It’s been a difficult Summer dear reader, not just for me personally but many people around the world, and it’s so easy to get taken off track and absorbed in the chaos that’s going on around us. I’m not a selfish person, quite the opposite, so it’s been especially hard for me to put myself and my needs ahead of everyone else – particularly when those people are close to you. But I’ve had to find a way since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in July. I had to make sure other people could pick up the care and the daily goings on before I took a step back to start my journey. It has been hard, the hardest thing I’ve had to do so far in life, but I know that to help others, apply your own oxygen mask first.
I consider myself fortunate that the breast cancer I have been diagnosed with is the most treatable, it’s Grade 1 Ductal Carcinoma and my consultant seems to think that it has been there for a while (you can read how I found it in this post). I’ve now had the lumpectomy and lymph nodes removed and am just recovering from the surgery and waiting for the pathology results 🤞.
It’s painful, but it is getting easier every day – as long as I’m kind to myself and allow healing to take place, and rest when I feel tired. This is hard for someone who prefers to be busy and is famous within the family for her impatience. I’ve found that the M.E I have (along with fibromyalgia) is determined to play a role, too. I usually have a nap most afternoons (and I highly recommend them!) but they have gone from a 30 – 40 minute ‘power nap’ to a 3 hour marathon whilst still being able to sleep 10 -12 hours at night – blessed be thy sleep!
So I’m trying to manage that as best I can too.
A lot of recovering from surgery (when not tired) is just sitting / lying around and it’s clear there is nothing wrong with my brain power as I’ve drafted the remaining chapters of Book 3, When We Deceive, something I had been really struggling with before ‘everything went to sh*t’ so I’m really pleased with that.
It also occurred to me that it’s fast approaching the one-year anniversary of my firstborn, The Lie She Told – an entire year 🤯 so I’m planning some promotion around it. I am going to issue a revised first anniversary edition and include a couple of follow up chapters to Kate and Jack’s story and a chapter from The Web They Wove. I’ll let you know when they’re available, but I’m aiming for 1st October 2021 – depending on how things go.
There has been one huge, blinding light of happiness in all this by the way. On the 16th July my only child, Daniel, married his wonderful partner Sadie, and for one day I forgot about the craziness that was going on and threw myself wholeheartedly into celebrating their love for each other and their respective families. The sun was shining, the bride and groom were positively glowing and grinning from ear-to-ear the entire day and night, and I was in charge of my adorable grand puppy Milo. The day was perfect in every way and the love was tangible from the very start.
I wish we could have that day all over again every week!
For now, it’s one day at a time, being kind to myself and going gently through life until I feel back up to full speed.
Thanks for reading,
Cat xx
