Starting a blog can be a powerful way to share your journey and connect with others who may be going through similar experiences. I am by no means a writer or someone who journels, so please understand when reading this, its just me sharing my own story, in my own way.

26th January...

I was asked to come for a routine blood test at the GP's office. I have at this point been suffering from extreme pain throughout my body for about 7 years and have had various tests done, and the only conclusion they could come up with was fibromyalgia. The year before, my husband, who is a dentist sent me to the hospital to get tests done on my neck as I had two glands that were not going down, even though the GP and the specialists at the hospital said it was nothing to worry about, some people get swollen glands and can take a long time to disappear. So I had my routine blood test, and 2 days later I got a call from the GP (a locum Dr, that I had never met before) asking me to come in straight away. He sat me down and said he had gone over my blood works over the last couple of years and he was concerned and would like to do a physical examination. Once done he told me to take a seat, and he said, "right, I think you either have an autoimmune disease or lymphoma." My spleen and liver were very enlarged, and the glands on my neck were still there. I thank God every day that I got to see this locum Dr, cause not a single Dr that I had seen over the years had taken any notice of my symptoms.

After finishing 6 months of Chemo and getting the all clear, I was going for check up every 3 months with my Oncologist.  By my 2nd appointment (6 months after my last chemo) I mentioned to him that I was concerned because the same two lumps had come back on the back of my neck, he felt them and said, No, I am not concerned, they are marginal, we will check them again in 3 months time.  Well, 3 months went by and during that time I became really ill with a chest infection that would just not go.  Had loads of antibiotics to try clear it up.  My husband insisted that he was going to come to my next appointment.  When we walked in, Professor Davies seemed a bit concerned and sent me for chest xrays, and swob tests, but not before my husband demanded that I have an MRI booked as well, as the lumps were still up on my neck.  which he agreed to. 

10th May 2024 was my "final" chemo infusion.  I knew I had to do all I could to get well before my husbands Big 60th Birthday, which I had been planning since early January (something to keep me pre-occupied) A few weeks after my Chemo, infact a week before Theo's Birthday, I had another MRI to make sure the chemo had done what we all hoped and would then see the Oncologist a few days after the Birthday party.