25. October 2011

 

I was discharged from the hospital. Rufus came the to take me out of the hospital. I was very wobbly on my feet but very happy to go home.
 I got to the car. Putting a seat belt was out of the option so he drove me home without one. However apart from feeling weak I didn't feel too bad. I thought the pain was gonna be a lot worse but actually it was ok. I hardly had any pain and I didn't need many painkillers but drains i was discharged with were such a nuisance. They were attached to my body i had to live with those things for 24 hrs for at least a few days! 

Here is a the link that might tell you a bit more about those drains:

http://breastcancer.about.com/od/reconstructivesurgery/p/surg_drains.htm

My Parents arrived from London and Rufus left to go to his flat to give us some space. 

The deal was that he would be staying in his flat while mum looks after me in the first few days / week. We thought it was more comfortable for all of us that way even though I wanted them both around me. 

 It was difficult facing my parents. My mum asked what happened as she could see now that it was more than just a cyst (thats what I initially told her). She asked me how much of the breast have they removed, half ? I said more than that. She said the whole breast ? I nodded yes with tears streaming down my face. She asked if it was cancer. I said yes it was but hopefully they caught it really early. Dad was in a state of shock and both me and my mum were in tears. Our little dog Freddie just sat quietly like knowing that serious conversation was taking place. He didn't demand playing with a ball or having treats. He just sat there on the sofa next to my dad quietly.

This is our little dog called Freddie:

I should mention that cancer was not foreign to our family. My grandad smoked himself to death and died of lung cancer in his mid 50s. My stepgrandad died of bowel cancer after months of suffering. My mum had nodular melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer but fortunately it was caught early and she is ok.

My mum stayed with me for a few weeks to help me get thru this recovery. dad was back home after staying over and Rufus was back staying in his flat while mum was with me. He said he'd feel uncomfortable staying with me as mum was sleeping in the living room in my little one bedroom flat. This new arrangement kind of made sense and it was ok. It would give me some more time talking about the things with my mum. 
I can only imagine how difficult it was for my mum. I was her only child and going thru this life threatening illness ...