It was exactly 2 years ago that I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have been saying for these 2 years that I was going to start a blog. Many things have come between me and the blog..but here it finally is.
My main motivation for finally getting round to this is to share my experience with women (girls) who may find themselves in my position and to hopefully allow them an opportunity to tackle their illness head on armed with information which is perhaps not always so well known. I have had a crazy car crash of a ride with this illness but it isn't that way for everyone and with a little education it perhaps doesn't have to be that way for even more women. I'm feeling very energetic and positive at the moment and therefore inspired to write. I will probably ramble at times and I have no doubt that I will often digress into many another tale BUT my main ideology behind this blog is to put out information to others who have or know someone who has OR has in the future (lets face it is only getting worse and more prevalent) breast cancer. My 2 years of research may be helpful and save others time and... em life to be blunt!
Tired tonight but going to kind of start the saga by outlining how it unfolded when I first found my lump...read and learn the easy way ladies.
It was May 11th, 5am on a Monday morning. I discovered a rather odd and very noticeable lump on my left breast. I immediately, and can I say without panic, took action, As soon as I arrived at work I booked a doctor's appointment. I was seen and examined by a female doctor who told me that it was most likely nothing to worry about I was young (I didn't feel it I was having a mini melt down about my fast approaching 40th, who could have known how insignificant that was, but hey that's the way it goes) and there was no huge concern over family history (which incidentally she didn't bother to ask me about and there is family history). I left with the news that she would refer me as urgent to the hospital and that I should be seen in about 2 to 3 weeks. I went about my business with a nagging feeling but tried not to get too uptight. 3 weeks passed and after returning home to look down at the floor every day there was still no letter of appointment. After this I telephoned my surgery and they told me that I had been referred and to just wait. And wait I did, and wait and wait. By week 4 enough was enough and I again telephoned my surgery. They again assured me that I had been referred, and advised that I get in touch with the hospital directly. This was a good time at school for pupils may I say as getting through to the Victoria is no easy task, video anyone? I finally managed to speak to someone only to be told that indeed I was on their list but as I was "only urgent" and not on the "suspicious" (the jargon that baffled began here I should have seen it coming) list then I would be seen some time late July if lucky as they were "dead busy"! Nearly 3 months later, eh? I queried this and as you would do, asked what the f*** (this was just the beginning of my tourettes syndrome when in medical establishments) the difference was between urgent and suspicious. They directed me back to my GP at this point. When I spoke to her she said that she had no idea of the difference and indeed no clue about such protocol, are you seeing my path beginning to take shape? Anyway she dutifully re referred me as "suspicious" and whilst you would think that I would be seen ultra quickly, you would be wrong. I was just treated as anyone else and waited nearly 3 weeks for my appointment, I was starting to suspect that doctors and hospitals didn't like admitting to making mistakes. I was finally seen and after an examination, mammogram, and ultra sound, a biopsy was done and I was told to expect the worst when the results came back, oh another 2 weeks later. Its kind of like this on this day. The further along the corridor you get the more you get the correct feeling that you're in the "getting fucked by cancer business. Each test reveals something that they don't like so they send you further along the conveyor belt so to speak. I may refer to conveyor belts a lot in my experiences. Anyway in this time I popped off to the Maldives to celebrate my fast aproacing 40th birthday, which I was incidentally appreciating having reached more now. Ironically we were also celebrating my best friends end of a year dealing (successfully )with breast cancer, oh aint life a laugh. That was another story. On my return I was told that I had cancer. Its kind of unsettling because again protocol dictates that the harbinger of bad news (consultant) along with the angel of doom as they would become known to me (cancer care nurse) do the pregnant pause waiting for you to cry. Its all really rather surreal because I didn't want to cry but if I remember correctly I did just not to let them down. Once the tears were out of the way I asked what was next. I was told that I would be booked in for surgery to have a lumpectomy. This would be in approximately 6 weeks they said. Hmm this journey was stretching out. Russell had sought advice from a family friend in the know as and she had told us that she thought that NHS procedure meant that it was mandatory that anyone be operated on within a 12 week window from first presentation with concerns/symptoms at their GP. We dutifully relayed this to the doctor. Again I was suspecting more that mistakes weren't readily admitted in this world as she didn't confirm or deny this, nor did she say that indeed they would get me in earlier. There wasn't much time left within this window. My surgery was scheduled for August, however, low and behold I received a call a couple of days later to say that they had a cancellation (some other woman was clearly too busy that day to have life saving surgery) and that my surgery would take place the following week. And so they fulfilled their duty with 2 days to spare. I will say again, no apology, no admission of wrong doing or error. BUT surgery was done.
The key point of this post is to say that woman must make sure that their GP knows the system and that they have the right to be seen at the hospital within 3 weeks. Make sure that this is the case and challenge anything else should you ever need to. Knowledge is power.
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