Breasties!

It’s weird how the universe pulls people into your life, and that’s how I feel about Rachael, Dawn and Julie. 3 women who were also going through breast cancer at the same time as me and we became friends. Each of them had a different diagnosis than me which meant that their treatment had differences to mine. Treatment is based on every bit of your diagnosis and is as individual as you. Here are their stories, I hope you find them useful. JuJu x

Rachael’s Story

In late August 2022 I was away on holiday with family when I felt a lump in my right breast whilst in the shower. I had thought I knew how to check but looking back I realised I checked from on top of my breasts whereas the lump was huge and so obvious once I found it but from the underside. We were still on holiday for a few more days and I tried to make it nice for my kids (who were 11 and 15 at the time) but my heart was racing the whole time. I think I knew then. 

We got home and I went straight to see a GP who referred me for an urgent mammogram. They did the mammogram and asked me to sit in the waiting room then brought me back in for an ultrasound. I could feel the shift in the room, like all the air had been sucked out. They did biopsies and put small markers on the edges of the tumours. After the longest 2 weeks waiting for the results came the news that tipped our lives upside down - Stage 3C cancer. 2

tumours - one at 6.3cm and one 5.6cm and 12 lymph nodes cancerous (2 with extra-capsular spread). 

From there it felt like getting on a conveyor belt of treatment that chews you up and spits you out forever changed. Don't get me wrong, I will forever be grateful to the NHS for the care and treatment and everyone - my oncologist, my surgeon, the nurses etc. were amazing but it was the hardest thing I have ever been through. I had a mastectomy on the 13th October 2022 with full lymph node clearance on the right armpit. All my breast tissue was removed and a temporary expander and port put in place. I had 3 surgical drains following my mastectomy which had to stay in for 2 weeks. I had lots of seroma fluid which I kept having to go to hospital to have taken out with a large needle but other than that I healed okay. 

Once recovered enough I had 6 IV chemo which was given every 3 weeks. I had 3 rounds of Cyclophosphamide and Epirubicin (the bright red chemo) and then 3 of Docetaxel. I had a scary blip after my first chemo where I had a frightening reaction to the injections they give you to boost your white blood cell production. Long story short I ended up in hospital on a spinal board which combined with chemo resulted in a DVT!

I tried the Cold Cap to try to keep as much hair as possible through chemo but a few days after the first one it was falling out so fast that I asked my husband to shave it late one night. I felt like being so self-conscious of it coming out all the time was taking over so shaving it felt like a way to take control of the situation but it was still so hard to do. I didn't know at the time but I was crying so loudly that my daughter could hear me from her bedroom which breaks my heart to think of. 

Chemo was the toughest part of the whole treatment for me. It was utterly miserable for most of it, particularly Docetaxel which gave me bone pain that felt like it was going to break me at times, but I found the strength to get through and my friends and family were an amazing support. Another fantastic support was the Maggies centre at Oldham hospital. Whilst at the Art Class I met other people who had been through or were going through treatment and who understood. I remember the art class that Julie first came to, we clicked straight away and our friendship has meant so much to me ever since. 

Following a short time to recover from chemo I then had 15 sessions of radiotherapy.

By early May I was allowed to go back to work. I'm a Deputy Head in a Primary School and sadly, as gorgeous as our pupils are, their germs and my reduced immunity weren't an advisable mix I had been instructed. 

Life began to resemble normality a little bit, albeit very much affected by some unpleasant side effects of 2 years of Abemaciclib chemo tablets. That normality was walloped back quite a bit by a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung) on my wedding anniversary (6th August) resulting in yet another urgent hospital stay. It really shook me, not just because of how life threatening it could have been but because I had been walking miles to recover my strength and stamina so for it to happen at that point was a huge shock. I should have been flying on holiday with my group of closest friends a few weeks after it happened and wasn't able to go. Logically I knew it was for the best but also couldn't help feeling frustrated as though it was just another thing that cancer had taken away. 

I got through the 2 years of chemo tablets, had blood thinners added in and swapped from Tamoxifen to Letrozole for my endocrine treatment as it has less risk of clotting.

Because of the DVT and Pulmonary Embolism my surgeon didn't feel it was safe for me to have my reconstruction and reduction surgery whilst still on chemo (or it was still in my system) and as a result it had to be delayed for two and a half years. Although I have outwardly joked about staying 'a wonky donkey' for longer the serious side of that is how it affects your confidence, what you can wear, the paranoia about how noticeable it is to others. As I write this I am recovering - just over two weeks after the long awaited surgery. It finally happened almost three years to the day since my mastectomy.

