Thursday 21 March 2013

Celebrations all round!

Today is Mr P’s birthday and we’ve both taken the day off to lie in bed, drink Bucks Fizz and be very, very lazy. And tonight we’re off to a ‘Sports Dinner’ with friends to enjoy some nice food and some great company before I leave my job (of over 12 years) tomorrow.

As I wrote in my last post, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks. Things have definitely started to fall into place, in a way that has truly surpassed all my expectations.

Specifically, I have been told this week that I can definitely start hormone treatment and freeze MY OWN eggs! I could start taking the drugs as early as Easter (although the end of April is more likely).

I’m still pinching myself about all of this. Eight weeks ago I felt completely crushed and let down by the system. I felt that I had been cruelly deprived of life options but didn’t feel that I had the energy to fight the NHS bureaucrats.

But, two months later, and the situation is very different. Hot on the heels of being told by the ‘Marsden’s Oncology team that I could stop Tamoxifen for a month and take hormone treatment, I got a random phone call from Queen Charlottes’ IVF Team which resulted in me going in for more tests and getting their agreement that I can start the drugs for egg stimulation ASAP.

I don't know if my 'letter of concern' to the Primary Care Trust's CEO has accelerated any of this but I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It all feels brilliantly surreal.

Of course, I know it’s not going to be an easy process, far from it. And the timing could be better: who wants to start a new job dosed up to the max on hormones(!) but, f*ck it, I'm just going to go with the flow. By the end of June, IVF and surgery should be finished and I can start my 'naughty forties' with perky new boobs and some frozen eggs in the bank. ;-)

So tomorrow, when I leave AAT, it will be with a real sense of optimism. I'm enormously grateful for all the support that I've received over the last 15 months (and indeed, 12 years) but I do believe that everything happens for a reason and that my life is now moving forward in an incredibly positive way.

I'm also looking forward to meeting up with some ex. AAT friends who will be celebrating with me. Onwards and upwards, as they say!

Friday 8 March 2013

All change!

Crikey, a lot can happen in two weeks.

Firstly, I’ve got a new job and resigned from my current role. I’ve been with the company for 12 years, so it is a big deal (for me, at least!) but I think a change will do me good and give me a renewed sense of purpose. I need to feel that my life is moving forward again.

Ironically, I wasn’t really looking but I saw the post advertised in January and speculatively applied. Getting it though, did make me feel a bit guilty. My current company, AAT, have been amazing in their support of me over the last year and had been trying to revise my role. However, I do also think that the right things happen at the right time and I will wave farewell on Friday 22 March and, following a short break, start my new role after Easter.

Secondly, I have submitted a letter to the North West London Primary Care Trusts regarding my cancer treatment (and specifically the lack of fertility guidance/support) and have been advised that my GP will need to make an individual funding request in order to secure funding for any fertility-saving treatment for me past the age of 40. You have to be able to cite exceptional circumstances, which I think we can (and he has agreed to do), so we’ll see how that goes …

Thirdly, and related to the fertility issues, I met with the oncology team at the ‘Marsden. It was a very informative and positive meeting because (a) I am definitely not menopausal, and (b) they do not see any reason why (if Queen Charlotte’s Hospital thought it could be successful) I would not be able to take the necessary hormones for egg harvesting myself.

This is, of course, a big ‘if’ as my ovarian function has been significantly diminished by chemotherapy. However, the fact that they do not see an issue in the short-term application of hormones, and stopping my Tamoxifen for a month or so, was a very pleasant surprise. They would also prefer me to do this sooner rather than later as then I can have a much longer, uninterrupted period on the medication.

Lastly, I have seen my surgical team. They seem happy with the results of the ‘Coleman Fat Transfer’ so it’s full steam ahead for my implant operation on Thursday 2 May and a new pair of matching boobs, which were ordered today.

So, all in all, it’s been a very positive start to 2013.