Angelina Jolie - Ooperectomy

Angelina Jolie - Hollywood Actress, beautiful strong mother of six children carrying the breast cancer gene which claimed the lives of both her mother and grandmother.

She has made the brave decision to have an elected mastectomy and reconstruction and now an Ooperectomy in order to reduce the risk of cancer.

I have had both of those surgeries.

I had to push really hard for my Ooperectomy even though part of my breast cancer treatment was to medically shut down my ovaries for 5 years!

Thats one abdominal injection per month for 5 years!!!

It doesn't make me feel less feminine. 

It hasn't been a chore at all. 

Most of the treatments I have received have given me the symtoms on menopause anyway so having the ovaries removed and being plunged into that part of my destiny was no big deal and the fact that I have reduced the risk of cancer alot is a huge reassurance for me.

Had I not had breast cancer three times ...

Had I been told that I carried the gene.....

I hope that I would have had the strength to do what Angelina Jolie has done.

I hope that her open and honest declaration makes this extremely hard decision doable for other women.

Poem of Thanks to the NHS Staff

I got cancer in 2009

It was then I decided

To beat the swine!

I had it again in 2012

To my inner strength

I had to delve.

My care was at Wrexhams Shooting Star

The staff and doctors

Were the best by far.

Sister Wenna took special care of me

My veins were small

But so gentle she would be.

Smiling, encouraging, cheerful and nice

Always on hand with care

And advice.

5 and 2 the years I am clear

The NHS helped me fight cancer

Without fear

Amazing and selfless

Loyal and true

NHS staff

I am indebted to you!

My first cancer operation scar, I had a huge heamatoma so the scar is quite thick

When my hair was growing back I looked like a kiwi fruit

Cancer doesnt always make you thin, it makes you fat because of all the steroids and poisen pumped into yout body

fat and bald wasnt a great look

my oncologist said that I had a nice shaped head so I was lucky

I couldnt stop touching my head when my hair was growing back, you could actually feel the follicles bursting through

My veins took a battering and became hard and painful - approx 40 - 50 IVs over 2 years some only a couple of weeks apart

Almost there with the hair

This always helped more than anyone will ever know

A regular thing

The biopsy

First op scar

1st op under arm scar where they take the sample lymph nodes, I still have no feeling there

After a biopsy for my 2nd cancer

Op site after my 2nd cancer. The blue is the dye they inject into your nipple so that they can use a tracer to get the right sample lymph nodes. Without this I would have had to have the whole lot removed with devastating consequences

My Oophorectomy scar. Elected operation to remove my ovaries which made 80% of the hormones which fed both of my cancers. Its changed my life but I don't regret it.

This is what I have due to many riding accidents in my youth but the chemo and cancer drugs attack the bones and any weaknesses in them

Is what I feel every day of my life

Is how I feel every single day when I wake up and I am alive

Me now 5 years on

Flippin Cancer

I was diagnosed in 2009 with a nasty breast cancer. Having said that, ALL cancers are flippin' nasty aren't they!!

2012 I had a second breast cancer, other side this time!

I don't carry the breast cancer gene, I don't tick any of the boxes for being at risk of the disease, I suppose I was just a bit unlucky.

Anyway.... blah blah blah I had lots of treatment, surgeries, chemo, herceptin, radiotherapy and hormone treatment.

I was on tamoxifen at first but because another hormone sensitive cancer grew in spite of this they changed my hormone treatment to;

* having my ovaries shut down with monthly injections (for 5 years)
* letrozol

Well..... the thought of having abdominal injections every month for years didn't really appeal to me PLUS the fact that the injections put me into a chemically induced menopause so in 5 years would I come off the injections then go through a natural menopause???? The thought of going through all that twice really filled me with dread so I PUSHED (and I had to push hard) to have an elected Oophorectomy - the best thing I ever did!! Keyhole surgery - recovery time was quicker than my breast ops and the discomfort was minimal.

The letrozol made every bone in my body hurt so I was changed to Arimadex. Although that it is better than the letrozol it still makes me tired, my brain fuzzy and my bones hurt.

On Thursday I am waiting to see my GP to go through some statistics so that I can decide whether or not I continue with the drugs.

My gut feeling is that I have had my ovaries removed which produced 80% of my oestrogen and with me losing weight and toning up my body I will naturally produce less.

I have been on cancer treatment for almost 5 years now, I have lost so much during that time and the side effects have been so hard to live with that I honestly can't face further treatment for another 4 years.

I am extremely lucky to live in Wales, UK so I have the NHS and the North Wales Health Trust has provided me with the best care I could ever have wished for. They are thorough beyond belief and leave no stone unturned.

I honestly want to get on with my life.

Back in 2009 I had to shut down my successful Dog Grooming Business "Clippers and Claws". Living with the side effects I have been unable to restart it and now another groomer has opened in our village. I am angry, I feel cheated and frustrated. If it hadn't been for flippin cancer I would have a salon right now and a successful one too.

So I have to put my frustration to one side and stay focused on the fact that;

1. I am alive
2. I can still groom dogs only not as many at the moment
3. I am taking very positive steps to cure my back pain

Breast Cancer

Four years ago I found the lump in my right breast, surgery and two years of treatment. Five years taking tamoxifen which made my bones ache like I never knew possible. This prompted CT and MRI scans which showed up a crack in my sacral bone.

A year ago following a routine check a new breast cancer was found in my other breast. "Luckily" for me it wasn't as aggressive and so it was "just" surgery and radiotherapy. 

A change in hormone tablet to letrozole.

Can you believe it? more pain.......... I aged over night by about about 30 years.

October came and more surgery so at least I wouldn't have to endure those abdominal injections on a monthly basis for 5 years.

