Woo hoo! That’s another stage out of the way. I’ll begin with the medical news…

Good news: There are no obvious signs of cancer in other parts of my body. So any cancer cells floating around should be killed off with the chemo. That’s something of a relief for sure! PLUS… I don’t have to have the core biopsy on Friday and that’s pretty awesome too as I’m still bruised from the last one.

So the cancer is grade 3 (fast growing) but it hasn’t spread beyond the breast so we can manage that! It’s doubled in size in 2 months so let’s get that thing shrunken!!

Other news: The cancer has been diagnosed as Triple negative breast cancer which is unusual (of course… I’m destined to be unusual). I meet the criteria for the clinical trial which I’ll be taking part in: Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy With Nab-paclitaxel in Women With HER2-negative High-risk Breast Cancer (ETNA). By doing this I feel I’m contributing to providing better treatment for women in the future and also gaining close monitoring and new medical techniques.

My part in breast cancer research clinical trial: The short description of the trial is that I’ll begin with chemo using 3 types. One of the types is usually used for secondary cancer but they are trialling the use of it for primary breast cancer. Once I have completed 6 months of chemo I’ll go on to surgery and radiation treatment. Hopefully the chemo will shrink the tumour down to nothing or almost nothing and the surgery will not be as significant. I have to have surgery regardless of how small it gets. It will also mean that any cells floating around my body will be killed very soon rather than waiting until after surgery. Death to the cells!!

Click here to read the medical jargon about the trial

Click here to read about Triple Negative breast cancer

Where to from here: Today I’m to read the pages and pages of research clinical trials info and sign it. I’m going back in tomorrow with the signed forms and to get things kick started. Chemo will be at Maroondah hospital, most likely on Tuesdays which is a bit disappointing as I was hoping for LILYDALE but oh well. The car parking at Maroondah will be a small challenge in the scheme of things.

I don’t know when chemo starts but possibly next week. Stand by!

The non medical stuff

Every day I get a parcel in the mail.

Not from ebay but from various cancer foundations.

• I got the ugliest bra EVER. But I’m very grateful to have received it.
• A pilates video
• A million trillion books and reading material
• A journal and diary

It’s like Christmas (not!).

My friends and relatives expect great things from Colin

Ever since my last blog post, Colin has a growing list of things to purchase. Camping trailers, overseas trips, guitars etc. He has been putting his small change away especially. One of his work buddies sent me an sms saying that Colin would never buy me a Ferrari so he would buy it. YAY!!! I knew I loved Dave from the moment I met him. Red would be good Dave.

People are so awesome

I’m so humbled and grateful for those around who have been so thoughtful. It’s really very touching to have the practical things and the flowers etc but mostly the kind words and prayer. I am not alone and boy do I know it!

My daughter is awesome

The world of wigs and weird bras is all new but my darling daughter is right onto it. Yesterday she ordered me an eyebrow stencil. I really appreciate her help in these matters but I can’t help finding it funny because I use stencils with my artwork quite often. If I need to draw a circle perfectly, for example, I use a stencil. So I have visions of eyebrows like this one of my drawings, below. If I get right into it I’ll draw in some eyelashes to match. Where does it end? Let’s not think about it.

Anyhow, I’ve booked into a Look Good Feel Better workshop thanks to Ash (sons girlfriend) for her research and Sophie (daughter) can come and take credit for my eyebrows.

You can subscribe to this blog by putting your email address into the column on the top left side of the blog page.