So here I am. Scarred yes - physically but also mentally and emotionally. Changed? Absolutely. For the worse in many ways but I always try to find positives and I know that I am also changed for the better in some ways too. I know now that I am stronger than I ever knew I could be. This has confirmed that I have a marriage built on unshakable love. I have amazing strong kids who are kind and brave. I have wonderful friends and family who have held me up when I felt like I couldn't go on. All of this means that when my heart races and my head spins with fear that it will metastasise (and that happens often) that is what I have to hold onto to keep my head above water and my feet going forward. 

Dawn’s Story

It was December 2022 when I was initially diagnosed with HER2 positive, Progesterone and Oestrogen negative, Stage 2b  breast cancer.

I was 53 so had had my first mammogram in October 2020 two years previously which was clear so breast cancer wasn’t on my radar at all and another mammogram wasn’t due for another 12 months. I also hate to admit I wasn’t a regular checker, I felt well in-fact the best I had felt in a few years I had no changes to my breast no puckering no discharge but one night I felt a lump that felt like lemon pip so I  organised a GP appointment straight away.

I was referred to the one stop breast clinic at my local hospital and was lucky enough to get a cancellation three days later, I went alone to this appointment because  I thought it was nothing. At this appointment I had a mammogram then a scan a biopsy and a mag seed injected into the lump, due to all these tests I knew something wasn't right but the biopsy needed to be sent away and I was given an appointment for the following week. 

My husband and I both went to this appointment feeling sick and I felt distant as if protecting myself. The consultant advised it was cancer he was able to tell me there and then that it was Her2 positive cancer that I would need surgery and 6 months of chemo then radiotherapy then herceptin for 18 months that would be injected every three weeks into my thigh. Totally overwhelmed, confused, and sad we left the hospital. We then had to navigate Christmas and telling our children, yes they were adults but that doesn’t matter when you think you are going to die and your children are always your children.

What followed was appointment after appointment blood tests CT scans, decisions regarding surgery I was given lots of options, I chose to have  a lumpectomy which happened on the 12th Jan 2023, March 8th 2023 I started my chemo 3 lots of a chemo nicknamed the Red Devil and my goodness it was the Red Devil, I tried to cold cap to save my hair unfortunately this didn’t work and in June 2023 I braved the shave I was traumatised and felt numb.

Then after the three three weekly doses I started a new chemo called paclitaxel I needed 12 weekly infusions of this, during my third infusion I had an anaphylactic shock to the chemo, I honestly thought my time was up, the nurses were amazing I had an adrenaline shot and I started to come round, I was unable to have this chemo again and it was changed to abraxane which I was able to tolerate, I had daily nose bleeds and my finger nails went black. In June 2023 my herceptin injections started this happened alongside my chemo.

I finally rang the chemo bell at the end of July 2023 feeling battered and bruised. Then radiotherapy started in September after a short break to get my body stronger.

In June 2024 my active treatment ended but that’s not the end of my journey, chemo has left me with stomach issues, bone pain, chemo brain, neuropathy in my fingers and hands, extreme fatigue and lots of other niggles, the worst being  terrible anxiety. All  that being said I’m so so grateful to be alive to be living the best life I can with my family. I’m currently having therapy and trying to navigate my life post cancer and the constant fear we live with that it will return.

Here is Dawn's Instagram link: My_Best_Life_After_Cancer

Julie’s Story

My name is Julie, I am 40 years old. My partner and I have been together for 18 years and we have two children aged 15 and 12. 

I live in Aldridge and  work as a lecturer at a local further education college. I like to run, work out and explore new places in my spare time.

So on one Friday night in November 2022, I was sneaking a mince pie to eat while I made my kids their evening meal. As I was dusting off the crumbs I felt a lump on my right breast. It wasn’t big, nor was I particularly worried!!! I mentioned it to my partner and he urged me to contact the GP. The GP referred me to Walsall Manor Hospital Breast care team. This is where I met an amazing team of nurses and consultants. No words can come close to explain how you feel when someone says “I’m sorry you have cancer!” But the staff were so reassuring and knowledgeable that I knew I was in the best place to receive my care. 

