Hi everyone. I haven’t been blogging much at all over the last year so I thought I would take some time to fill you in on the goings on in my life. As there were many things that happened last year I think it will be easier to write about it all over a few blogs.
So lets call this “part one”…
So earlier in 2016 I wrote about the lump that I had found in my breast and how rapidly it was growing. I mentioned I was off to see an Endocrinologist (total, expensive waste of time) and that I was getting a referral to see a breast surgeon. I was also getting increasing amounts of pelvic pain which I had put down to my endometriosis, so I was off to see a Gynaecologist as well.
As I said the endocrinologist was a total waste of time, apart from her having no idea why my doctors would have sent me too her, she had no experience in the area of hormone imbalances anyway…she basically said she couldn’t really help me, but charged me for her time anyway.
Next I was off to meet with the breast surgeon (she was and is so wonderful), she said straight away that she didn’t think it was a Fibroadenoma, but instead a Phyllodes Tumor (these usually fall into 3 categories benign, borderline or malignant). My surgeon said she would like to remove it and I was scheduled for surgery at the end of March. Meanwhile I had a visit to the gynaecologist, who believed that from my condition and complaints that I most likely had Adenomyosis (which is a thickening of the uterus due to cells growing in the muscle wall) as well as endometriosis. Due to the fact that I was already scheduled for surgery, the gynaecologist decided it was best to get over the breast issue and come back to see her once I had recovered to discuss my options.
So the date of surgery arrived and I was off to the hospital for a 7am time slot. I have had surgery before, but not for a while, so to say I was peeking with anxiety is an understatement! I ended up having a student nurse follow my surgical journey that she would then use to write her assessment piece. (She sent me the piece she wrote and it was really interesting to read about what happened while I was under anaesthetic). It actually was so great to have her there to be with me every second (especially when you are usually left on your own in the pre op area).
The tumor was removed with margins leaving me with a large scar on the side of my breast. Then the wait for results began. 2 weeks after surgery I went back to see my surgeon. She confirmed it was a Phyllodes Tumor and that she had clear margins. The central part of the tumour was just beginning to have some abnormal cell change, so I was relieved that I had listened to my instincts and had seeked out further advice rather than just sitting with the original diagnoses of it just being a Fibroadenoma (as these are not cancerous). This experience was scary, but really reiterated the need for myself and all of you to listen to your bodies and if you feel something isn’t right take charge of the situation and push to have things looked at further.
So that brings me to the end of what I am calling “part one”, I hope it wasn’t to long, but I felt the need to share what has happened to me just incase it could help someone else.
xx
just breathe... 