MY BREAST LUMP UPDATE - THE OPERATION, RECOVERY & RESULTS | PART 2

Hi beauties, firstly I wanted to say sorry I haven't posted for a while - things have been really busy, but I'm now back to regularly blogging (and SO excited for what's coming up over the next few months!), but before I go in with all the other blog posts I wanted to come back and tell the part 2 of my breast lump story. If you haven't read part 1 go back and read that first to take you up to speed with everything so far! In this blog post I will be telling you all about the operation, my recovery and my results - I never expected to have received this much support and love from you all; so a huge thank you.

OUTCOME OF THE MEETING & OPERATION DAY:

So after my meeting with my consultant, I was told that I did infact have to undergo an operation to have the breast lump removed, due to the size it was and how fastly it was growing, they advised because of this I would be fast tracked for my operation - and within 2 weeks I had the date... safe to say, it wasn't a date that I thought of with excitement when I saw it on the calendar every day.

My operation came round very quickly, it was the 3rd September and I was the first operation of the day with my consultant - I remember it so clearly still. I was seen to the ward and had to get my blood pressure checked and take some medication first, then change into the hospital gowns (very stylish may I add ha ha) and then I was taken to theater - after watching Casualty and Holby City I was pretty clued up to what to expect!

I said goodbye to my Mum just before walking through, and I actually felt scared for the first time that day - it must be so hard for parents to watch their children go for an operation, knowing they have to be put to sleep! Me on the other hand, quite enjoyed it when I was taken through the large double doors, I was chatting away to them and they told me when I woke up after the operation I had pretty much fallen asleep before they put you to sleep! As you can imagine, sleep wasn't on my mind much for the weeks leading up to it due to the worries - so I gained a good few hours, and pretty much slept for the whole 2 weeks of recovering.

I came round, and was asked to have a drink before going back to the ward with the others and were your family wait - and before you could go home you had to eat some toast. Now, a little insight... the LAST thing you want to do after waking up from an operation is eat something so dry, when your mouth already is! (It took me 45 MINUTES to eat 1 slice!!!) and then, my blood pressure kept dropping so I had to stay in for a little while longer. I was cared for so well by the hospital staff, and am honestly SO greatful for everyone there - they really are absoutley amazing. I'm so glad I had my Mum to keep me company on my operation day and of course, grab a picture for my blog!

I was allowed home later that afternoon and pretty much snuggled up in bed with a hot water bottle and slept until the morning (minus waking up for loo breaks and cups of tea!)

THE RECOVERY:

I had 2 weeks recovery time after my operation and pretty much for the first week and a half I was totally, and utterly physically and mentally drained from the entire experience. I slept most of the time and when I was awake I binge watched Netflix - I got through so many series and drank a lot of tea. The loveliest part of my recovery was having friends, work colleagues and family coming to visit - it can get really lonely when you aren't doing your usual routine, so I really appreciated those that messaged me or came to see me. I was gifted so many beautiful bouquets of flowers, chocolates, presents and cards!

I had to go to the doctors a few times and I went back to the hospital too for them to check how I was healing - and overall, I recovered quite well, I was still really tired, lacked energy and being back to myself 100% for quite some time after. I think in all honestly, I wanted to get back to normal life and routine, and forgot that I had been through something quite scary for a long time and then an operation - so if you have to have an operation, my advice would be to take time to take care of yourself and remember time is the best healer ♥

MY RESULTS:

This feels so surreal to sit here writing this now, reflecting the phone call I had closely after my operation which is now 3 months ago (PS. WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?!) and tell you all that it was THE BEST NEWS I'VE HAD ALL YEAR!!!! my consultant called me and told me that the tests have come back from the lab and I have the all clear. I cried so much, at just 21 years of age, going through this and trying to stay strong... when in all honesty, it was a really tough time and I wasn't sure what the lump was, and I did not know what to except when the results came back. So, that news made it feel like a huge weight was lifted of my shoulders and I knew everything was going to be okay. I had all my family around and told them the good news, it was happy tears and a toast all round to finally know the answer.

And finally, I felt I could be me again. No more stress, worrying and crying. 

But - what I have gained from the whole experience is learning just how precious life truly is, some people I met through my journey might not have had the news I did, and that really breaks my heart as none of us know whats around the corner. I do now know that I will continue to promote breast awareness to my friends, family and followers and be conscious of keeping myself healthy and aware of any signs in the future.

I wanted to share this link with you from the NHS website which explains exactly how to check your breasts and what changes / differences to look out for as this was a great tool for me to learn everything I now know. Please click here to read more. If you notice something, please contact your doctor immediately. I hope you found my blog post of my personal experience valuable!

                                                          Thank you for reading.

                                                                   Love Em oxo