Choppy chop

So of course one of the well known side effects of chemotherapy is hair loss. My chemo starts on Wednesday and hair is expected to start falling out in 3 or 4 weeks. The nurse told me it was a good idea to have my hair cut fairly short before starting chemo so that it's less of a shock when it falls out. I have taken this opportunity to try a new hair cut! Because if I hate it a) I've got a wig as backup and b) it'll fall out in a few weeks anyway!! So who cares if it looks crap!

Post hair cut I am pretty pleased - apparently my hair now looks better than it did before (not sure whether this is an insult or not). However now feeling a bit bummed out that it's going to fall out in a few weeks (damn!).

Pictures to follow.......

Diagnosis

I first noticed a lump behind my left collarbone in November and thought nothing of it due to my history of Glandular Fever at the age of 17 which means I often have enlarged glands. However I eventually decided to go to the doctors in January to get it checked out. After a few months of hospital appointments, scans and a biopsy at QEH I was eventually diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.

Having learnt briefly about Hodgkins on my course (I study a cancer module and my dissertation specialises in cancer) my inquisitive mind pushed me to do some more research. And I suppose thats what prepared me for the fact that although it was small, there was a chance that this could be lymphoma. Anyway luckily I only got the results towards the end of term so had pretty much finished all my university work (wahoo!!) apart from exams which I have deferred till 2014. On the bright side - more time to revise! 

The biopsy I had was called a lymphadenectomy, basically the removal of the main enlarged lymph node, which was about the size of a large grape according to the radiologist. I was originally told that the scar would be about 3cm large, however it is actually more like 5 or 6cm. Which at first was a bit scary however after about 24 hours I embraced it as it 'adds character'. I'll upload some pictures to show the healing process, which has gone incredibly well and now after about 4 weeks it is barely visible! I kind of miss it though.. 

The first picture shows the scar the day after surgery, with the beautiful blue stitches in place.

The lump shown here is a hematoma, which is basically a build up of fluid and which gradually drains away (4 weeks on it has finally gone!!).

And this was the scar just after I had my stitches removed, a week on. As you can see parts of the line have already healed! 

Blog Post Number 1

The big C word, Cancer, is a very scary word to the majority of people. But at the age of 20, being diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma (cancer of the lymph nodes) did not instil the same emotions as it would have done in most.

I am a final year Human Biology student at the University of Birmingham, and have been offered a place at Queen Marys University of London to study a masters in Cancer Therapeutics. When I started university I often said to people when asked what I wanted to do in the future "I'm going to cure cancer". Having studied cancer in some depth I now know it is nowhere near that simplistic. But I suppose to me, being diagnosed with cancer during my quest against it brings one word to mind - IRONIC.

So this blog is my way of expressing how I'm feeling and what I'm going through from a *slightly knowledgeable, and hopefully a 'glass half full' viewpoint.

*I would like to emphasise the word 'slightly' as obviously I don't know that much, but I will be learning every day