'˜Mastectomy scar is my badge of honour'

I had noticed I’d lost some weight but I was working 60 hours a week at two jobs and had no car, so I was walking everywhere and I didn’t think too much about it.

One day when I was changing my top, my daughter noticed I had some prominent veins.

My breast felt a bit odd but I couldn’t feel a lump but Julie encouraged me to go to my doctor anyway.

My GP, Dr Chanelle Gilmore at Ligoniel Health Centre, has been fantastic.

She sent me for a scan and she has been constantly checking up on my results and still is so attentive as I was left with some bladder problems and nerve damage after my treatment. I am very fortunate to have her as my doctor.

Nothing came up when I had a mammogram but then I had an ultrasound whcich found a lump.

A biopsy confirmed that it was breast cancer and I had a mastectomy last January.

The diagnosis was a shock – perhaps more for my family than me. They were so used to me running around they couldn’t believe I was so ill. They really rallied round and are a tremendous support.

I hated that I lost my hair during chemotherapy – I’d look in the mirror and think ‘I don’t know you’, and the mastectomy really knocked my confidence.

For ages I wore baggy tops because I felt so self-conscious about my shape. It’s a big change in your life, it took a good while to get used to the new me.

But you have to get on with it, don’t you, put a smile on your face and go on?

My GP told me that I have Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy, which is a numbness, tingling and sensitivity to cold in the hands and feet, which has left me in a lot of pain and I struggle to do the things I used to. 

I use a stick when I have to go somewhere, which is taking a lot of adjusting for me. 

I’m also waiting for an appointment to check my bladder - throughout my six courses of chemo I had constant infections which have weakened my bladder.

My GP referred me to the geneticist for testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 faulty genes. Carriers have a much higher risk of getting cancer.

I’m an only child and my parents are both dead so there was no known family history of BRCA.

However, my GP thought it would be a good idea to be tested as very little was known about my mother’s death. 

I was told that my mother had an abdominal tumour that had spread to her bowel but it wasn’t known where the cancer had started.

The geneticist was reluctant to test as she believed I didn’t meet the criteria. 

Then, I received a letter this August from Belfast City Hospital explaining that they had looked into my mother’s pathology and that she’d had ovarian cancer. 

This means that I now qualify for the testing.

It’s so important to know if there is a genetic link as my children and others in the family can now be tested too and take steps to protect themselves if they need to.

I may also need to have further surgery that would greatly reduce my chance of cancer recurring.

After my mastectomy, I was feeling quite low and the breast cancer nurse at the City suggested that I contact the Cancer Focus NI bra-fitting service.

After surgery and treatment for breast cancer some women feel less confident about their body and self-image.

I think it’s so important to feel good in your clothes - it can make a real difference to your mood - and following breast surgery there is no reason why women shouldn’t go on wearing the clothes they love.

I’ve used the service a few times now and the staff are wonderful.

I had a warm welcome from the receptionist and a cup of tea with the lady who does the fitting. She was so bubbly and made me feel so comfortable.

She showed me a whole range of styles of bras in different colours, some with pants to match, and she showed me how to adjust them for the best look.

You can get swimwear too if you’re planning a holiday or just like to swim.

I found it so informative – it’s fantastic that this service is there and I’d urge any woman who’s had a mastectomy to try it. T

he support I got from the Cancer Focus NI bra-fitting service definitely played an important part in helping me re-build my life.

It’s a year after my operation now and I feel that I have regained a lot of my old confidence.

I even took part in a very special photographic exhibition which was held at Titanic earlier this year showing images of cancer patients and their scars. My scar is now my badge of honour!”

*For more information about the Cancer Focus NI bra and swimwear fitting service, available at eight centres across Northern Ireland, please call 028 9066 3281, email [email protected] or visit www.cancerfocusni.org.

If you have any worries about cancer call the charity’s free Nurseline on 0800 783 3339.