Here's an update from Kat over at The C Word blog whom I have requested prayers for in the past. Kat had her allo stem cell transplant back on May 23rd. Kat has went through pretty much a living hell since she was first diagnosed back in September, 2012. It is so good to hear that she is doing well. Her thoughts on her new post-cancer life provoked alot of thoughts and prayers for Mary Jo, Kat and all those getting on with life after successful transplants.
Broken, beat and scarred..
September 1, 2013
“What don’t kill you makes you more strong..” So the song goes.. And hell, I hope there’s some truth in that because over the last year, cancer has at times broken me, beaten me up and left me scarred. In fact I still have physical scars up my arms, my ovaries have pretty much shriveled up, packed up and said “Goodnight Vienna” and the immune system I was born with has died. But apart from that, I’m feeling quite triumphant, and despite feeling like a geriatric having done several rounds with Wladimir Klitschkp most of the time, I’m feeling quite strong.
So, where am I now? I’m in complete remission – obviously you know that from reading my previous blog entry, and although myself, my husband, my family and friends have been jubilantly celebrating this news, it hasn’t escaped me that this isn’t the end and that I’m not out of the woods – but it’s a bloody good start. To be completely out of the woods, I need my scan in November to be clear, the one after that to be clear and every other scan in the next five years to be clear. Then we can say that I’ve been cured. So although this is a great start, you’ll still occasionally find me lurking around this blog and in my own world on tenterhooks hoping for the best. Over the next 12 months, I’ll still have to be careful as my immunity will remain as fragile as a baby, I need to wait another year before I can have all my immunisations again – yep, I have to have all the ones I had as a child all over again! (Does this mean I have to battle with my conscious whether I should have the MMR immunisations? Because in theory, I am a fully developed adult and if the MMR jabs do cause problems with development in children, it shouldn’t affect me?!? Hmmm moral quagmire!)
Anyhow, it’s not the end but compared to a year ago, things are positively brighter. In fact I was diagnosed with cancer exactly a year ago and my outlook back then couldn’t have been bleaker. Moving forward, I know I will have to battle with fluctuating energy levels, focus and concentration, I will at times have to battle with my head and cope with meltdowns and I will have to be prudent with my surroundings and keep away from contagious people – but this is a very small price to pay compared to what I had to go through to get to this point.
A year ago, I didn’t think I would see 2013 and now I have breaks in Hong Kong, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Copenhagen planned between now and November. Perhaps the biggest milestone is November when I’ll be rejoining the gym and going back to work – I can’t wait to establish some of the old routine and sense of “normality” though this time, I’ll be walking into it with a whole new perspective and immune system!
I have my routine appointment at the hospital tomorrow and an hour on the nebuliser (to protect my lungs and respiratory system), so I guess it’s bed time for me. I’ll try and blog later this week for another update before I go on my first post-cancer holiday!
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