Its been just over a year now since I found the lump in my breast and around 5 months since I finished all my treatment. The weight that I put on thanks to the steroids during chemo has stayed with me which is a good thing in my case as I was very underweight when I started. My hair is growing back and not only was it blonde but it has grown back very curly. The colour was a big enough surprise, as I've never had naturally blonde hair. But these curls are a shock and not exactly a pleasant one LOL I've always had dead straight hair and for that matter so has everyone in my family so just where the curls have come from is a bit of a mystery. My friend Shelley who is a hairdresser easily sorted out the colour in February. I was advised to wait for six months before colouring my hair but vanity kicked in when my drivers licence was due fo renewal *rolls eyes* As for the curls�Well we are just going to have to wait and see what happens with them as my hair grows longer I think.

As far as my health goes I'm just starting to feel quite well again now, I'm still finding that my mouth is very dry all the time, something I don't remember having a problem with before I had chemotherapy. And I'm still finding that I get a lot more tired than I used to. I'm told this could continue on for a year or more yet. I never got any feeling back under my arm where the nodes were taken from and it extends a little way down the inside of my arm and down the left side along my breast. It doesn't really affect me at all, It's just a little annoying. My GP says that the feeling would probably never return to that area now. But all the other little niggles and problems that were associated with my treatment seem to have passed and I'm feeling almost back to normalagain. The only strange thing I've found is that the hair under my arms never grew back again�.Very odd but nothing to complain about.

I see my radiologist every three months now and apart from a quick checkup it seems more like a reason to get together for a bit of a chat. I was given the all clear as far as the oncology department goes when I saw Boris in February (which was about 6 months after I finished chemo) and as nice as he was I truly hope that I never set eyes on him again for the rest of my life.
Last month I had my first mammogram since finding the lump a year ago. I wasn't *really* expecting them to find anything but it was still a bit daunting and I'm very glad that first one is over and done with. It was clear thankfully and I will continue to have one done every year now for the rest of my life.
I've been told that it will take at least 5 years before I am given the final all clear as far as the breast cancer goes, and while I obviously await that day eagerly, I'm also taking things one day at a time.
For me personally, although a shock at first, breast cancer was a hiccup. I never for one moment thought I would die because of it, despite the fact that statistics show that it kills more women in Australia than any other disease. I always assumed that it would be treated and that I would be cured. And I was�If, heaven forbid it ever comes back then we will start the fight again and we will win again.

My family and friends continue to be the greatest joy in my life and I continue to feel truly blessed to have such special people in my life that I care about and who care so much about me. I lost a year of my life to breast cancer and although at times it was very unpleasant it was a small price to pay to live out the rest of my life in good health and surrounded by those people that mean the most to me.

I hope that some of the things I've written about on this website has been helpful and given you a better idea of some of the things that you or someone you know might be facing as far as treatment goes.

Love, best wishes and good health
Joy