My Solomon Islands blog

Hi All,

I have another blog....... my adventures in the Solomon Islands...... I have had to make it 'private' though, so if anyone wants access to it (there are much more regular posts on it than on this one) please say..... give me your email address and I'll send you an invite..

Life is great!

xxx

While you're probably being bombarded with pink ribbons there in Aus....

......spare a thought for the Solomon Islanders ...... RAMSI introduced Pink Ribbon Day to the Solomon Islands 3 or 4 years ago. It's very low key. I heard there was something happening in the city centre today for 2 hours, so I went on down there to buy a t-shirt etc. I ended up being roped into speaking on the loudspeaker to the gathered crowd! I also got to meet the 'first lady'.

Anyway, it broke my heart when I heard what happens here. They have no screening equipment ...... that is, no availability of mammograms for women. Then, when they do find someone has breast cancer, there is no chemotherapy or radiotherapy available. It is only a tiny few who can afford to go to Australia and pay huge dollars for their treatment. The others go home and prepare to die.

The charity that is trying to get screening equipment has about SBD$6,000 in the bank, and need well over a million. If anyone feels they'd like to donate anything to them please email me and we'll figure out a way to do it. Sorry for the 'begging' email, but I had to write it while it was fresh in my mind.

Katrina xx

My breast cancer "going away" forum post

Hi All,

Just a quick post to say "I'm off"!! (Things are getting a bit chaotic here and the last few days are going to be so busy I don't know if I'll get a chance to do a goodbye post on the day I leave). As a lot of you already know, I applied for (and got) an 18 month post with Australian Volunteers International to Honiara in the Solomon Islands. I leave Adelaide on Sunday, and Australia (from Brisbane) on Monday morning. I'll have a couple of weeks orientation when I get there, then start work in a Primary School as an "Admin/Accountant Trainer". That means I'll be helping them put financial processes and controls into the school, and helping their Admin Manager build up their financial skills.

I'm so excited! I applied for this back in January, so it's been a long time coming. Am really annoyed that I now have a nasty cold for my last few days of getting prepared to leave. I had a farewell party on Saturday night and kissed too many people I think! :pmsl:

To all of you newbies that have just been diagnosed, or are going through treatment at the moment, and you have doubts about your future - you WILL be able to follow your dreams when you've got through your treatment. I probably wouldn't be doing this if I hadn't got breast cancer. 3 years ago there was no way I believed I would be able to do anything like this. If I hadn't got breast cancer I probably would have just talked about doing something like this, and not actually done it.... just put it off until I was too old to do it! Now, well I may have horrible joint pain (but it's controlled fairly well) and hot flushes (that is going to be a real challenge in the Solomon Islands climate), but I'm just going to go along for the ride anyway! All I know is a few months ago I thought "I don't want to by lying on my death bed sometime in the future thinking 'I wish I went to the Solomon Islands'"!

I will have internet there, but not as reliable and good as I have here. I will still keep in touch. I have a blog I've started if anyone wants to read and see photos. It is here http://adelaidekat.blogspot.com/ . A number of you are also already my friend on Facebook, but if you aren't and would like to add me I am here... http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/katrina.potter (I think that will get you to me, or if not just search on Katrina Potter). I will be back in Aus for a visit every 6 months for visits with my Oncologist and Surgeon. That means I'll be back for Christmas.

I'm renting my house to my 18 year old son and a couple of his friends...... everybody says "well good luck with that" when I tell them :pmsl: Who knows what I'll come back to! I've promised him I'll stay home tonight (have been going out to farewells etc. a bit the last week or 2) because I think he's starting to stress about everything he doesn't know. I need to spend some time reassuring him that he will be fine, and that he's not alone. His Dad is nearby and my sister is close by too. Up until now he's just been looking forward to me going, but now I think he's starting to realise it's really happening. I assure him I'll still be able to nag him from the Solomon Islands :pmsl: He'll probably come over for a visit next year (along with my sister and Dad).

Anyway, that's about it. I'll keep in touch. Take care all of you lovely ladies and keep being there for each other :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Mammogram day

Had a mammogram today - brought forward because of my impending departure to the Solomon Islands. Am pleased to say, it was all good! That's about it for pre-departure Doctor's visits for me now (dentist and optician excepted)!! Yee Haa!!

