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Pink Ribbon
Month
My Story
Continued…..
Gosh is it
October already!! As most are aware October is Breast Cancer
Awareness month and as breast cancer is on the increase and can
affect anybody (male and female) regardless of race, colour or
creed, we should stand together and help each other.
Last October I
wrote a story about the anguish of being diagnosed with cancer and
having a breast removed. Like so many others it doesn’t end there!!
Firstly, it has
taken a good year to get used to this ‘foreign body’ no matter how
good it looks or feels – it is still foreign to my body. Especially
due to the fact it is no longer the same size as before! Then you
walk around with only one nipple – as they remove it completely
depending on the type of cancer and the area affected. After about
six months from the mastectomy I had to go back to have
reconstruction done on the nipple (which is a vital part of being a
woman!) They created a nipple by taking skin from elsewhere
(another scar!) and literally moulding it into place. AT LAST, I am
complete – I now have two breasts and two nipples. Oh sheer
delight!
Now we wait for
three months before the next check-up. But hey, what am I worrying
about everything is back in it’s place and all clear. Yeah
right….. At the check-up they discovered cancer in the other
breast! Now to go through the whole process again with all these
long words which by now you begin to understand! To be honest, it
was almost relief, as I said before the mind plays tricks on you and
now I won’t have to worry about it anymore. Thank God, He only gave
us two!!
Having booked
myself into the hospital (rather sheepishly, as I did not behave
very well coming out of anaesthetic the last time!) and knowing what
I was in for with regards to tubes, drips, 4.00 am baths and 5.00 am
breakfasts!! It wasn’t going to be that bad. So the left breast
was removed and once again I am stuck with two ‘foreign’ breasts and
one nipple! After dealing with that for six months, it’s back again
for reconstruction and again another scar and another nipple!! The
body is beginning to look like a patchwork quilt but……..finally, I
now have two breasts and two nipples and fingers crossed extremely
tightly and most importantly cancer free!
The mind will
play all sorts of tricks on you at times of need. One minute you
are optimistic and the next you are in utter despair. Unfortunately
cancer is not like the common cold where you take a few tablets and
a couple of weeks later you are fine. It is such an ongoing process
so the mind keeps going round and round between each session, which
could be three months or a year. At the end of the day as far as
the mind is concerned cancer is cancer whether you are in remission,
still have it, have chemo or don’t – it is still there and will
always be a part of you for life. Each person deals with it in
different ways…. SO WEAR A PINK RIBBON TO SHOW SUPPORT TO THOSE
WHO HAVE BEEN THERE AND THOSE THAT ARE STILL THERE!
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October 2004