Birmingham, Biopsy and Bubblewrap!

I stare at the blank page, wondering what to write. Putting words down then erasing them – the last couple of weeks seem to have gone by so quick and so much has happened but at the same time I am still in the same place.

After having my breast biopsies under mammogram I have been given the best news that the results have come back negative, one less thing to worry about and more focus on the bone lesion.

Finally a date for Birmingham Royal Orthopaedic Hospital came and a COVID test was requested 72 hrs prior to going down, not the easiest thing to organise but luckily my BC nurses came to my aid and sorted a time and date at a local hospital.

As I wasn’t allowed to drive after the biopsy my brother-in-law Stephen took me down, it was a beautiful summers day unlike previous days. Half way there I received a phone call to say there wasn’t a bed on the ward – I said I couldn’t go back I had come so far! They seemed to have understood and we carried on.

Getting there early Stephen left me and I was glad of the sunshine as rules of the hospital were that we were not allowed in before my appointment before 16.30 – 2 hours to wait. Once I saw the specialist I really wasn’t any clearer of treatment that would come after the biopsy but got to see the scan of the lesion. Now to the ward…..

Ward 1 – staying in hospital can be a positive experience providing that the people you are sharing your time with are compassionate and have understand they are not alone- well one lady did pity the mother and daughter opposite didn’t! Nothing seemed to please them, they had expected a private room together as the daughter was 16 and not classed as child so mother got a bed with her (free) They were loud, rude to the staff constantly on facetime and despite the meals being the best I have ever had in a hospital ordered a takeaway at 10pm.

All our biopsies were to be done the next day so a second COVID test was done and I was told because of my diabetes I would be first down. Treatment never worries me but I am grumpy when I don’t get sleep so when the daughter started playing music (loudly) on her phone at 1pm I didn’t mince my words in telling her to shut up and get to sleep!

NIL BY MOUTH = what’s worse no food or no sleep or a mixture of both? Thank goodness I thought I will be first down and then can get the train home! All prepped in gown, paper knickers, arrow on my leg drawn, it got to 10am and the lady by my side went down and I asked the nurses when do I go….got to lunchtime and the curtains were closed around me and a bunch of doctors came and said that my COVID test hadn’t come back so they wouldn’t be doing it.

This is when I had a mini meltdown thinking that I was being somehow treated differently as the others had primary cancer and we all had our tests done at the same time. Totally irrational but the waiting had really got to me and this had tipped me over the edge. I had also been told earlier my another specialist that they wouldn’t operate if it was secondary cancer but would if it was primary – had a waited all this time for nothing!

Think they were all taken aback by my distress and later on was told that another nights stay in hospital would be required and biopsy would be done on Friday. Unlucky for me my noisy neighbours stayed for another night so by the time I went down to have my CT scan I fell fast asleep and it was over! Because of the trauma of the day before they laid on transport to bring me home and by 8pm Friday night I was home. Now the wait for results.

Sunday was Macmillan Coffee Morning organised by The Sandholme Possey – normally I would have organised something like this myself but asked Emma, Erika (my Sis) Jean and Wendy if there was something they could do – to say thank you to the nurses for all their help.

Although windy the weather was kind and the residents of Sandholme Close came out in their droves, its also part of the river walk way so the odd person stopped by for coffee and cake as well as taking part in the raffle – so many prizes and I had my eye on the Leeds United bottle of Vodka not just for the contents but the exquisite decorated bottle to make into a lamp later on.

The day was a success over £500 raised and while the bottle was won by Jean she gave it to me and I went home with lots of other prizes very happy. Time to take the dogs out plus Sky my next door neighbours collie and this is where the wheels fell off…

Half way round with Sky on the lead and my dogs pottering off the lead we headed to the small little park. Didn’t expect another dog (not on his lead) to lunge for Sky and in this instance pull me over bang straight over on my bad hip. I dropped all leads and luckily there were people there to get them apart and get my two although Casey was severely distressed.

I managed to get up but couldn’t walk, had no phone and had 3 dogs to get back home. Luckily for me a friend was having a evening walk with her husband and he went back to get the car. Fast forward a trip to A&E, X-Rays then 4 hour way then CT scan as doctor thought I might have fractured hip to be sent home with pain killers and crutches. Bubble warp is now being ordered until the next time I have to go to hospital – and to think they didn’t want me running!