The elusive Vitamin D

It seems I'm Vitamin D deficient..... and I believe that Vit D deficiency can be linked to breast cancer. Anyway, off to the chemist I went and now taking supplements. I did think that in some ways I'm lucky. Most people wouldn't even know if they're Vit D deficient. I get tested for it every 6 months as part of my blood tests.... so I'm glad about that!

I read a very interesting story from Catalyst on the ABC. They say that it's possible that 25% of breast cancer deaths could be avoided if the woman had maintained adequate Vit D levels throughout their life! An interesting interview/story...

http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/s805444.htm

Didn't hear any scan results, so it must be good. I'll go into the Oncologists rooms soon and pick up the scan so that I can take it away with me.... when I do that I'll try and make some sense of the report that'll come with it!!

Less than 7 weeks until I leave for the Solomon Islands. One more medical 'thingy' before I go, and that is a mammogram early in August. I just want to get on that plane on August 30!!

No news is good news I guess

I had the CT scan a week and a half ago and have heard nothing from my Oncologist. I guess that's good! I could have rung her, but I was too chicken last week, and this week have decided I don't need to!

3 years tomorrow since I had the mastectomy. I can't believe I haven't had a reconstruction. When I was first diagnosed I definitely wanted one as soon as I could. Now I'm going to the Solomons instead! Who wants more surgery and medical stuff? Not me that's for sure...

Less than 9 weeks until I leave for the Solomon Islands ... yippee!

Scared sh*%less!

Funny, on Thursday I was happy that my Oncologist is sending me for a CT scan tomorrow, because I thought it would help me go off to the Solomon Islands knowing absolutely that I was heading off cancer free. Now though, as tomorrow looms, I'm scared sh*%less about it! Absolutely terrified that they'll find something. It's stupid..... there is no good reason to think this...... it's just the bloody mind games the mind plays with us now and then.

Today's 3 year Oncologist appointment

My Onc was pretty happy with me. I'd lost 4.5kg since my last visit, which is good.... slowly, slowly, slowly the weight is going down. All good, but she's booked me in for a CT scan next Monday to just make sure everything is checked and she has a 'baseline' scan before I head off to the Solomons. I'm quite happy about that as it'll help me go away with maximum peace of mind that all is good with my breast cancer.

Anniversary

3 years since diagnosis. Off to see my Onc for check-up, but not expecting it to be anything more than 'routine'. Certainly in a much better state of mind than I was this time 3 years ago!!

Nearly 3 years since diagnosis

It'll be 3 years since diagnosis in a bit over a week. Had my appointment with my surgeon this week, and all was good. Next week I see my Oncologist and don't expect any problems there either. Still see each of them 6 monthly.

Biding my time until I depart for the Solomons. Due to an election announcement there, eeparture date has been put off to 30th August now :( I just want to go!!

A bit confronting

I received the report from my Oncologist, for clearance to go on the assignment to the Solomon Islands. It had percentages in it that stunned me to read - although I think that I was probably given them early on after diagnosis, they were in a different form that I found difficult to understand. I think I liked the 'difficult to understand' form actually!

The report says..... "Katrina was diagnosed with stage 3a left breast carcinoma PT3PM2M0 in June 2007 and has undergone a left mastectomy and axillary clearance 2/7/2007 (63mm, grade 2, 4 of 8 lymph nodes positive, vascular invasion positive, ER >70%2+, PR 30-70%3+, HER2-......"

(Yes, you read it right..... it was 63mm ...... I still haven't come across anyone else with anything near a 6.3cm tumour!)

That wasn't the confronting bit though..... further into the report she wrote "Her risk of relapse or new primary at time of diagnosis was estimated at approximately 80% over 10 years but this has been reduced by an estimated 59% with post operative therapies." By my calculation that still means I have a 47% chance of it coming back in the next 10 years. While I like that number much better than 80%, it's still a scary number...

Rest in Peace, Lesley

Lesley passed away, with her family at her side, last Saturday night. She was a beautiful woman and she'll be missed so much by so many people. Another one taken way too soon.... love you Lesley xx

I love my Oncologist

She says "Katrina you can't live your life in a bubble" (in response to me telling her about my GP's concerns about me going to the Solomon Islands). Happy, Happy, Happy..

What a week though... I'm so happy about getting the all ok from my Oncologist to go, but am so sad because my dear friend Lesley is not going to be with us much longer. I went to visit her yesterday. She can't communicate at all. She is surrounded by her family though, and lots of love..

