Better news

At last there’s some good news. It seems the further biopsies proved fine. The cysts are benign. I will still need an op but at least it will just be a small one to remove the tumour without substantially changing the appearance of my breast. It also means it will probably be done as a day patient, so there’s no long hospital stay. Above all it means the chances of full recovery & survival are good.

The nurse I spoke to was surprised when I asked about the time schedule. Apparently that rarely gets asked. She thought I must be going on holiday soon or something. I assured her no. We were only just back from holiday. I was thinking more about Christmas arrangements & the anxiety of letters getting lost in the post.

Anyhow the conclusion is that I should be sent 2 appointments during the course of the next 2 weeks. One is with the surgeon (with a very un-English sounding name), the other for the pre-operation assessment. The op itself should be at the end of October/beginning of November. There shouldn’t be any need for any further treatment, just check-ups

All this suggests we can have our usual quiet Christmas at home. I will have had a good month to recover. Even if I don’t feel up to the cooking, I should be in a state to supervise, & certainly in a state to enjoy eating. The Fox may end up doing the actual cooking.

There was much celebrating in the area as I told friends the news.

 It doesn’t alter the fact things may change when I see the surgeon. He may see complications the nurse is unaware of. Any op can have complications & unforeseen consequences, but at least things sound more hopeful. The one thing I don’t want is to have a small op to find it hasn’t done the job & I have to have a second more serious one later.

It seems strange to be celebrating the prospect of an operation. But in this case a lumpectomy sounds so much better than a mastectomy which I had been gearing myself up for.