Save my Boob!

My son was born on 18th August 2016.  It was a very difficult start, a far cry from the natural home birth we hoped for.  George was asphyxiated at birth so was taken to Southampton NICU to undergo thermal cooling.  3 days later I was admitted to the Maternity HDU, I was going downhill rapidly with a mystery infection.  Turns out that I had retained some membranes which had developed in to strep B & C and I'd also developed sepsis (blood poisoning).  Both the NICU and HDU were incredible, saving both mine and George's lives.  I went in to survival mode for months after this and battled with Post Sepsis Syndrome including chronic fatigue.  My partner had to quit his job to care for me and George, it was a very difficult time for all of us.  Having been given details of a support group by the birth afterthoughts team it became obvious that I was also struggling with Post Natal PTSD but didn't know where to turn to for help.  In November I asked for anti-depressants from my doctor and at the beginning of 2017 I sought the help of the local Perinatal Mental Health Service.  After reaching rock bottom and being absolutely exhausted I asked to be checked in to the Mother & Baby Unit in Winchester. 

The support at the MBU and from the peri-natal service was simply life-saving.  Their brilliant team helped me to understand the psychology behind what had happened to me and George, gave all the support they could to enable me to recover and to help me to bond with George.  In all I spent almost 2 months at the unit, gradually increasing the time spent at home until I was ready to leave.  

Fast forward to April and I was feeling really positive about life, my health was improving, I was managing the fatigue better and gearing up to start my own business. I had noticed a fast-growing lump in my right breast, which, given I was breastfeeding, we presumed was a blocked milk duct.  I went for a mammogram which showed a large 5cm mass but I was told it didn't present as anything nasty.  They did an ultrasound, tried fine needle aspiration and took a biopsy to confirm what they suspected was a lactating adenoma, a benign tumour.

I had spent the morning of my follow up appointment in my favourite shop, talking about suppliers, stock and general ideas with the shop owner.  We turned up to the hospital expecting to hear about medication or surgery to deal with the lump, we were laughing and joking in the waiting room, mainly at George who was doing a good job of wearing his rusk which was EVERYWHERE.

The specialist got straight to the point when we went in.  It was a big shock to her as well as us - it was cancer.  I didn't receive too much info that day, they didn't want to overload us.  

On the follow up appointment after a CT Scan we went to learn more.  I heard the words Triple Negative Breast Cancer and knew immediately that things had just got a lot more complicated.  It was grade 3, fast growing, more likely to spread and likely to return.  Anomalies had shown up in my bones so I was being sent for a PET scan to determine whether it was in my bones or not.  I was going to be rushed through genetic testing for the BRCA gene and I was told I may be eligible for a clinical trial.  We were then sent away with more questions than answers for another week-long wait.

I know that my lifestyle has to dramatically change in order to beat this.  I came across the British Society Integrated Oncology Integrated  Oncology.  'The BSIO is the leading professional organisation for integrative oncology in the UK. Our goal is to promote the integration of orthodox and complementary medicine to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.'

What I have found is that there are a lot of things I can do to support my immune function, MANY things to eliminate from my diet short-term and long-term and an endless list of natural herbs and supplements to take.  I need to invest in a masticating juicer and lifetime shares in local organic fruit & veg suppliers.  There are therapists I am already working with and more I could potentially work with too.  I do strongly believe that this is not just a 'medical issue' I am approaching this with a broad mind/body/spirit attitude.
 
This is where I begin to come unstuck.  I have already faced a lot of expenses and I have estimated that the next 3-months will cost somewhere between £4000-5000.  I won't get any help from the NHS for this, my oncologists' response when I asked about ways they could help support and protect my immune system through their proposed onslaught was that there were none.  I asked about dietary changes I could make now and was advised to worry about that after chemo/lumpectomy/mastectomy/radiotherapy treatment.  This conflicts with what I have researched and my own personal beliefs.  If I want to speak to a nutritionist from Victoria’s Promise I can only do so AFTER treatment as they have to follow NHS guidelines.  I could pay to see her before.

I'm going to do whatever I can to increase my chances and prolong my life so I can see my family grow up and grow old with my partner who I love and adore.  I am 37 years old.

So I'm reaching out to my family, friends and strangers to help me get through this.  I have also been receiving incredible support from The Pink Place and Victoria’s Promise and I would love to give something back to them too.   On the day I shaved my head I decided to start contributing some of the money raised on here to The Pink Place and Victoria's Promise.

Throughout all of this I am remaining positive, learning my lessons and growing as a person.  I see this as an opportunity to be the best and healthiest I can possibly be and plan to achieve even better health on the other side of this.

Thank you all for your ongoing love and support, I will post updates on here with my progress.

Big Love
Jenni x