Hi everyone. It’s barely a month since I got the letter telling me I had to have a biopsy. I have recently had a lumpectomy with axial node clearance. I feel very lucky to live close to both the Nightingale Centre and the Christie. I was quite surprised to be told right from the start that my tumour was probably malignant and one lymph node at least was involved. I had my lumpectomy under the NHS but in a private hospital. I think it’s quite important if this happens to you to make sure that the hospital where you have the op is communicating with the one following you up. If anything is worrying you at all post-op, get in touch sooner rather than later.
My biggest problem has been a huge seroma - finally I called the Nightingale for advice yesterday and they had me in today for aspiration. They seemed quite surprised that I hadn’t been offered physio and a dressing appointment - not criticising anybody but just pointing out that even with superb care you can fall through the cracks, particularly if your named contact nurse happens to be having a few days off as mine was. If something doesn’t seem quite right, if you feel it shouldn’t be hurting as much as it does, don’t just go on the Internet and worry, get it checked out because you’ll find many people have had the same problem and the professionals know what to do. I hope that with a bit of radiotherapy in a few weeks’ time we can knock this thing on the head, and meanwhile I really appreciate all the support I’ve had, it’s been amazing.
Ruth
Hi Ruth and a very warm welcome to the online community which I hope you'll find is both an informative and supportive place to be.
Thanks very much for taking the time to tell us about your experience so far. I can see that you've joined the breast cancer group which is a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support.
When you feel ready to introduce yourself in the group just click on the link I've created which will take you straight there. You can then post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'.
It would be great if you could pop something about your diagnosis and treatment into your profile as it really helps others when replying to you and also when looking for someone on a similar pathway. It also means that you don't have to keep repeating yourself. To do this click on your username and then select 'Profile'. You can amend it at any time and if you're not sure what to write you can take a look at mine by clicking on my username.
If you have any difficulty navigating the community just drop me a reply and I'll be pleased to help
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"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
