MyStory
Skivvy, Jan 13, 2021
- Description:
- Allison Pennington - Storytelling
https://the-lilypad.com/store/Storytelling.html
602 Words
My story started at the beginning of 2019. Just to paint the picture, I was 55 years old and proud to be fit and strong. I am an avid cyclist and I even managed to do some multi day events that are so popular here in South Africa. On a Saturday just after a training cycle at our favourite bike park, I went for a shower and as you all know us 50 something woman do not like looking in the mirror. That day however I did look in the mirror and I noticed that the nipple on my right breast looked weird. I made an appointment with my General Practitioner and she sent me for some test………
The radiographer did a mammogram and some sonar and told me that I most likely had breast cancer. I was scheduled for a biopsy the next day and I was diagnosed with stage 2B breast cancer. I was then referred to an oncologist who said that I most probably needed a mastectomy and radiation afterwards as the test showed that the cancer was slow growing. After many more test I was scheduled for a Mastectomy in March. In April after healing from the operation I went back to the oncologist to hear when the radiation would start, but she gave me some bad news. She said that the cancer was not slow growing as first thought, but fast and that 5 of the 25 lymph nodes that were surgically removed were positive. I was starting chemotherapy the next Monday. Wow that was a shocker.
I started with Adriamycin(The red devil) 4x2week cycles. My hair all fell out by the second treatment. I cut my hair short just before the treatment, but it did not help much. My husband had the pleasure of shaving all my hair off. I did not look too bad. A bit like Sigourney Weaver in Alien. In the middle June I started on Docetaxel, which would have been 4x3week cycles. My second chemotherapy session started badly because there was somebody in the chair that I had occupied since my second chemo. Weirdly that really bothered me. I was not feeling well at all from the moment they started the infusion, hugely different to all the other times. I felt nauseous and hot. I ask my husband to call the nurse, which is very unlike me. He came back and told me that she was coming soon and that is all I can remember…….
From other people’s recount of what happened is that I went into anaphylactic shock. They took about half an hour to resuscitate and stabilise me. When I came to, I could not understand what had happened. I just heard that my husband told me repeatedly that I was going to be ok and I realised that I had an oxygen mask on my face. My husband and the whole chemotherapy centre were traumatised by my episode. They tried the docetaxel one more time, but I immediately started reacting again. So, then they had to change my chemo to Paclitaxel which is a weekly dose. Luckily, I was able to complete the course, but my veins were shot after that.
After the chemo, I still had to have radiation. I started a six-week course of daily radiation, but that was at least a breeze compared to chemo. It was a tough 11 months. I just wish somebody had told me what a long drawn-out process it would be.
On the ninth of November 2019 I finished the radiation and I now have been in remission for a year.
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- Category:
- Month of Challenges 9
- Uploaded By:
- Skivvy
- Date:
- Jan 13, 2021
- View Count:
- 198
- Comment Count:
- 3
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