A breast screen saved my life.
February 14th 2023 was the day my life changed forever. That was the day I was told
“I’m sorry to have to tell you that you have breast cancer”
At that moment, I felt that life as I knew it was over. I was petrified that I might die from this disease and, if it wasn’t for breast screening, I might not be here today.
As anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer will know, it is a very difficult and life-changing experience that affects not only the patient but also their family. For me, it was a time in my life when I felt the most scared and out of control, but also the most grateful for the supportive and loving family I have.
Three days after my initial diagnosis, I was sitting in my breast surgeon’s room listening to her explain the treatment and surgery I would need to have. She drew pictures to help me understand where the tumour was and how the surgery would be conducted. I left her office feeling exhausted as I tried to process my predicament.
Two weeks later my husband and I met the oncologist for the first time.
I walked into her office feeling scared, anxious, and worried. It did not take long to realise I had selected a doctor who was not only an expert in breast cancer, but also a warm and caring human being. I started to feel safe and in good hands, a feeling that continues to this day.
After the initial introductions, she pushed my paperwork aside and asked me to tell her my story rather than just rely on the information she was provided. So I explained that I had a routine breast screen and two weeks later I received a phone call that my mammogram showed an abnormality that needed further investigation. A scan and a biopsy confirmed it was breast cancer.
She explained that the type of cancer I had was one of the worst but fortunately, one where treatment had progressed the most. It was an aggressive cancer that needed intensive treatment consisting of 12 weeks of chemotherapy, then surgery followed by 19 rounds of radiation therapy and 12 months of immunotherapy. These were treatments I had heard of other people going through, but never thought I would be one of them.
My treatment started within a week of seeing my oncologist. Every Thursday I would see her first to discuss any symptoms I was experiencing, and then go down to the hospital’s oncology department to receive either 2 or 3 types of drugs intravenously over 4-5 hours.
For part of the treatment time, I would have to endure sitting with a “cold cap” on my head to try and save my hair from falling out. The discomfort of sitting attached to a machine that pumped freezing air on my head for 2 hours was extremely difficult but it was the only thing I felt I had control over.
Unfortunately, using the cold cap is not available at all hospitals nor does it work for everyone, which makes me very sad, so I am very grateful that it worked for me. Keeping most of my hair meant I could go out and not have people stare or ask what was wrong all the time.
Other than extreme fatigue, the first few weeks of chemo went by without many of the side effects I was warned about. Then one day, I started getting mouth ulcers. I’ve had mouth ulcers before, but these were nothing like any I’d experienced. These ulcers were deep, angry and extremely painful to the point that I could not eat or drink anything other than plain yoghurt for weeks.
I eventually learned ways to ease the pain, but they still took ages to heal and no sooner did one lot clear, new ones appeared. At one point, my oncologist had to send me away from treatment because they were so bad.
As the weeks of chemo passed, I would become more and more tired and only have enough energy to get home, and have a hot shower to warm my head and body before climbing into bed for a nap.
Although chemo was a struggle, not once did I feel alone. At every session, my husband was right beside me. On the few occasions he couldn’t be there, one of my sons or daughters-in-law stayed to keep me company. I will be forever grateful for their love and support.
Chemotherapy is a long and difficult treatment and I felt blessed to have loved ones with me, but also I felt guilty when I saw women having treatment week after week on their own. Although I didn’t know their circumstances, I couldn’t help wondering if they were on their own by choice or not.
Three weeks after my last chemo session, I was booked in for surgery. Fortunately, my tumour was small and only required a lumpectomy and some lymph nodes to be removed. Although this experience was traumatic, my heart goes out to women who need a mastectomy because that would be so much worse.
A couple of days after surgery, I got the news I was hoping for from my oncologist. There was no cancer detected in my lymph nodes and my original cancer was gone. I couldn’t believe it. The chemo and surgery had worked a treat and my prognosis is that I only have a very small chance of the cancer returning.
Just to be sure there weren’t any microscopic cancer cells floating around, radiation therapy was next on the agenda. So every day except weekends for 3 weeks I went to the hospital to get zapped. Although I felt no pain, the level of exhaustion increased after each session and by the last one, I was truly done!
Although I know people who have gone through cancer, I didn’t really understand the extent of not only the physical pain, but the emotional turmoil a cancer patient suffers until I became a cancer patient. The shock and realisation of what the words “you have cancer” mean can only really be understood by someone who has experienced it for themselves.
It has been 20 months since my diagnosis and 8 months since I completed the last of my treatment. Physically I’m doing great and feel stronger every day, but I’m still working through some difficult emotions that I’ve been told are normal at this stage in my recovery.
My cancer treatment meant I had to stop doing what I love, but I have now reached a place where I am ready to return to counselling with a whole new perspective on life and experience I can share to help other people who are going through cancer or another serious illness.
If you are a woman and have not kept up with regular breast screens, then PLEASE book one today. A breast screen is painless, only takes 10 minutes and it might just your life too.
Thank you for reading this post and if you have any questions or a story to share, I would love to hear from you.
Wishing you hope and light!
Vicki