What I shared on Facebook on Wednesday 14th July 2021 as my Cancer Journal Number 11.
These cancer journals were my ongoing strategy of keeping people up to date without having to share the same information again and again. I would write, and then I would get specific friends to act as beta readers, and that was helpful. Then I would post to Facebook, send the same message by email, What’s App, SMS, etc. It saved a lot of emotional energy for me, and that was becoming vital.
⭐ Cancer Journal ⭐
Wednesday 14th July 2021 (11)
Hello from the other side! 😁 (Cancer Journal 11)
I am happily on 7 South East Bed 25; have the best twinnie in my roomie 🤩
Lymph Nodes
They removed five lymph nodes on the left side, six on the right side, and it will be two weeks until we get those results and from there, decisions will be made around Chemo and / or Radiotherapy etc.
Gratitude
I’m so grateful for all the messages of support and for the prayers, ritual, and well wishes. I have masses being said for me, and candles being lit for me, and friends dancing for me, going for meditative walks for me; all manner of emotional, spiritual, psychological care happening, and I feel very cherished.
Reminders
🚫 please be mindful of your language; this is not a battle or a war, this is my lived experience. Please review the boundaries I set out in my pinned post.
⛔ I also do not wish to discuss this in terms of “the loss of my breasts” – my breasts have been reconstructed, so they’re mine.
The ensuing reconstruction, and associated breast reduction will hopefully provide a whole heap of benefits in terms of my neck, shoulders, and back as well.
🔥 Like twin Phoenixes, they will rise to new points of glory, 😉!
✅ I’m very happy with the process, the care, and the results so far.
Boundaries
‼️ I honestly don’t know what my emotional landscape is going to be over the next month, so I will simply say this:
⛔ I anticipate being very emotionally unavailable, so if I am insensitive or fail to engage, apologies in advance, but right now, my focus is on me, my self care, and the care of my household.
🚫 Once home, I may well welcome visitors again, but I’ll let you know – I’m probably only going to up to see one person a day at most, and it will typically be in the afternoons I suspect. Again, please stay away if you or anyone close to you are sick or have been unwell in the last 14 – 21 days.
💣 A friend raised Delta varient hot spots; so just check them as well, because if you have been to a Delta variant hot spot, we should skip any visits just to be safe. X
📍 I have pinned the post with the announcement about my diagnosis and the boundaries I want to work with, so if this post is the first you have seen, please refer to that pinned post.
⭐ This is the eleventh of my Cancer Journal entries, if you are interested in the others, I have put links in at the bottom of this post.
🌹 Be kind, Gentle Creatures, tend your gardens, take time to eat the roses, and walk your boundaries.
❗ Check your breasts, check your testicles.
Self checks
Ensure that you are vigilant around your self-examination. Train yourself to check your breasts/testicles routinely, and monitor your bowel habits and your urine output. These are our body’s early warning signs, and we don’t have a lot of awareness of them.
Related blog posts
- Sunday 11th July 2021 (Cancer Journal 10)
- Monday 05th July 2022 (Cancer Journal 9)
- Monday 21st June 2021 – Surgery Date (Cancer Journal 8)
- Plaster Cast
- Thursday 03rd June 2021 – the worst meltdown
- Sunday 30th May 2021: Cancer – telling your colleagues
- Friday 28th May 2021 (Cancer Journal 7)
- Friday 28th May 2021 Plastic Surgeon
- Wednesday 26th May 2021 Cancer Clinic
- Tuesday 25th May 2021 Left Breast Diagnosis
- Friday 21st May 2021: Biopsy, Left Breast
- Tuesday 18th May (Cancer Journal 6)
- Monday 17th May 2021 Arranging the biopsy
- Saturday 15th May 2021 (Cancer Journal 5)
- Wednesday 12th May 2021 (Cancer Journal 4)
- Friday 07th May 2021 (Cancer Journal 3)
- Samhain
- Cancer surgeon
- Sunday, 02nd May 2021 (Cancer Journal 2)
- Saturday May 01st 2021 ( Cancer Journal 1)
- Facebook post
- How to tell people you have cancer.
- Diagnosis
- Deciding strategies
- The Camus Question of Choice
- The Follow-up Tests
- The phone call.
- Milestones
- Check your breasts
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