life – My Journey with Breast Cancer

Hi all. What a few weeks. For once where to begin? As many of you are all aware I was expecting my MRI results on Tuesday. However, Bank Holiday Monday we went out with friends and I had my first ever seizure in 7 years and ended up in an ambulance and taken to hospital. Ive never been in an ambulance either! I had 5 seizures in total, was very sick – not nice!! I remained conscious throughout, and I will be forever grateful to my friends, especially Liz and Tim, followed by a 4 day stay in Southmead. Got home Thursday followed by an appointment with Dr Herbert same evening. It would seem that I have significant swelling where the tumour is on the front left where the wee fecker just won’t die.

I was very well looked after and I still am by my family. These recent events have left me fairly shaken and I am very tired with most of my energy being in the mornings and I am still dealing with daily headaches which vary in degrees of intensity. When in hospital they put me on Keppra which is an anti-seizure medication and dexamethasone (steroids) which help manage the brain swelling so hopefully I am being protected from two different angles. I havent had any further seizures since Bank Holiday Monday which is 3 weeks ago today so hopefully this is positive.

When I met Dr Herbert he said that there was a new tumour just below the big one which he could treat with Gamma Knife which happened at the beginning of September (bring it on!!) I had a planning scan and the treatment went well as far as we can tell at the moment and when I asked how the big one was looking he replied to be honest it looks like it has shrunk a little bit more which I was not expecting but was a welcome update. I will have a follow up scan in 3 months to see how things are going and hopefully it will be positive news. I fight so hard to live everyday and I feel incredibly lucky to have seen my granddaughter start primary school, and am excited to see my second grandchild (first grandson) with the next few weeks.

I am currently off work on sick leave and to be honest it is very needed as its taking me a little time to bounce back from all of this. Work have been so supportive and I am listening to them and my body (for once!!) I am starting to get a wee bit bored so I must be getting better!

Despite everything that has happened over the past 18 months, it has been very difficult and I have been in a dark place from time to time but my belief is that this is not the end. I do not have that sinking feeling in my tummy or feeling of doom and gloom. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t scared. I have lived with secondary breast cancer for 7 years – but my time is not up and I will keep fighting on for years to come.

Fast forward to recent scan and result we never wanted to hear, there are no treatment options left but still don’t believe this is the end and i will continue to fight as long as I have strength in me!0

I am a brain Cancer fighter/survivor.

I sound like Cornelius Fudge from Harry Potter when he realises Voldemort has in fact returned. (Those who know me well know I love HP!). My initial scan after my second craniotomy in December was really promising and so I got out of hospital and was home for Christmas which was just wonderful. Very quiet New Year so fast forward to 10-Feb-2025 and first post op MRI Scan and results on 13-Feb-2025. The wee bugger is still there/or its grown back. Bloody brilliant and Happy New Year 2025 Ali!! But a silver lining, PET Scan and result 17-Feb-2025 still shows No evidence of disease! So my liver and lungs are good – I just need my brain to play along and stay stable for a wee while. Thankfully Dr Herbert was able to treat it with radiotherapy – 5 sessions over 5 days starting Thursday 20-Feb-2025 in Oxford.

Unfortunately one of the side effects of radiotherapy which I had forgotten about is hair loss at the treated area. I noticed my hair on Friday and I am now showing off a rather fetching bald spot!!

So I have now had two craniotomies and radiotherapy or gamma knife to the same area at least 3 times. So now the risk increases for radio necrosis – a risk I am prepared to take if it keeps me alive. So the bottom line is my options for treating my brain tumour are becoming limited, but Dr Herbert said if and when we need to look at options he said if he can he will. Since this part of my journey started in May 2024 – 10 months – it has been a roller coaster and to be honest the reality has really set in and it has scared me more than you can know. I am not ready to die, I am not going to die and I will continue to fight with every breath I have.

I heard this song on one of my support facebook pages and it really touched me so thought I would share it.

I am still hugely positive and have no intention on giving up but at times you hit on a reality check and a reminder of what I am living with every day and the fragility of life.

My next scan is going to be in May but I am not going to spend the next 5-6 weeks worrying about ‘what if’ when I don’t know the outcome so we will deal with whatever it may be when I get my results. Live for the moment, live for today.

Myself and the whole family including Winston went to Centre Parcs at Longleat for the weekend. We all had a great time including a Cabana in the swimming pool which was a great base and somewhere private where we could sit and have some drinks, food etc brought to us. I went on the rapids and one of the slides and I didn’t ‘drown’ this time!!