Leah Walks All Over Cancer

Please ignore my appalling English December 2016 I went through a hick up in my life after finishing breast feeding William, I found a lump and i had blood and milk still being produced in one of my breasts.... i thought ohhh it must be an infection. It wasnt painful so didnt really rush to the doctors but it didnt seem to go away after a couple of weeks so made an appointment. The doctor then sent me to the breast centre in Winchester but told me not to worry. I went to the breast centre on the 16th December and luckily with my mum, i was going to go by myself as i still was convinced it was an infection. I was being sent to different rooms to see different people and have different tests, i really started to worry. I was then told someone will speak to me and would advise who was with me to come in as well, I'm not going to lie I was pooping myself, really bad!!!?? I was called in, I felt I was so nervous I couldn't walk. Sat down and the specialist explained that I did have something wrong and I had to wait for the test results of the biopsy I had early to confirm if I had pre cancer or cancer, she couldn't tell me which but it was definitely one. All I heard was cancer, cancer cancer!!!! I have a 6 month old i cant have cancer and and i heard nothing else, lucky my mum took it all in as I had no idea what else she said I was devastated and I now had to wait 2 weeks and it was Christmas. ?? I'm not going to lie it was a weird Christmas, I felt like everyone was treating me like I was glass!! I just wanted to be like nothing was happening, but i guess people have to deal with it as well. I went to get my results at the end of December and there wasnt enough evidence and because the lump was so large they wanted to to do a lumpectomy to take a larger sample but they were positive. 6th of January, i was made radio active so they could find my lymph nodes and dyed blue and i went in for my first ever operation ( a sleep). Everything went well and i was home the same day and not it any pain just blue. After 2 weeks i got the results and it was kinda goods news but still not fully comfirmed! I had pre cancer (dcis) and it was quite aggressive and i was lucky to spot it when i did. The best option was to remove the breast and nipple to make sure there was no chance of cancer and the best option because the lump was so big. The amazing surgeon Dr Rainsbury was pretty happy but the breast would be tested to make sure i wouldn't need chemo or radiotherapy. The options for reconstruction were amazing, the breast care team went through it with a fine tooth comb, with pictures and side effects, i feel with the information they gave me, i felt confident with the reconstruction choice i made. I decided to have an implant and to take the muscle from my back to form a new boob. So at 31 I had to under go a mastectomy and reconstruction!!! Scary stuff!! I remember when i woke for the surgery and the first thing i did was look at my boob and thought oh my god its so square!!! ?? After coming round and having to move for the nurses, i'm not going to lie it was painful, like so painful!! I thought i was never go to move again but after 2 days and loads of pain killers i was fine again haha! I just had to carry around drainage bottles which got in the way and were a little yuck to look at. I was hospital for a week, made some lovely friends who were going through the same but it was the longest week of my life. i missed my little boy so much. He came to visit but i couldn't hold him, play with him or do any mummy things, it was hell! I was finally let home and my lovely husband looked after me for 2 weeks but then he had to go back to work. He was amazing, He took over my role and his own, i couldnt asked for better even though i was told off nearly every day for lifting william. ?? hes just so cute i couldn't help it. My amazing mum would then come round and help me with william. My family were amazing. Got the results which were all positive and I didn't need any chemo or radio so far but i had to go in for more tests because of the size of the lump and when they tested the tissue it was very close to my actually skin tissue so they needed to take a sample closer to the skin, to make sure no dcis (precancer) cells were there. So this was my 3rd surgery (asleep ) in 4 months! Considering i had only ever been in hospital for william i was defiantly making it up. I got my results and that was it, all good ready to say bye bye to any pre cancer cells! Whoop whoop! I dont have matching boobs or a nipple, but who cares, i have my life and i can enjoy my little boy grow up and spend time with my husband and family . After my extremely long story i now want to explain why i am raising Money for cancer research... I consider mysef very lucky (so far) and not just because of the results but for my friends and family, that support! there are people who are not so lucky, who didnt spot it as early, have the signs i had, to shy or dont want to waste doctors time. we need raise more awareness to make these people want to go if they just fèel something is wrong, to get it checked and raise money to help find more cures for cancer for more aggressive stages of cancer and make it possible for people to tell a story like mine and feel lucky themselves. With everything that has happened I've struggled with keeping fit and a little confidence, so i want to get myself healthy again and what better way to start. So i'm going to start with walking more every day and if i can raise a little bit of money for cancer research at the same time, brilliant. I know this is nothing but I have to start somewhere. :) Lots of love Me