Team Bernadine Fighting Breast Cancer

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Team Bernadine Fighting Breast Cancer

Bernadine has been diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer. An Aggressive Carcinoma.

27/05/2025

Today was my 3 monthly oncologist check up. After a very long wait the lovely doctor told me I can now stretch my visits out to every 6 months. A gigantic milestone that I am super chuffed about. The news was as exciting as the happy results from my mammogram biopsy. This has been a good month.

But then the accounts woman tells me I have a nearly R4000 amount outstanding. So I burned over 4600 steps trying to find the proper accounts department that is in yellow block 4th floor but you have to access it from red block or something and then it wasn't there anymore, it moved to admin block on the 6th floor of whatever colour block. Turns out you pay for the medicine yourself. BUT they never charged us for it in 2022 and had written it off. Except now they have undone that and I must pay it again. They very kindly allow payment terms and the admin staff were absolutely lovely too.

15/05/2025

Tuesday I had to have that repeat mammogram. The news was not good. I had to do another painful biopsy right there. The scar tissue was actually larger than before, they called it an "increasing mass component".

Two days of panic, fear, forcing away negativity, deep breathing, trying not to cry, planning for more treatment and how to manage life around that all over again not even 2 years after my last cancer treatment.

The doc just called and to my absolute delight it's still plain old scar tissue.

17/01/2025

Another Oncology check up done. He just said to wait and see what the next mammogram says and will take whatever it is from there. So no real news and I will do my best to just stay neutral. There was a new phlebotomist who was total rubbish because she bruised my hand after slapping it hard to find a vein. The upside is I saw a new doc who gave me some strong pain meds and a good Vit B6 to help with the painful neuropathy. So yay. Back again in May after the mammogram.

13/11/2024

Last week I went for another mammogram. They have found what they call a distortion around the op site, but thank goodness no mass. Now we wait for May to see if it's something or not. The blood tests show all is still good though. Staying positive.

30/04/2024

Mammogram results all good until November. I am so relieved. This one hurt though, sick to death of pain.

23/04/2024

Just gotten home from another checkup.

He said the PCR (blood tests) looked OK (normally he says good, not OK) but seems anxious for the mammogram results next week when I go. Said it was crucial I keep up with the thyroid meds.

I asked him about the chest pains I was getting, he said everything in that area, including my heart, has scar tissue that needs to clear. So it's all just normal chemo recovery stuff. This is almost as difficult as going through the chemo itself. At least there were only so many sessions of chemo, this pain from recovery can go on for years. On the 27th April I will be celebrating one year in remission though, that's something positive.

04/03/2024

Last year September the blood tests picked up thyroid issues. Most likely a side effect of radiation more than chemo. Lots of waiting and backwards and forwards and time wasted at the thyroid clinic. So finally I made the decision to treat this with a private doctor (still costs less than all the days salary I lose waiting around at the Govt hospital) and started my journey with meds for an underactive thyroid. I am very much looking forward to being free of those symptoms as well.

10/01/2024

Today I had another checkup. First one for the year. Still on the 3 month intervals. Finally it looks like the calcium levels in my blood are stabilizing (so no more stupid bone cancer scares).

I finally received the results of the thyroid tests they did in September. It definitely is hypothyroidism. They sent me to make an appointment at the Endocrinology department. That will happen in February. They prescribed some meds, but that is at the main hospital pharmacy and another whole day of waiting, just for one month's supply so I will see if I can take the recommendation letter to my Medicross doctors to see if they will prescribe it for me. The salary I lose waiting at the hospital will balance out the expense of the meds, and not get me into trouble at work for too much time off.

So another happy checkup!

29/11/2023

A year ago today I completed my final chemotherapy session. It was horrible. Not much can compare to how difficult and ugly and messy and exhausting and painful and scary it is. Was. Sending so much love and support to those out there still on this journey. Specially the little children. Sending love to those of you who supported me with messages and gifts and donations, you guys kept me focused on staying on the path to healing.

03/11/2023

Yesterday I had the fright of all frights. I found another very large lump in the same breast I had the cancer in. And this one was extremely painful. I was so damn angry and disappointed and plain terrified. Not of the cancer, but of the months of chemotherapy and radiation I would have to do again. And having to put my Gabby through all of that not even a year after I started chemo.

I phoned the breast wellness centre I did my first mammogram at last year, she said she could only see me at the end of the month. She must have heard the fear in my voice because she managed to get me in at 07:30 this morning.

Long story short, mammo and sonar showing large areas of inflammation and scar tissue. All normal for post op and post radiation recovery. She wants me back at the end of April, then it has been exactly a year from my last radiation session.

Relief is an inadequate word for what I'm feeling right now.

02/09/2023

Survival phase vs Recovery phase

I wonder why so little info is available about recovery after chemo. They all say what you should do, not what the process could entail. But then again I suppose so few people make it this far. Some days I feel like I did between chemo sessions. This, 7 months after the last chemo session. This entire week has felt that way.

Then people TELL you you should be OK now because that was months ago. I can not describe to you how difficult it is to maintain a polite expression (and not slide back into depression) when some idiot, the same idiots who watched all your suffering from the sidelines, comes with that s**t line. Makes you wonder why you bothered to fight so hard.

16/08/2023

Another milestone! First chemo was a year ago today. It still doesn't feel real, or so long ago away. Strange how the brain works to try and reroute around traumas.

Address

Johannesburg

Telephone

+27828893725

Website

http://www.backabuddy.co.za/bernadine-geldenhuys

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