I’ve chosen
that title because it is one of the things that has happened since my partner Sheena was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018.
She went for her regular mammogram on 28 October – by 28 November she
was receiving her first chemotherapy treatment.
The NHS
moved quickly and efficiently and have been brilliant all the way along so far.
We are at treatment two and the third will be in a couple of weeks. I use ‘we’ because that’s how it feels, we
are going through this together, but it’s a hell of a lot easier for me than
for her.
Sheena and
I only met in February 2018, so this has been quite a test I guess, but maybe
that’s what February was for (see ‘The Gift of Snow'), making sure we were both
up for what lay ahead!
There has
been a whole range of emotions, but both of us feel amazingly confident – we know
this is curable and have complete faith that this time next year we will be
celebrating.
 |
| From long hair to.... |
In the
meantime, we know we have a very tough year ahead – with the first stage (hair
loss) happening as predicted (Sheena couldn’t wear a cold cap, it gave
her a headache), I learned my first new skill – hair cutting! Admittedly the job I did would not provide me
with suitable credentials for a career change, but (beyond using a head razor
in the past) it was my first attempt at a haircut.
Watching
the chemo go in – and it takes about an hour – is a difficult process. The
first time I noted that two of the syringes looked like they were full of Vimto
(her favourite tipple), and she talked non-stop to our lovely nurse.
Before the second
chemo, Sheena's white blood cells were down and her immune system not at ‘ideal’
for chemo – but given that her cancer is a nasty little bugger, it was deemed
that chemo should go ahead but with additional support. The extra help was a series of injections for five days following the chemo.
This time we played Scrabble as the chemo went it, with some help from
the nurse of course.
Sheena is
an ex-auxiliary nurse herself and has given more injections than I’ve had
Chinese takeaways, but day one she did not do a great job on herself, with some
of the medicine flying in the air. The
syringes are easy to use and have a fantastic self-retracting needle, but you
still have to poke them into yourself. Day two she stabbed herself like she was
throwing for 120 in a darts final! That
was enough – my turn to take over. Oh dear, I’m not a lover of needles to say
the least. A paramedic friend showed me
how to do the injection and I had a turn – not great but an improvement on days
one and two. I finished the course for
her, injecting Sheena (reasonably painlessly) and I am now confident that, should
it be needed again, I can do it. A new skill
I never thought I’d acquire.
We both
have a very positive attitude towards this horrible disease and know that we
can beat it together. The moral of the story is please do not miss out
on any of your regular scans, screenings or check ups. The earlier any cancer or other disease is
detected, the better are your chances of recovery.
Happy New
Year.
Liked
this? Try…
Baptism (of fire)
Links
Breast Cancer Care
