A Very Good Day Indeed
Despite it being Monday, today is just plain marvellous.
Today I learned that my friend's breast cancer has not recurred, as she had feared. She was first diagnosed the year before last, at the ripe old age of thirty-one. A lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy followed. Somewhere in the middle of all this her marriage broke down and she ended up selling the marital home and buying one of her own. Throughout this she remained stoic, and somehow managed to maintain a sense of humour (such as the ace idea of getting out of the washing up by wobbling her lower lip and proclaiming in a tremulous voice "but I've got cancer"..). Of course there were periods of depression and I can't imagine what it must have been like for her, but her relentless stubborn streak kicked in and she simply got her head down and got on with it. And she was one of the lucky ones - she had her follow-up mammogram a couple of months ago and was given the all-clear. And then, a fortnight ago, she found another lump in the same breast. She had an oncology appointment last Wednesday, an ultrasound last Thursday, and an MRI scan on Friday. This weekend has been spent anxiously awaiting the results which were due today.
I received a message this afternoon telling me what I hadn't dared to hope for - that it's more than likely scar tissue from her original operation. A mammogram tomorrow will confirm this, and my courageous, beautiful, funny, grumpy loose cannon of a friend, who has been in my life since we were eleven, can get on with living. I know how lucky I am to be posting this. I know so many people don't get a second chance, and I hope the outlook is clear for her. I wish it could be that way for everyone.
If you do one thing today, check your norks, ladies*. Or get a friend to do it for you......
Carry on.
* Boys - you get to feel your balls instead. Like you haven't already done that fifteen times today.
Today I learned that my friend's breast cancer has not recurred, as she had feared. She was first diagnosed the year before last, at the ripe old age of thirty-one. A lumpectomy, chemo and radiotherapy followed. Somewhere in the middle of all this her marriage broke down and she ended up selling the marital home and buying one of her own. Throughout this she remained stoic, and somehow managed to maintain a sense of humour (such as the ace idea of getting out of the washing up by wobbling her lower lip and proclaiming in a tremulous voice "but I've got cancer"..). Of course there were periods of depression and I can't imagine what it must have been like for her, but her relentless stubborn streak kicked in and she simply got her head down and got on with it. And she was one of the lucky ones - she had her follow-up mammogram a couple of months ago and was given the all-clear. And then, a fortnight ago, she found another lump in the same breast. She had an oncology appointment last Wednesday, an ultrasound last Thursday, and an MRI scan on Friday. This weekend has been spent anxiously awaiting the results which were due today.
I received a message this afternoon telling me what I hadn't dared to hope for - that it's more than likely scar tissue from her original operation. A mammogram tomorrow will confirm this, and my courageous, beautiful, funny, grumpy loose cannon of a friend, who has been in my life since we were eleven, can get on with living. I know how lucky I am to be posting this. I know so many people don't get a second chance, and I hope the outlook is clear for her. I wish it could be that way for everyone.
If you do one thing today, check your norks, ladies*. Or get a friend to do it for you......
Carry on.
* Boys - you get to feel your balls instead. Like you haven't already done that fifteen times today.
posted by surly girl at 4:03 pm
28 Comments:
That's great news. Hurrah! :)
Whatsa 'nork'? Is it anutha word for 'lovely lady lumps'? (thanks to the Black Eyed Peas for that one).
I'll just go and get someone to do it for me....
And on a serious note. Phew, wipe brow.
Remark on the footnote :
My girl and I have more quality time together by interchanging our big-C tasks ;-)
*rummages*
Nasty stuff, that "Big C". But hopefully all will be well with her - survival's almost guaranteed if caught early, isn't it?
As requested, I 've had a good old check and I think I'm all clear. But I think I might have examined incorrectly. Are you free to demonstrate the correct technique?
So glad for your friend sg. What a scary disease.
(I learned a new word today-somehow have missed 'norks' in my education)
Very good news about your friend, who seems to have the right attitude towards dealing with this vile disease (had to see my mother die after four years of chemo. In those days they didn't tackle the problem until it was way too late). There seems a more positive outlook for women who are diagnosed nowadays, so fingers crossed.
