Back to the plan

Last Thursday I returned to the hospital for another colposcopy, this time they took four biopsies which I wasn't expecting and knocked me for six, both physically and mentally. It's now the usual drill, wait four weeks for the results. 

Throughout the recovery my main concern - as well as my health - was getting back to my marathon training. Missing days of training can really affect your plan and although I'm a few days ahead of where I should be I really didn't want to suddenly be on the back foot. 

After resting - as much as is possible for me to rest - for a couple of days, I got back out running this morning. It was just great to be back! 

The weather is quite cold at the moment but despite that and the fog, I just focused on the bigger picture and ploughed on through. 

I'm suffering a little now from the pain but knowing I've got back to it is a huge boost. And keeping in mind that I'm healthy and will be back out there pounding the pavements tomorrow is also keeping me motivated. 

It does make me really admire people with more serious injuries and health problems that also train for and finish marathons, how do they even do that?

 

I heard from a colleague at the weekend that he trained for a marathon in 2 weeks!! I've been training already for four months and feel no where near ready! (He did say he couldn't walk for weeks after though so guess that's not a good idea!) 

The other real bonus and motivation for me this week has been reaching my £3000 target! 

We raised £1500 at a work fundraising day on Saturday and with the money already donated I am delighted that the target has been reached. 

Never one to shy away from a challenge, I've now decided to increase the target to £5000! With 11 weeks to go until the marathon I know it's achievable & can't wait to hand over cheques for so much money to my two charities! 

Thank you to everyone who continues to keep me motivated & committed to raising money for amazing causes. 

A tough week

The week I've been pretty much dreading for the past few months has arrived. On Thursday I'll be heading back to the hospital for my next colposcopy and to start another couple of weeks of waiting for results. 
People have asked me if it gets any easier, my answer 'No'. If anything because you know what to expect it's actually harder. The procedure isn't the nicest of things to go through but worst than that is the waiting. Your future is in the hands of someone in a lab somewhere who you will never meet! That is the scary part for me. 
Having said that, I've kept myself healthy & fit for the past couple of months so there is nothing more I can do than that, it's all out of my hands. 

This week my wonderful friend Caroline is the chosen one holding my hand through it all, it helps so much to have someone with you so take note, if you ever need to go through something like this, never try to soldier on alone, it does not help anyone, least of all you! Caroline, as with most of my friends, has been an absolute tower of strength for me throughout all of this and that really goes a long way to helping me keep my chin up, stay positive and smile on through it. 

I'll be resting up for a few days after the colposcopy so the training will need to ease a little, I've re-arranged my schedule for this week so that I am still running the same distance just on different days and thankfully I've saved my rest days for Friday & Saturday. Sunday will be a tough run as it's 1 hour 50 minutes but I'll be taking things slow and only doing as much as I can.  
If you are friends with me on Facebook, please 'like' my Nike+ update on Sunday morning, that's when I'll be needing all the cheers and support I can get. 

What is really motivating me throughout all of this though is that I am supporting two amazing charities and that by me putting myself out there, my kind friends, family, colleagues and even complete strangers are donating to something I feel very passionate about. 

Thank you all so much! 

A bit of history on the why!

As you can see from my blog header, I am supporting Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. I thought I would share with you my reasons for this which I hope in turn will help others. 

In November 2012, I went for a regular smear test, having had them a few times and the results be fine, I hadn't really given it a second thought. A week or so later I received a call from my doctors letting me know the results had come back as abnormal and I was being referred to the Women's Clinic at our local hospital. My mum has had this a number of times so reassured me that it would be just a formality. 

So bright and early on 6th December, me and mum went along to the hospital. When I was called into a room by a lovely lady called Tracey (a colposcopy nurse) she introduced me to Mr Lee, he would be my consultant. 
He explained the reason for being brought into the hospital. I won't go into the details of a colposcopy, it's not the most pleasant of procedures. 
(If you want more information, Jo's Trust have a great information page you can view here.) 

During the colposcopy, the abnormal area was viewed using a camera, Mr Lee decided to take biopsy's of the area. This really wasn't comfortable at all but like most women, I laid back and thought of England! Job done!  

Over the Christmas period I was really quite down and spent of lot of time thinking about results and really worrying myself. It was then that I was looking on the internet and came across Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust. 
(More to come about them in my next post!)

Having read through the website getting as much information as I could, I was back at the hospital to start off the new year. Again I saw Mr Lee who explained that I would need further treatment of the cervix. This time it would be a bigger procedure and he talked me through this, they would be removing part of the cervix which contained the abnormal cells. Due to some breathing problems I had the year before (I'm asthmatic), it was recommended that I would require a general anaesthetic. Mr Lee reassured me that it would all be ok and along with the colposcopy nurse really put my mind at ease. 
I left and turned to the Jo's Trust website to find out more details then joined their online forum to talk to others in similar situations. 

After a few weeks of worry & some really great support from my friends, colleagues & family (it's true what they say you really do learn who your friends are when something like this happens!), I went into hospital on 6th February, I was admitted as a day patient. Although I felt a little groggy from the anaesthetic after it wasn't as bad as I had imagined and a week or so of rest and I was back on my feet. 

5 weeks later I was back to the hospital for my results, I was feeling really positive and having had the support from the forum on Jo's Trust, I felt in charge of the facts. 
This time Mr Lee again explained everything and I would be needing more treatment to remove more cells. Having been positive for months I was starting to feel really tired and a little lost in the world of hospitals & doctors. 
Turning to my family, friends, colleagues & Jo's Trust for support I spoke to the doctors about having a few months off before the next treatment to let my body and mind rest, they agreed. 

It was during this time whilst watching the London Marathon in April that I realised how much of an important part of my journey so far Jo's Trust had played. The following weeks I thought of nothing but the marathon, having been running short distances for a few years I toyed with the idea of actually running it. 

On 29th April whilst on holiday with my friends, the ballot for the marathon opened and I applied. I do not find out if I have got a place until September so it's all fingers crossed at the moment. I also decided that I would absolutely be running for Jo's Trust and will apply for a charity place through them also. Since then running has been my main focus and it really has helped to get my mind and body fit and healthy. (Well that and dieting with my good friend Gemma to get our bodies in shape for the summer!)

I returned to the hospital a few weeks ago feeling really positive & ready to take on whatever it is in my body that isn't meant to be there! 
Mr Lee explained that he would be doing another colposcopy there & then to see how the cervix was now. Feeling much calmer I was ready to take on whatever happened. 

Having now recovered from this visit, I am waiting on the next lot of results from the hospital which should be in the next couple of weeks. Myself, my family, friends & colleagues have everything crossed and I know that with the help of them & Jo's Trust I can see off anything. I'm also hoping the ballot or fundraising place comes through too & I can look forward to fundraising and supporting a charity that means an awful lot to me personally.