but hope.
15/06/07For those who have been following the story of my mum's battle with cancer, here is what's been going on over the last couple of weeks.
As you know, Mum had to have further surgery. This was delayed for a few days as she had complications around her previous wound site, and required a course of intravenous antibiotics. Unfortunately this didn't seem to make any difference, and so the operation went ahead late on Tuesday in case the problem was caused by the cancerous cells themselves, rather than any infection.
The operation went well, the only slight concern being Mum's blood pressure was a little unstable her first night post-op, so they kept a close eye on her. I'm pleased to say she was fine and on Wednesday felt well enough to receive visitors and take phone calls. In fact her surgeon is so pleased with her he said she could go home on Sunday if she wants - however she's probably going to ask to stay in a couple more days until her drains are removed!
The oncologist (cancer specialist) will see Mum over the next couple of days, so we may find out a little about the likely chemotherapy regime at this point.
At the moment Mum is in good spirits and her pain is being well-controlled.
Many thanks for all the kind words of encouragement. I'll keep you all posted on her progress.
04/07/07My mum is doing well and just waiting for the fluid build-up under her arm to ease off, then she can start her chemotherapy. She is in good spirits and aside from the problem with her arm, you'd never know there was anything wrong with her. Still feeling optimistic, and many thanks to all those who I know have been keeping us in mind.
28/07/07A quick update on my mum.
Last week she had a few tests on her heart to check it was strong enough to cope with the vigorous chemotherapy regime she was about to start. Presumably these were ok as last Thursday she had a line inserted via her arm (to remain in situ for the duration) and her first dose(s) of chemo.
All seemed to go well. So far Min (ie Mum!) has had a little nausea intermittantly but it's well controlled with the drugs she's been given. She also has 2 wigs ready for the inevitable loss of her hair, plus various headscarves/bandanas. Well prepared!
Of course she will feel much more tired and probably more 'poorly' as the chemo continues. But it was good to chat to her yesterday and find she was out and about as usual.
I'll keep you posted on her progress.
Labels: cancer, family, support
