Final pre-op prep

I'm heading in for my surgery tomorrow so just thought I'd update you on the final things that have happened this week. Since my pre-op check-up I have seen the cardio oncologist again, for the results of my various heart tests. She was very reassuring and said all the test results seem fine. She suspects I have what is called Ventricular Ectopy, where my heart decides to give an extra beat every now and again, for a short burst, which explains my chest pain and the fact that I'm feeling my heart beating quite aggressively. She said it's nothing to worry about in the short term, that I'm fine to proceed with surgery, but that if it's still happening in a couple of months I should head back in to see her. She did, however, point out that my blood results show I'm anaemic, so she has advised that I receive a blood transfusion after my surgery rather than simply being left to build my bloods back up on my own.

I also received a call this week from the clinic to say my bloods needed doing again, so it appears that they are not as good as they could be. The nurse told me my magnesium and potassium are low, or something like that (I didn't take notes) and she took three more vials from me to do further tests. Due to 6 months of sustained chemotherapy, my veins are not as good as they used to be, and have a tendency to collapse when someone tries to put a needle in them. She tried her hardest but had to use a vein that was quite deep, and now I have a huge bruise on my left arm! I asked the google what I could do about collapsed veins, thinking there might be some things I could do to help them regain their strength (such as drinking lots of water doing exercises etc) but all I unearthed were helpful websites urging me to stop doing drugs! It seems as though that's the main cause of collapsed veins, and the advice is all very admonishing, so I retreated. Anyway, hopefully they got what they needed at the hospital and my bloods are getting better.

Finally, this morning I had to go into the nuclear medicine department again so that they could inject me with some radioactivity. The nurse was fabulous and explained how it all works, before injecting it into my boob near the nipple. It only stung a little and now I'm back home. After the injection, she took a marker pen, circled the area she had injected and put a little arrow towards it with 'INJ' next to it! I suspect that is not the last time I will be written on with marker pen. Oh well, if it helps the surgeons I really don't mind. So tomorrow they will apparently use a Geiger counter to see where the radioactivity has gathered, and this will help them see where my primary lymph nodes are, to aid them in taking them out. It's all so fascinating.

At the nuclear medicine dept this morning. Far too early for Tanai!

On the way home, we stopped at St John's bakery and bought two donuts. They make delicious fresh donuts every day and fill them with different creams and custards. Tanai got one with honey and brandy cream, and I got one with a delicious spiced custard. This has become a bit of a tradition now, buying St John's donuts at each stage of my treatment. It's so lovely to have it to look forward to.

Today's yummy donuts

This weekend I also went to my first gig at the Roundhouse since the day before I received my prognosis back in March (we went to see Sampha and the very next day got all the test results). There was an all-day festival featuring some really funky music, including the Hot 8 Brass Band, who were great. I managed a whole glass of wine and we stayed out until 9pm! Crazy. After 6 months of being very boring and primarily staying home, it felt like a real treat.

I finally have a social life again

We also spent Sunday ferociously batch cooking, so that we have a freezer full of food in readiness. Although Tanai does love cooking, it's likely I will have mobility issues for a while in my right arm, so might not be able to cook for a while. Rather than have him cook every single night, I thought it would be nice to stock up on some yummy meals in our freezer. The flat still smells delicious!

Chef Cardona

We also did some DIY and installed a new ceiling light in the kitchen to brighten up a dark corner. We received a lesson from my dad over video whatsapp and then turned off the electric at the mains and wired in the light. A bit nervewracking but it worked!

Lovely new ceiling lamp

I have finally ditched the headscarves as I now have enough hair to look plausibly like another short-haired person, and I feel great. It's a little windy round my ears though, I wasn't prepared for the cold! But I'm enjoying how low-maintenance it is. Someone at work said 'big earrings and lippy' so I've taken that on board.

Rocking the short hair

I'll update you all after the op! Fingers crossed it all goes well.