u/Littleleicesterfoxy

Available on the BBC iPlayer app, possibly BritBox in the US and however you get BBC in other countries is a programme called Surgeons: At the Edge of Life. If you’re not too bad with gore it’s worth watching S1E1 as they show a double mastectomy with DIEP flap reconstruction of both breasts with a quite a lot of information. It may help you see what is involved in the operation from the other side of the anaesthetic and help people if they are having to make a decision about reconstruction.

Hope this helps someone <3

I got to my goal weight some time ago, took up running and the gym during maintenance and was generally doing things right for a better older age period. Then I finally decided to visit the GP as part of my regular monitoring of a fibrocystic lump in my right breast which has been there for about 7/8 years now. It regularly throws up bigger cysts in it’s structure which get drained (about every 18 mnths or so) and then we move back to a monitoring period.

Well, there’s only one reason I’m discussing a lump like this in my breast and I went to the breast clinic, the radiologist put the ultrasound wand to my breast and then asked “how are you feeling in yourself?”. 15 days later it was confirmed it was a cancerous tumour with the biopsy results.

Firstly, I’ve been unceremoniously dumped off my maintenance programme :(

However, had I not lost the weight and my BMI was still 30+ like it was at the start then I would not have the options to run my programme the way I can as I’m stronger and fitter and can cope with harsher surgery. I’ve radically improved my prognosis and the chances of getting through this rather less scathed.

So, in conclusion, well done MJ friends, you are improving your life in ways I couldn’t have even comprehended at the start of my journey. Ignore the haters they just don’t get statistics. GREAT WORK ALL!

I think, when I’m cured (I’m guessing about 6 months down the line after a mastectomy and maybe radiotherapy) I can go back on MJ and I’m hoping it will be available orally and so cheaper by then. I’m dreading putting on weight after my bigger ops but I had my first yesterday and I flew through so I’m going to be walking the dogs as normal again tomorrow with the lad so hopefully I can control my weight to not pile on too much again.

Thank you for listening :)

I was really worried about how I was going to feel afterward and how the general anaesthetic was going to feel but honestly I feel really good this evening. The most pain I’m in is from a headache, probably because I slept badly last night worrying about today. My throat is a little sore from my breathing tube but honestly within half an hour I was wandering off to go to the loo as I was busting afterwards.

It looks like it went well as well as my breast surgeon came round afterwards to see how I was doing and said to the naked eye the lymph nodes has no distortion so if there is a tumour there it’s going to be small which makes the all-in-one DIEP Flap/reconstruction more likely and this is what I’m hoping for.

Makes me more optimistic about the surgeries going forwards and how I’m going to cope with it all and the staff at RUH Bath were really positive about their colleagues at Southmeads in North Bristol which is where my plastics team are.

I mean, pity about the tip near it but still breathtaking

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/properties/88131210

Big hello to a club none of us wanted to be in ;)

I just got diagnosed last Friday and my head is still in a bit of a spin and I have just one big pressing question:

When does it all begin to feel real, and not like some fever dream that you imagined when on your fifth pint the other night at the pub?

I had my post diagnosis MRI this evening and yet it still doesn’t feel real, like I’m thinking I’m going to get the results from the MRI and the consultant is going to like yell GOTCHA! You should have seen your FACE! Instead of seeing whether I’m going to need radiotherapy or not. I’m going to have a DIEP (all in one op with the mastectomy) and am starting to think about what I’ll need for the hospital/operation but still it doesn’t feel real.

Is this normal? I mean the whole thing came as a bolt from the blue as I’ve had a fibrocystic lump for years and I was just expecting a new cyst to have blown in the mass so for it to be an actual lump just seems crazy. I’m only 53 and I’m not that old yet!?

Sorry I just feel so weird.

Happy birthday, Sir David <3