My diagnosis...
There is no good time to be diagnosed with an aggressive and fast-growing form of breast cancer, but just days ahead of the Covid lockdown in March 2020 was probably not a good time! I was diagnosed with breast cancer on 9th March 2020.
I was 55, an empty-nester, working part-time for a charity, with a son at University, looking forward to spending more time with my wonderful partner. I'd done quite a lot of volunteering for the head office at Macmillan Cancer Support, so I knew breast cancer is quite common, especially amongst women in their 50s. I myself had no family history.
I felt the lump myself and after being examined in hospital. During my appointment I craned around to see what the nurse at the hospital was typing and saw the words 'large cyst' on her screen, so thought I was in the clear. When I received my diagnosis I was very surprised but I didn't cry. I'm a very pragmatic person and just thought "let's get on with it".
My treatment...
In order to actually get timely surgery, my partner suggested that we have it done privately. There was a whirlwind of just nine days between diagnosis and surgery. Unfortunately I was offered no choice of operation if I had it done straight away - mastectomy or wait for a while - not sensible with all the uncertainties of Covid. I couldn't wait as my cancer by then had been identified as rare and fast-growing (my mammogram 18 months previously had been completely clear).
It was initially really worrying to think that my treatment would either be really delayed or possibly not even happen at all - the oncologist said "...IF we are able to offer you chemotherapy..."
When I first had chemotherapy the ward was very quiet - most people had been cancelled. I think because I was relatively young and a priority case, my chemo went ahead. The first time we drove to the hospital the +30 minutes drive took just 14 minutes!
My ongoing surgery journey...
I originally wanted to have breast-conserving surgery but wasn't able to have it due to Covid. The aftermath of Covid meant that any reconstructive work was also delayed and four years after my original diagnosis my reconstructive journey is still not complete. Having a delayed reconstruction then put me to the back of the queue for surgery - it was 18 months after my diagnosis that I had my initial reconstruction. I was not happy to read about people who were diagnosed six months or a year later and all their treatment was over before I'd been offered a reconstruction. I wanted a reconstruction to feel more like my old self. However the surgery wasn't as good as I'd hoped (due to previous abdominal surgery, the fat was taken from my upper thigh) and I'm now four years after my diagnosis I'm still having further surgery.
My advice if you have recently been diagnosed is that breast cancer has good survival rates these days. You will never be quite the same again but you can and you will come through this. You will be surprised by all the love and kindness of your friends and family.
Choosing post-surgery lingerie and swimwear...
I love an underwired bra and when I was finally healed enough to wear one Nicola Jane was the only place I could find that did them. I wish I'd found Nicola Jane earlier, as they have a great post-surgery range and some lovely styles with lace that actually look pretty as well as practical - the Aurelie Underwired Bra and The Karolina Underwired Lace Bra are the bras I had chosen.
Don't worry too much about your first bra - recovery is also a bra journey and your first recovery bra will not be with you forever, so don't worry that it might not be exactly right. I would suggest to order your new bra in good time - just in case you get a cancellation and your surgery can be done earlier.
After the success of choosing a bra, I chose a swimsuit - Nicola Jane's own brand - purple with a bold floral sections. Colourful and fun, as well as secure. This even emboldened me to have a stand-up paddle boarding lesson in the Lake District wearing it!
The Nicola Jane swimwear is great, it holds your prosthetic breast form really securely so you don't need to worry about it falling out. Wearing a swimsuit for the first time post-surgery can be a bit daunting but just go for it! Don't let breast cancer stop you from swimming (or doing anything that you want to!)
Living my life and looking forward to the future...
My partner and I got married in September 2023 (three years after I finished treatment). My husband is actually recovering from a serious stroke at the moment, so we are still finding our feet with travel again but we have two exciting trips planned for later this year. A cruise to the fjords in June and a trip to Andalusia in October.
Good luck on your breast cancer journey. You will get there.