A year ago

Well this time last year I had an unusual hardening on the inner side of my left breast, it had been there for just over a month or so. I put it down to hormones as there was no lump there and it was sore. It started to feel like mastitis, very full and pressurisied. Off I went to my GP thinking it was a cyst and I'd need it drained before we left in 5 days for our Xmas break. Well how wrong I was and what a whirlwind followed. Referred to a breast specialist the next day, upon my examination she told me I most likely had a very large breast cancer but hoped she was wrong, I knew she wasn't. Mammogram, ultrasound and biopsies all that afternoon confirmed her initial diagnosis. Bone ans Ct scans the next day thankfully showed it was localised and had not spread. 2 days before we left for our Xmas break we were told that I had a very aggresive stage 3 , grade 3 , triple positive breast cancer. It was inoperable due to it's size and I would need to have intensive Chemotherapy as soon as possible in the hope of shrinking it to an operable size. I also had some lymph node involvement so locally advanced breast cancer was my diagnosis. Early in the new year we started treatment 3 months of AC Chemo followed by 12 weeks of weekly taxol, 5 weeks of daily radiation ( loaded dosages) and then in September a Mastectomy and aux clearance. Clear margins were achieved and I am cancer free as of today, Herceptin treatment is ongoing til March and Tamoxifen for 5 - 10 years. To say that I am grateful to the amazing team of Drs and specialists that took such incredible care of me is a massive understatement but I also wanted thank each of you on this forum. Having this site to fall back on even just to read at times has been a great support. All of us here know and understand what each of us may be going through and it is an invaluable place of support, understanding and sometimes even laughter. I wish all of you and your families the very best of Christmases.
Kat xo