Epic, epic news

I had my 4-week appointment today with my consultant and as in all likelihood, by the time I have my next one, the baby will be here, I asked a question that I’ve been saving up for, well. Basically the entire pregnancy.

When I started the fertility process, which I very gratefully didn’t need in the end, my consultant said she was happy for me to have a year off treatment. Whilst I was obviously really happy that this was allowed so I could have a baby, I was always sad that it meant that my breastfeeding time would be limited to 3 months. 

Green light for pregnancy

She also said, that if my leukaemic rate shot up in pregnancy that was ok as I could take Interferon.  So I was relaxed about that – in the past, I’ve managed 6 weeks off treatment before it’s started to shoot up, so I was at peace about taking Interferon even though it made me feel rough.

A year off treatment for pregnancy

When I discovered I was pregnant naturally and once again, it was confirmed I could have a year off treatment, I decided then that I would wait until the end of the pregnancy to see if I could barter any more time off treatment once the baby arrived to elongate my being able to breastfeed. I was going to see if I could either keep on with the Interferon for longer if I was already taking it, or take that instead of the oral chemo as Interferon is safe to use when breastfeeding. And I decided that today was that day to ask about this.

If all goes well, staying off treatment to breastfeed

To my utter amazement, my consultant said that I am good to go in terms of staying off treatment as long as I stay in the magic percentage with the leukaemic rate that means I’m still in remission with my 4 weekly blood tests.  I still can’t really believe this!  I’ve spent so long, longing to come off treatment and to see what happens, now that it’s here, rather unexpectedly, it’s well.  Still processing I think is what’s happening.

I just hope with every cell in my body, that after the baby is born, my immune system continues to deal with the few remaining leukaemic cells in my body in the same way, and keeps on top of them. That they don’t start to multiply and I leave the safe place I’m in at the moment.

Welcome, baby

So this might be it!  2021 might be the year that I managed to come off treatment and stay off it.  And then I can replace my cancerversary with a coming-off treatment date as I remember when I stopped taking it. That day when I thought. Oh.  Well if a baby is going to happen it will be now. And it was.

So fingers and toes crossed. I have been thinking over the last few days that I don’t want to be back in chemo fatigue land when I have a 2-year-old, as in all likelihood, that’s when it would start creeping back.  But if my body can keep doing what it’s doing permanently, then I don’t need to worry! I don’t need to think about being able to sleep when they do so I can get through the day. To have enough done to be in bed and asleep by 9pm so I can cope until their lunchtime sleep the following day. I will be able to do it on a ‘normal adults’ amount of sleep. And you know what? That’s the best f***ing thing I could ever get.