Hi everyone, long time no write…  It’s been over two years since I last posted on this blog and to be completely honest, I was hoping never to post again. (nothing personal, I just didn’t feel the need to share my innermost soul, falling over incidents and toileting habits with the wider world once I was in remission).  Unfortunately, cancer, that sneaky, vile, bastard disease has crept up on me again, so my ‘Let battle commence: Round II’ blog is now officially up and running.  

After a merry go round of MRI and PET/CT scans over the last four weeks, my haematology consultant confirmed yesterday evening that I have Non-Hodgkin Diffuse B Lymphoma again.  We don’t know what stage yet, but he described it as “extensive” and “aggressive”.

To say that I'm devastated would be an understatement.  I am beyond devastated, but I’m fucking angry too.  And that anger is a good thing.  It’s what will fuel my fight, and I intend to fight like a warrior – and importantly, this time I’m going into the fight standing up! (not paralysed from the boobs down, which frankly, limits the ability to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee… )  I am not ready to shuffle off this mortal coil yet.  There are far too many things to do, places to see, people to meet, other people to annoy, dogs to cuddle and wine to be drunk  - and trust me, I intend to tick all those boxes before I go anywhere.

They tell me it’s going to take five months, during which time I’ll be filled with nasty chemo, will go through a stem cell transplant and may also need radiation therapy.  All of which will provide lots of fodder for witty blog updates, so buckle in - it's going to be a bumpy ride ….

A. xxx