I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2016 just before my 69th birthday. I was recalled after a routune mammogram. I had not felt a lump. I had a lumpectomy two days later. I got results 3 weeks later. 10mm Stage 1 grade 3 not spread to lymph nodes. I had to wait another 4 weeks before getting results of a test sent to America. I was referred to a different hospital for treatment (35 minutes drive away). The new consultant told me my options and left it to me to decide between chemo + radiotherapy or just radiotherapy and hormone tablets. I was not happy with the information I had been given so did some research and decided to just have radiotherapy. When telling the consultant my decision I found out I had been given incorrect information which completely threw me. I broke down and needed to rethink. My decision was the same based on the estimated % recurrance rates. Another factor in my decision was that my partner had just been diagnosed with kidney cancer. I could not face feeling unwell with chemo while supporting him. I started hormone tablets immediately and started 23 days of radiotherapy 12 days later. I am writing this after my first session. Now waiting for decision about my partners treatment. He may have to have a major operation to remove his kidney but the complication being that his other kidney is compromised as he has previously had 4 procedures on it for stones and currently has another stone in it. I have been sleeping really badly for a long time and tonight (always about 4am) I have woken with a headache (stress or hormone tablets?). I have a daughter with Parkinson's who has been very unwell for many years. Her medication caused dreadful known side effects (compulsive gambling....losing her house) so she had deep brain stimulation a year ago then attempted suicide. She does not live near me. Her husband was killed in a motorbike accident before she was diagnosed. She came to live with us for 6 months while her two teenage sons have had to cope on their own. You can imagine that family relationships have been very strained throughout this time. I have never previously been unwell always said I cannot be ill. My husband died of testicular cancer when my children were 8 and 10...then my son was diagnosed with the same cancer in his 20's. He is now 43 and well thankfully. My sister in law has been diagnosed with an incurable form of non hodgkins lymphoma and just started treatment. Life has dealt some hard blows. Some dear friends are driving 3 hours to come and take us out for a meal after my treatment later today. They are staying the night then driving to the hospital the next morning while my partner has kidney tests having lunch then driving 3 hours home. I have a radiotherapy session later thst day then my daughter and grandsons are arriving for the weekend.
