Posts

Showing posts from November, 2023

Breast cancer: discovery and diagnosis - Jan 2021

Image
 Kia ora! Before I publish the first full episode, I think it will be helpful to provide some detail about how I discovered and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Hopefully someone reading this will be inspired to check their own boobs (or nuts!). In mid-2020 I was told that the reason for my tubby belly was not just "middle-aged spread" but was in fact a uterine fibroid . Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in the uterus, in my case, in the top wall of the uterus. It was thought mine could be due to excess estogen, and I was put on the list for an abdominal hysterectomy to remove my uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes - keeping my ovaries intact. The fibroid reeeally began making its presence felt in the last few months of its existence, affecting the exercise I could do (goodbye, running), sapping my energy, and causing a fair bit of pain in the lead up to my period. I looked quite pregnant by the end and hadn't been near a waistband in a while :) I don't have heal...

Nau mai, harae mai! - Jan 2021

Image
 Kia ora! I'm Linda, and I live in a cute little cottage north of Wellington, New Zealand, with my partner and our cat Lulu. I love living peacefully amongst the trees, making jewellery, sewing and knitting, and carving the occasional wooden spoon. I'm glad you are here, you are very welcome. The original vision for this blog was to document my crafting year - I am creating stock to sell at a Christmas market and I have committed to only making (not buying) my clothes this year. Additionally, I liked the idea of creating posts that mark the changing seasons here at the cottage. So much for my original intentions - as we all know, 2020 couldn't let a good plan go undisrupted! One day in mid-December I got the news that I have breast cancer. This was, obviously, a massive shock and has completely upended my plans for a creative and relaxed 2021. So I will be documenting my treatment here too and I hope my journey will provide companionship and information for others in a ...

Recreating the blog

Image
In 2021 I had treatment for breast cancer and I kept a blog. It was so helpful at the time, to process what was happening and to keep friends and family informed. I also hoped my experience might in some way prove useful for other women embarking on this rollercoaster. In November 2023 I took down the Wix website and moved the entries to here - as an archive, and also because I'm planning to start blogging again in 2024. So the dates for the following entries won't line up, but hopefully the useful information is still useful.