F**k me, I've gone all pompous today, haven't I?
betty - i really wanted to try and put across that she was lucky - positivity helps, but ultimately you can face each day with a determined snarl and it might still get you in the end. i'm sorry you lost your mum. i know i'm lucky to have more time with B - hopefully decades.
fuck me, i'm philosophical tonight, aren't i?
homer - it was "the local". will check the fitness of the doctor when i see B on thursday. hope your mum's ok.
stu - that's the best part, isn't it? smugly saying "it's not for my pleasure, obviously. it's a vital personal healthcheck. i mean, i could do it myself but wouldn't you want to feel like you were doing something good?". for boys, it's presumably an effective excuse for being caught playing pocket pool.
ant, merkin....dirty, dirty boys.
funny thing - you know, norks. like jugs. or wangers. or baps. or lalas.
laura, donna...thanks.
what fantastic news - yay for your friend!
p.s. i didn't know what 'norks' were either, kyahgirl
very good news. Women, keep an eye out for lumps everywhere. A friend of mine died from ovarian cancer two weeks ago. That one is rarely diagnosed in time.
Having said that, I hate doing nork checks. Don't know why but it just makes me feel sick with fear.
Good news Surly. They can do so much these days. My Mum survived ovarian cancer the year before last, after a horrible long period of hospitalisation and chemo. It's a terrible thing for the person to go through, but also for the people that help them through it. GSE, I'm very sorry to hear about your friend.
Also, another timely reminder that I really should stop smoking as though my life depended on it. Thanks.
So glad for your friend and for you.
That's fantastic news. I had a friend who was diagnosed at just 26, almost immediately after having her first child. Again she went through years of yukky treatment, got the all clear, then had it re-occur just as she had her second child! Finally clear now fortunately & she kept a gsh (on the outside), looked after her kids & kept working through it all! I don't even want to imagine going through all that. Fortunately Mr A is happy to check me over whenever:-)
Hurrah for your friend! I actually JUST had done this, because my mom has a diagram in her shower, explaining how best to check the girls. It's actually a little disconcerting, though helpful, reminder.
Yay! That is good news. Love your friend's sense of humour re the washing up!
Now that we've clarified what a nork is, what's a nindy? Or is it better not to know?
Drivation of 'norks' (not that anyone was asking):
norks/norgs/norgies/norkers n. (1950s+) (Aus) the breasts (cf. BORDEN'S: CREAM JUGS). (The NORCO Co-operative Ltd. butter manufacturer of NSW, featured a cow's udder on its labels).
Glad your friend is okay.
Or even 'derivation'. Ahem.
Sorry to turn up late. Great news for you/your friend.
GSE, sorry to hear about your loss.
Tell you ladies, get those titties checked out nice and regular . I got meself a little lump years ago and only got it checked out recently because I'm naughty (tis OK). Seeing a lump on the mammogram is very scary (it was an awful lot bigger than I thought) and I'm going to ask for mine to be removed. It'll be sort of like a fresh start once it's gone. I was stupid but lucky, do yourselves a favour and give those babies a gentle massage with the flats of your fingers once a month.
And I know most blokes don't need much of an excuse to play with their bollocks during meetings, but they should perhaps do it constructively.
Believe it or not, testicles tend not to be the main attraction of our nether regions.
But I'll er, pay more attention next time I'm fiddling about down there.
Excellent news about your friend though. :)
So glad to hear the news of your friend.
I'm glad to hear that everything is okay.
More and more women are getting breast cancer at younger and younger ages. :( I have a friend who is only 33 and she's survived it TWICE.
Good news indeed.
And some of us blokes do inspect for lumps down there regularly like we should :o)
A good news post: your friend's good news lifted me somehow, thanks.
I believe "playing pocket billiards" is the phrase.
I belong to a quartet of 'older girls'. The eldest A - had cancer years ago and lives a pretty normal life, the next in seniority - B has passed her five year period after radio therapy for breast cancer and the youngest is a couple of years on after the same treatment as B. All of them were diagnosed by the visiting mammary machine and I personally have lost a lot of my original dread (but not a healthy respect)of the disease.
The poor love - so glad the story had a happy ending, hon.
> Boys - you get to feel your balls instead.
Oh I just get the boyfriend to do it. He also pretends it's a chore...
wonderful news
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