Marking the Anniversary

[Sky_Writer]

When is it?

From the date I mustered up the courage to go see a doctor when I suspected?

Before then?

When the mammography and Ultrasound technicians and radiologist gave me a look that said it all?

Biopsy date?

The call?

What is "normally" considered the anniversary?

All opinions welcome!

[Happyrosie]

For me - the operation.

(But I went through all those stages too,!)

Saying that, in two weeks time will be six years since I first noticed something wrong, With the OTHER breast, the left one. And getting that checked out, it was discovered I had cancer in the right breast.

So, mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and halfway through ten years of exestemane.

And feeling fine!

[Jennymary]

For me it's the day of my surgery, on 2 October 2020 my scars will have their 7th birthday party

[Debster2016]

My diagnosis was the result of a routine mammogram and as it was my first one, the day after my 50th birthday, I didn’t have anything else to compare it all to; it as the start of a mad year.

So for me every date for a year after became an anniversary and I think I still remember them all now. The ones that something happened on - the mammo, investigations, diagnosis, surgery, drain removal, each chemo appt, start and end of rads, date of final heparin injection, final follow up appt, staging scans, 1st onco appt........

There were so many that I decided to let myself have one year of marking the dates and then just let it go. I still remember them - mostly - but it’s also completely ok if they pass by un-noticed.

So really what I guess I’m saying is that you can choose your anniversaries. Or not if you prefer. My advice is to be kind to yourself. These dates will never change but we can learn to to live with them, I needed to make my peace with mine because they haunted me. And I feel I’ve done that.

Hope this helps xxxx

[UndomesticGoddess]

I was also diagnosed following a routine mammo with zero symptoms. Even when I got the call back I didn’t think it would be anything so the appointment after my biopsy when they sat us down In that room with the sofa and box of tissues and said the words, is the significant date for me and then one month on for the surgery. It’s early days as this was October/November last year so I don’t know how I will feel as time passes

[Sky_Writer in reply to UndomesticGoddess]

I know it's a very stressful, scary time. Another day I remember was going to a Komen walk for the first time. I was in the middle of chemo. My husband literally spotted me the entire time on the walk, and I had to stop a couple of times to catch my breath...but I did it. I also cried pretty much the entire day. I didn't think I would ever get to the point like those other survivors who seemed so at ease with themselves (at least on the outside). The rough days are rough, but the good days do get better.