May 2010

The old Breast Cancer comes back to haunt me as I wait to have my medical this week to find out whether I can take up an 18 month assignment in the Solomon Islands with Australian Volunteers International (AVI). I will be absolutely devastated to get this far and lose out because of my medical history. Here's hoping all will be good.

It's been a hard last few months as so many friends I've made because of breast cancer have succumbed to this shit of a disease. One of my dearest, Lesley, is currently in a hospice, drugged to manage the pain, with not much time left. Losing friends over the last few months has made me even more determined to not be on my death bed at some point in the future wishing I'd done things like the Solomon Islands adventure.

Bring on Tuesday...

Notes from my Facebook page about my breast cancer

18 Dec 2009
Ditto to the last entry! All good at my appointments and, all going well, no more for 6 months!

28 June 2009
All good at my appointments and, all going well, no more for 6 months!

13 June 2009
The 2nd anniversary is looming (next week) of when I found the lump. 2 appointments coming up this week - 1 with my Oncologist and 1 with my Surgeon. Despite trying not to dwell on it too much, always a worrying time. I just want to get it over and done with now and get the all clear for another few months.

In my last note what I wrote about how the tablets I take work wasn't quite right. They don't stop the body producing estrogen, but they are an 'anti-estrogen' and they work against the effect of estrogen on the breast cancer cells that need estrogen to grow.

So, not so much to write here at the moment as I'm too obsessed about the coming week! Think I should have a party in a couple of weeks to celebrate 2 years since they cut the cancer out of my body! Hmm... will think about that.

I wrote a poem ...... my 1st attempt at a poem. It's about how I've felt at times since the breast cancer. I can't decide whether to put it here or not. I've only shown it to one person. Yeah... what the hell.... I'll be brave and hide it away in here and then no-one will probably see it anyway, and if you do manage to find your way into these notes then you deserve to see it! Here it is..

Who....

A broken body, a mind less alert.
Who am I now? Who knows the hurt?

Try to block the fear, but tears run down my face.
Who am I now? In this life, what’s my place?

Dreams shattered, endless nights broken.
Who am I now? The body has spoken.

I see what’s important. Cut to the chase.
Who am I now? In your life, what’s my place?

20/05/09


10 May 2009
Almost 2 years since I found out I had breast cancer. So far so good with no signs of recurrence. I take daily tablets to stop my body producing estrogen, because the cancer tested highly hormone positive. Those tablets unfortunately have the side effect of lots of aches and pains, and I walk like an old woman sometimes! (well, that may be an exaggeration - might be more of a case of feeling like I have the body of an old woman than actually looking like I have! All worth it though if the tablets do their job and keep the cancer away..

My son Ben is now 17 and working fulltime as an apprentice mechanic..... once he got a taste of working life he completely lost interest in school (not that he had a lot of interest for his last 12 months there anyway). Can't say I blame him. I was the same when I was his age.

Have been in my job at the Indigenous Land Corporation for nearly a year now, and am loving it - it was the right thing for me to do to change jobs last year. No more waking up in the middle of the night worrying about work, and no more silly Council meetings to sit through until midnight.

Not a whole lot has happened in my life in the last year, except for settling into the new job, and trying to 'manage' a 17 year old son lol ........ soon it will be time to start planning a holiday though - just need to get some pennies together!


20 July 2008

changed my profile..... but thought I'd put some of the info I had in there in my notes...... so anyone new can read it if they want...

My life has changed heaps in the last 12 months. Late June 2007 I found a lump in my breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer. I had a 6.5cm tumour in my left breast, plus some other smaller ones, plus it was in 4 of my lymph nodes. I had a mastectomy, then chemotherapy, then radiotherapy, and I now take hormone tablets for the next 5 years to try and reduce the chance of it coming back.

I had some time off work during my treatment and then when I went back to work I decided I needed to change jobs....... my job was stressing me out too much. So, in May 2008 I started in my new job and am loving it!

My son Ben has had some news on the job front too. He's 16 and in Year 11 at school. He's already working part-time at Boost Juice, but this week he is starting a school-based apprenticeship as a mechanic with Ultra Tune. He'll do 1 day a week in the workplace, 1 day a week at TAFE, and the other 3 days at school. He's pretty happy, especially since he gets paid for the work and TAFE days!