It's just like buses with me

So, I don't write a post for weeks and then I write two together. Well at least it keeps it fresh. Here goes...

For my birthday yesterday, Dean sent me a photo card of me and my parents celebrating my 42nd birthday at the dogs in Manchester (I'm known for my sophisticated taste in celebrations). To everyone else, this was just a nice gesture. To me, it was loaded with significance.

Firstly, it was the last birthday we would get to spend together as a family. I was away last year on my birthday and Mum sadly died two months later.

Secondly, I spent the following day in hospital with a suspected stroke. I had been in the office that day preparing a presentation and was running it by some students that were working with us. They smiled politely as a stream of nonsense came out of my mouth and I told my bemused colleagues that I needed to get some fresh air.

Earlier that day on my drive into work I had experienced an unusual sensation where I felt like honey was pouring from my eyes and as a chronic migraine sufferer, I assumed that this was just another aspect of this hideous affliction (slightly melodramatic but nonetheless true). I got home and collapsed on the sofa. My husband knew that this was unusual behaviour for me (at least more unusual than normal) and took me to the emergency doctor. He was excellent, and having met me before during my many cancer call-outs, he felt it was best to go straight to the hospital for reassurance that everything was OK. Things were far from OK as the experiences were indicators of a large malignant brain tumour that required treatment with surgery and then with Whole Brain Radiotherapy. As many of you already know, only six weeks after treatment, a whole new brain cancer appeared, which had to be operated on again by my phenomenal surgeon and neurologist (thanks again to her for her brilliance).

The rest as you know is (recent) history, and sitting here in the fading sunlight, I thank God for saving my life when all appeared lost. So the moral of the tale? Don't ignore unusual happenings in your body. Act fast. Seek help from your GP (out-of-hours if necessary). It could be the best call you ever make.

Amanda

Half joke, half fact