Hello Ladies
My name is Lisa
I'm from the north east (Stockton-on-Tees)
Nice to meet you all.
On Monday 28th April I found a lump on my breast near my nipple so I kept on putting it off with everything else going on in my household with my husband having bowel issues waiting on results for his colonoscopy and issues with my dog, so I kept on putting it off so on Wednesday (30th April) morning my husband rang our doctors and explained to them that I had found a lump in my breast, so I had an emergency appointment with my doctor who checked and she had fast track my referral over to the hospital within 24 hours the hospital had rang me with a appointment for Saturday (3rd may).
the lump what I had found was apparently normal but while doing the mammogram they had noticed a lump (7mm) on the opposite side of the nipple on the same breast and both of the ladies looked at eachother in concerned of what they're had found, so I've had some ultrasounds scans and photos taken and a mini operation to take some core biopsies and put a maker in place so then had to have another mammogram to make sure the marker was in place and then seen a doctor he gonna ring with the results he thinks it could be fluids but who knows he said.
The doctor than said we will give your husband a ring with the outcome of the results. No call had happened so I received a letter confirming what they're had done etc and then a week ago I had another letter to say I had an appointment with the consultant/doctor for 11th June).
I goes to my appointment gets called in, asked to be undressed and my consultant (doctor) will be with me, didn't come until 20 minutes late, asked me to lay on the bed and turns around and says im removing you're nipple and areola , so my husband stopped him and said wow hold on a minute she needs to process what you're saying. I could have the operation and remove the lump but they're can't guarantee that my nipple can be saved it's 95% chance so in their words it's best to have the nipple & areola removed as I can have infections after infections and then I would have to be took for another operation to remove it, so the plan was to remove the nipple & areola and also the lump.
The consultant was so abrupt he wouldn't let me and my husband talk about this, the consultant had stormed out of the room and said he would call me back next month when I had thought it through. So while me and my husband was talking to the consultant understudy and talked to each and my husband explained to me what was happening as I wasn't understanding. I have some mild learning difficulties.
The lump is 7mm and it's 4mm from the nipple so it's a tricky operation. I had the had the microchip placed on 25th July, Then the operation on the 30th July.
Fast forward to the operation!
I was at the hospital for 6.30 ready to be taken down to the theatre for 8.20, that didn't happen it's was for 11/11.30. instead so must have been someone who needed an emergency.
While waiting I had doctors and nurses and my consultant understudy talking to me, the understudy said that they are gonna save my nipple again getting my hopes up again when I just come to terms with lossing it..
Fast forward abit to 11am.
I got taken down and i got on the bed ready for them to put me to sleep and the understudy and whoever else was there looked at my nipple and said no we're not saving you're nipple it's coming off by then I was knocked out. Operation was over there done what was needed the 7mm lump and nipple removed. No one came to see me while in recovery or in the day unit to explain what they're did
The sleepless nights, the pain has been so unreal, I've been trying to sleep sitting up has the side I'm lie on it's the boob what's been operated on so it's been difficult. Burning sensation it's all been unreal.
I went to see the nurse on Friday 7th aug to get the dressings taken off and I didn't want to look so my husband asked if I was okay for him to take a photo and seen his face drop and in shock too. So I got home the scar goes from one side of my boob to the other side. It's looks like I've been butchered when I seen the photo. Then I looked in the mirror and cried my eyes out the state of it and with the nipple and the scaring. It's nicely healing. Again no doctors or nurses are actually telling me what happened on the day of the operation when I went to see the nurse on Friday as I was leaving she didn't say you know where we are if you need us. No support whatsoever. My husband was talking to an ex doctor/neighbour about myself and she said that the scar should look like a lollipop not to be cut the way I have.
24 August
I had notice that I had some redness and was worried so I goes to urgent care and the doctors give me some antibiotics to try and if that doesn't work then I would have to be admitted.
Fast forward a little.
26 August
I had seen the consultant understudy told me everything was okay. Im cancer free and we had said about the redness and lumpy around the wound so they're had called the consultant he said how did you get the infection? And then he turned around and said nothing to worry about and you won't be admitted. But we will send you for an ultrasound.
so I had to have an ultrasound there was a abscess
They're had drained it and said it looked clear I didn't see nothing clear whatsoever. It was reddish/brown and it's been sent off.
I got home a few hours later My husband had drawn around it and it had checked it for me to see if the redness has went out of the marker and it did. So we rush back down to a&e sat in there for hours. Seen a doctor/consultant he was worried and said to me it's definitely infected bad and it was lucky I got there in time. So the doctor in a&e had apologised for the way I had been mistreated in breast clinic, he even told me himself that there is an infection so he calls down the surgeons to take a look at it and said I'm so sorry for you have gone through but your boob is badly infected and I would be admitted so that night all 3 of professionals had said if it wasn't for mart getting me to hospital when he did It would have been a different matter.
So I spent a few night in hospital on 7/8 drips of antibiotics. Seen the ward doctor and he said the same it's a good job I got there in time or I wouldn't be here now..so the infection had started to go down and I could be discharged 28th August to find out I had cellulitis, I've had that three times now and this one was more serious than the last one. I continue the antibiotics at home. I go back to the breast clinic 29th August but we have put our foot down that I don't want to see the consultant who done this to me and I don't trust him with my life no more I could have lost my life because of him. When I am fully recovered I will be reporting him as I have found a lot of information about him and he shouldn't be working at north tees but I will come to that one when I have done the right thing and I'll be susing him. He needs to be struck off before someone does die cos of his discusting behaviour. He doesn't deserve a title or anything. I'm coming for you. Now it's time for me to recover from this trauma and mental torture what him and his understudy have put me through. No support from his team is absolutely disgusting. I am glad to be still here getting strong. If it wasn't for My husband and my friend checking I wouldn't be here to tell you all about this.
I'm really struggling with it all and my mental health is starting again after all of this. I feel like I've failed as a women and don't have the strength to fight right now I'm so tired and can't sleep much since having the operation. Im crying all the time. No support only my husband and my aunt & a few friends I just don't know no more. My mother isn't supportive maybe cos we lost our dad to cancer 7 years ago. My sister never asks how I am. It feels like it my fault that I'm going through this and feel alone even though I've got my husband and neighbours to talk too.
Sending all my love and hugs to each one of you who are going through cancer, fought cancer and is in remission.
