That needle

I was terrified of the needle biopsy. As it turned out I didn't need to be as it didn't actually happen :)

I went to the hospital yesterday to have the ultrasound-guided needle
biopsy of my axilla (underarm). The doctor looked long and hard with
the ultrasound machine and could find absolutely nothing that looked
like a lymph node in distress. So - the biopsy didn't happen. That was
a good thing because I was terrified of a long needle going 5cm or
more into my armpit/chest. Phew!

What does it mean? Well, I've decided that it means there is no cancer
anywhere else other than the tumour in my abdomen. However, doctors
have roused on me before for making my own diagnosis, so I'll have to
wait until next Wednesday arvo, when I see the surgeon, for him to
explain exactly what he thinks it means. I will probably know then when I will be admitted for surgery to St. George Private Hospital at Kogarah.

A week on the Apple Isle....

.....is just not enough time to see all that this beautiful island has to offer! Sound like a tourism promotion? Well, it's not meant to - but I mean it. It's such a beautiful place and we had to keep driving past roads with signposts to interesting places that we just didn't have time to see. So, I'll just have to put on my Bucket List - back to Tassie with more time to take time to see it all.

I spent the whole time with two very good friends from New Zealand. We were all in Tassie to attend the national conference of POWERtalk International Australia. It was held this weekend in Hobart - a great event.

We met at the airport on Tuesday, picked up a rental car and headed north to Launceston. We stopped at small towns and wineries along the way - tasting, trying, buying, enjoying the scenery - rather brown in the south and then becoming greener the further north we drove. Our first night was in Launceston and we managed to stumble across the restaurant that had won Tasmania's Restaurant of the Year award at the 2010 Toursim Awards. Delicious food and wine, warm friendly atmosphere ................. and you would like to know its name, wouldn't you! Well, we forgot to look or ask. We just saw the award announcement on the sandwich board outside, checked the menu and bowled right on in when we saw it had hare and duck. And when we checked the bill the next day, the name was not on it. It's in Brisbane Street - if anyone's going that way. :)

Then on to Devonport, via Cradle Mountain. Weather was terrible at Cradle Mtn, so we weren't able to see much - that's definitely a place to go back to. Spent 2 nights in Devonport at a brilliant 4 star B&B called Cameo Cottage - recommend it highly. From there we traveled along the north west coast visiting cute little towns like Penguin and Burnie and stopping at beaches, great scenic spots, galleries, papermaking workshop and tour, cheese factory - with tasting....... a generally lovely sunny - relatively warm - girls' day out.

Our last day on the road was spent driving from Devonport back to Hobart via a cherry ice- cream parlour, a chocolate factory, a beautiful felt gallery - where we all dropped a few $$ and gained a few gms :) Oh - and there was lovely scenery as well.

Back to the Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel in Hobart late Friday to attend the conference. It was great to catch up with old friends from around the country who had all gathered for the annual conference. And it was great to be there and to play an integral role in the business of the organisation that has been such an integral part of my life for the past 26 years.

And now to more urgent matters - needle biopsy on Thursday, visit to surgeon next Wednesday - and then I'll have the lowdown on the next major step in this ongoing health battle.

I now know a little bit more

Hello my friends

Tonight I've been to the surgeon again and have the following to report:

• primary breast cancer is excluded as a result of the mammogram and ultrasound
• the spot in my underarm lymph node needs a needle biopsy under ultrasound to determine whether it's malignant or not. It could be inflammatory (and not malignant!)
• result of this biopsy will determine the extent of the abdominal surgery
  
• if it is positive, the surgeon will remove enough tumour to make me comfortable and administer chemotherapy during surgery. This will result in extra time to recover in hospital and will be followed by more chemo back in Wollongong
  
• however, if it's negative, the surgery will be much more extensive as he will take out the entire tumour and any part of an organ to which it's attached - this may be curative (here's hoping)
• the surgery will be done at St George Private Hospital - looks like it will be the first week in June
  

In the meantime he has given me a leave pass to take my planned weeks' holiday in Tasmania - with a referral to an excellent surgeon in Tasmania, should there be an emergency (which he doesn't really expect)

Thank you for your concern and your wonderful support

next instalment of the news

Well, if only doctors and hospitals and radiologists could communicate with each other in a timely manner!!

Today I visited the surgeon (who did my liver surgery 3 years ago) who said the aggressive abdominal tumour must come out soon - there is no other option. OK - that's fine and clear cut.

But........ as the results of the mammogram and ultrasound were still not available from the radiology department at Wollongong Hospital, there could be no advice or diagnosis re the spots in my chest.

So...... I go back to the surgeon next Monday afternoon, after he has studied the available scans more closely, conferred with his colleagues, as well as having received and studied the results of the breast examinations. If necessary surgery on abdomen and chest/breast can be done at the same time - by different surgeons. Oh goodie :)

Once again................ watch this space.............