Did I see The Rainbow Bridge?

Re posted from http://jenanita01.wordpress.com


On the way to the hospital for my pre-op check-up, I was more than a little apprehensive. The day was cold, freezing wind and rain chilled me to the bone long before I reached the car.They were going to inject me with a radioactive dye to highlight the sentinel lymph node, ready for the surgeon the next day. This would be removed along with the tumour to see if the cancer had spread.
I had lived with this knowledge for nearly a month, and the following day I would know the worst. Inside, I felt as cold and bleak as the weather, but somehow resigned to my fate, whatever it was.Just as we turned onto the main road, I happened to look up at the sky.  Shining like an angelic message, was the largest, brightest and strongest rainbow I have ever seen. My heart soared up to meet it and tears filled my eyes. It felt so special and had to be a good omen.


At the time, I didn’t think of it as the ‘rainbow bridge’ people talk about, and we didn’t actually cross it, or pass under it. It stayed beside us as we travelled towards the motorway.
The following day couldn’t have been more different.
We left at 6am in the cold and dark. It felt like the middle of the night, and we were all in a sombre mood, bristling with apprehension. From the back seat of the car, I stared out of the rain-spattered windows, wondering what I was in for. I had an idea, being no stranger to hospitals. But just how bad it might be was unknown and I found myself mesmerised by the coloured studs  all the way along the motorway.
As we approached the coast, the view was incredible. The sea was calm and glistening with millions of reflected lights in the darkness, the dawn a faint promise on the horizon. It had to be a good day, didn’t it?
There was a lot of waiting around that day and more prodding, scanning and artwork. Yes, they do actually draw all over you. I ended up with all manner of squiggles, numbers and arrows in big black letters all over my breast. Pity I couldn’t photograph it!
To cut a long story short, the surgery went well. The tumour was satisfactorily removed, and all my lymph nodes were clear. Essentially, the cancer has gone. Subject to more intensive tests of course.
At this point, I have to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone in Breast Care Services at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth for taking such good care of me.
It was just 28 days from diagnosis to surgery, a brilliant timescale. I barely had time to worry about anything!