A new drug - Arimadex

Still in pain.

Pain in all of my small joints such as fingers and toes, chronic back pain, pain in my right hip, right shoulder and the joint of my right foot big toe.

In addition to this my blood pressure is raised and I now have high cholesterol.

I have a strong family trait of heart disease in both sides of my family but these problems could be the result of the hormone tablets I am taking. 

Devil you do - Devil you don't!

So here I am ..... and there it is.......


Live for the moment I say..... live for today. You can't change the past and the future is not yet but now is when is important.

I could be 100% healthy and die randomly like my big brother. Fit.....healthy......young...... killed in a car accident at 25.

All of these things are reminders that you should enjoy what you have got and not worry about what you haven't got.

Big Pants

I lasted 2 weeks to the date of my Oophorectomy operation to face up to the fact that with this operation I NEEDED big pants!!!

Yes I purchased a Sainsburys pack of 5 BIG PANTS and I wished I had dont it sooner. Not only does the cotton of the BIG PANTS protect my scars, they are so comfortable.

Oh but don't be misled by my statement there.... I will not be using my BIG PANTS beyond when the scars heal thank you very much because no amount of lace or patterning can make them attractive or me to feel that way when wearing them.

My advice to any lady going in for that sort of operation - invest in a collection of BIG PANTS to see you through your healing process.

A Week Ago

This time last week I was still in the operating theatre having my Ooporectomy. A week has gone by and I don't regret it for a moment. It was the right thing to do and now I have the rest of my life to look forward to with no cancer baggage weighing me down in the form of monthly Zolodex injections.

This picture was taken a couple of days after the surgery. This is the op site on my right side, there is a smaller one on my left and one inside my naval.

The stitches are disolveable so no worries there about having them taken out.

The stitches are starting to break up now and I will be glad when they have gone because the op sites are sore. It's not too bad really its just that I worry about infection.

My lumpectomies and nodal sweep operations were far more painful than this op so I am hoping to be back in some sort of action in a week.

So the future for me is bright! No more Zolodex injections! (note to self: must phone the district nurse to let her know!).

I am looking forward to getting back into work, getting my dog grooming business up and running again.

Post Surgery

Things are starting to click into place. 

My body is functioning as it should post surgery so that has been a huge relief I can tell you. However, I do like the taste of peppermint tea, its very refreshing!

The pain is ok, getting better and better each day and I hate to repeat myself but not as painful as my breast surgery.

This fact really amazes me because when I had my last breast operation in January, the ladies in my ward who had received similar surgeries were incapacitated, that fact and the fact that the doctors and consultants made me think that this was a serious surgery has really surprised me but in a nice way.

I really hated my surgery in January because I felt cheated. I felt as though it shouldn't have happened, it wasn't fair and therefore I begrudged every second I had to recuperate. 

This time I know I am going to be up and about soon and so I have a huge smile on my face!

The scars wont be too bad either.

One is actually in my belly button and that is where the camera was placed then I have two on either side of my tummy. One side has just one stitch in and the other has three.

I am led to believe (although I haven't been told officially) that both ovaries would have been taken out of the one side which I suppose is why one side is sorer than the other.

The sun is shining today and I feel as light as a feather.

A curtain has been lifted off my life.

And at last I really can see a future.......

Pictures courtesy of Google

Oophorectomy

I wanted an Oophorectomy. This is an operation to remove my ovaries.

Having had a second breast cancer the oncologist decided to put me on Zolodex injections for 5 years. This injection stops the ovaries from working and put me into a false menopause.

I tried the 3 monthly injection but being a small person it hurt and I began to get panic attacks. I opted for the monthly injection and the thought of having that every month for the next five years really upset me. I felt as though I was still having cancer treatment which, in effect, I was! I felt as though my life was on hold, yet again and I couldn't move on. Bearing this in mind I pushed for the Oophorectomy.

I must say that the doctors and consultants were very obstructive. They seemed to stress the severity of such surgery, they were quick to point out the pit falls and even on the actual day of my surgery the consultant interrogated me, I felt as though I was on trial!!!!

I think they didn't want to make the decision easy for me because given my age, it is huge thing to decide and its permanent - no going back.

Hey, I have two gorgeous boys and I am the wrong side of 40 to be considering more babies indeed, another pregnancy could trigger off a third cancer and I am not going to risk that for anything.

Another thing I couldn't face the thought of was having the injections for 5 years, being in a menopausal state for 5 years then starting again..... the possibility of another cancer with that start then going through the menopause naturally - far too much for me to deal with given the 2 years of treatment for my first cancer.

I had the procedure on Tuesday 23rd October.

I went into surgery at 11.30 and was coming out of it at about 1pm.

I had a nebulizer before going in for the op because of my asthma and this opened my airways.

Before they put you under they check all of your details and ask you what op you are going in for - I suppose mistakes have been made in the past!

When I was taken to Bonny Ward in Wrexham Hospital I was surprised at the pain level of the op site.

Having had two big operations for breast cancer and been in alot of pain with them, I thought that with this being invasive surgery in my tummy and all the fuss the doctors made that I was going to be in agony. What a pleasant surprise it was to have pain similar to child birth really but not griping and grabbing like contractions. Not anywhere near as painful as the breast surgery.

I am on day 2 post op now and I am feeling fine. The pain is easing and I can move about albeit at a slower pace.

I am resting as much as I can because I am so so tired and am hoping that by the weekend I will be out and about almost as normal.

As for all of the horrible side effects the doctors were telling me about, well..... just the same as being on Zolodex! Bearable, you just have to plan things differently..... Fans, water sprays, layers of clothes etc etc etc

I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

When I recover from this surgery I will have my life back, its like a fresh start.