Just want to get off the bus

Morning all, had my rescheduled follow up with my breast surgeon yesterday, very well organised, just patient into the Haven, met by masked staff, masks and hand sanitizer at the doorway, no crowds.  Sadly, my mastectomy and reconstruction looks very odd to me, Id had an implant when I was 18, my sternum(breast bone) is "Depressed" and breast hadnt developed properly. It was a mess, the implant gave me a sense of feeling and looking almost "normal" after years of being bullied by the school *** in the changing rooms. Going through teenage years with a prosthesis was tough. So you can maybe understand my sensitivity about now having the chest "dent" back, and a collection of discoloured scars under my breast and more along the side of it, and a dog ear fold of skin that sticks out.  Am now facing the prospect of bone scan and CAT scan as ribs on other side are painful to the touch. And then the kicker, My daughter had invited me to come with her next week for a look at wedding dresses. Its been whats keeping me going, the prospect of a mum and daughter day out. She rang to say shes worried I wouldnt cope with being in the car on a long drive, and perhaps I could watch on zoom and her fiancees sister could go with  her, I lost it. It didnt help when she asked brightly how Id got on at appt, and I said I was upset and scared. I also told her surgeon was talking about re-operating, maybe putting in an additional implant, to which she said "Its just cosmetic, its not really important". Im afraid I didnt cope with that. Anybody else feel like they suddenly flop and find it tough to keep cheerful in these situations? I have an underlying health issue which means Ive been stuck inside shielding for three months and the wedding dress trip was the first thing Id had to look forward to. I hate feeling like a moaning minnie, but Im due an occupational health telephone review in a few weeks and dont know what to say to them because I have no idea what the scans are going to say, my arthritis is playing hell with my joints, my bones hurt, and we have no idea if its worse due to the examestane tablets Im on, because the anastrazole led to a big rise in bone and joint pain.  And apparently exemastane can cause depression!  grrr.

  • I really feel for you your daughter I am afraid needs a rain check she is being rather selfish but don’t want to seem too harsh she seems to totally not understand how devastated you are I have total support from my daughter I have recently been diagnosed with terminal bile duct cancer and she is my reason for getting up most days on the other hand I have had other selfish people who don’t seem to understand my isolation I feel like I am fighting for my life but also fighting to stay safe from this awful virus I hope things turn around for you and I do see a brighter future on the horizon for you stay safe and stay strong 

  • Hi Danymwn and thank you, I am pleased your daughter is keeping you going. I think what stung was that usually she has been my rock, she has been a constant source of support through my mums illness and death - mum had a stroke when we visited her and my dad, she saw her taken off to hospital, took her down for a repeat brainscan, saw her struggling to even eat one strawberry after the atrocious effects of the stroke, came over from her uni in France to support her nan, her grandpa and me when mum was kicked out of hospital into a nursing home, and coped when Mum lost the plot with dementia and was swinging between being vile, hysterically funny and inappropriate, or just depressed and aggressive. Then daughter had to go back to Paris for uni in the afternmath of the terror attacks and the tragic death of a classmate under a train, she has seen too much of the nasty side of life, and maybe its too much for her to see it again. But on the positive side, she rang me today burbling abouut wedding stuff, so I calmly said I needed her to understand that the reason I may have been abrupt was because I havent had anyhthing positive happen since last year, and had been hanging all my future plans of enjoying the sort of road trip we used to have together, and told her how fed up and scared I was after my doctors visit on Friday, and reminded her |d just got in from that when she dropped her comment about dropping taking me. anyway, the took the  comments on the chin and apologised, and turns out we might make two trips on the same day......and its ok for me to say if Im too tired or queasy.  What is good is its taught me its ok to draw a line, its ok for me to say no, its ok for me to tell it like it is, not shouty, just adult to adult, and the sky doesnt fall in, I realise that part of the issue I need to work on is how much I have lost confidence that anyting can be resolved without it going wrong for me in some way, maybe out trip out is our opportunity to build better ways of being around each other.thanks again for your remarks, I hadnt seen them before I spoke to her, but naming what was a problem and keeping calm seemed a better way forward that stewing about things and getting grumpy

  • I understand how disappointed you must have felt when you thought your daughter was dropping you from the wedding trip, I’m pleased you’ve spoken to her about it, it was the best thing you could have done.

     

    Sounds like your daughter has been through a hell of a lot too and probably needs help and someone to talk to.