I was 38 when I was diagnosed with having grade 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer with one 22mm lump and no spread to the lymph node or elsewhere within the body. Telling my family was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I felt like a failure to my parents, sister and my children, causing them so much pain and heartache. However, we did not let cancer define us, nor did we question why is it happening to us. We just lived the life we would normally and I think this helped us all get through it easier. I decided against telling any of my friends or extended family as I didn’t want to cause them any upset, keeping it a secret was difficult but we managed to get through it. 

Thankfully, my family and work colleagues were an amazing support. Work allowed me to work around my chemotherapy treatment and amended my duties to make sure my health was a priority at every stage of treatment. I’m so thankful to my manager and work friends for making sure I could continue to work and keep that sense of normality, not only for me but also my children and family!

I was told due to the aggressiveness of Triple Negative Breast cancer chemotherapy was needed before surgery. I underwent 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 3 rounds of EC (nicknamed the Red Devil) and then 3 rounds of Docetaxel. Chemotherapy was administered every 3 weeks at the chemotherapy ward at Walsall Manor Hospital. I decided to cold cap to try and retain my hair and managed to retain about 50% of my hair and I am so glad that I persevered! My hair grew back fast and I am about 16 months from finishing chemo and my hair is nearly back to where it was when I started chemotherapy. The hardest thing I found going through chemotherapy sessions was having to do it alone, not being able to have someone sit with you. I was lucky enough or unfortunate enough to have a good friend going through chemotherapy for bowel cancer, who sat with me for a couple of my chemotherapy sessions, being able to have her there for my first treatment was a blessing!! I think my mother and partner struggled with the dropping me off to hospital and picking me up, knowing I had to sit there without their support! But the staff on the chemo ward were angels in a uniform, I am eternally grateful to them.

After chemotherapy I decided to have a double mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction. During surgery the surgeons had to do a Sentinel Node biopsy to make sure that cancer hadn’t entered the lymphatic system.  

After surgery I was told that I had had a complete pathological response to chemotherapy. This means that chemotherapy had killed all of the cancer cells and there was no evidence of cancer from the breast tissue that they had taken and from the 9 lymph nodes they had taken, from my underarm, no evidence of cancer was found too. It was such a great feeling to be told that you are cancer free.

I continued to go to work, run and work out. Life was pretty normal during treatment. I even ran the Chasewater Easter run to celebrate reaching half way through chemo! I knew I had to educate people that cancer can happen to young and healthy people too. I also knew that I had to show people that life can still be normal while you go through treatment. Yes, treatment is tough, but ultimately we are stronger. I really want people to see the importance of being active during treatment and after treatment! Research suggests that exercise is really important during treatment and after to help reduce the risk of reoccurrence. I also think it helped reduced the severity of the chemotherapy side effects. Even being able to go out and walk has proved to help with side effects from treatment.

The best advice I can give you, is do not Google anything, Google is not your friend and can not replace your medical team. Trust your team they know you and your medical history and know all the up to date statistics. Do not compare your story with others, we all start treatment with different starting points. Plus people will only share what they want to share and sometimes this does not always show the full picture. I had bad days, but they made me appreciate the good days.

Find a support network whether it is online or a local group. Having support from people who are going through a similar experience at the same time is one of the most valuable things you can do. I set up an Instagram page and the support from the people I met was and still is priceless. It really is good to talk with others and share the highs and lows and also have the opportunity to ask for advice. Friends and family will offer lots of support, but having people who have or are living through similar diagnosis’ and treatment will help. But remember do not compare yourself, their story is not yours.

Lastly, listen to your body, do things that make you happy. If you need to rest then rest, if you need to go and run 10 miles go and do it as long as your Team is happy for you to do it. This is the time to be selfish and put your needs first. Do not feel guilty for saying no!! Cancer and its treatment is hard on the mind and the body. Take care of it, for me it was keeping both my mind and body active but still taking time to rest on the days I felt fatigued from chemotherapy. 

I am coming up to 2 years since I first found the lump, life is back to the mundane life of juggling work, kids and exercise! Unfortunately once diagnosed with cancer, it will always be at the back of your mind, but for me it makes me want to live my life to the fullest and appreciate all that I have. Having the help and support from my team at Walsall Manor Hospital, my family and friends really helps me to move forward with life. 

Breast cancer and any other types of cancer can happen to anyone. Young or old, healthy or unhealthy. I was 38 when I was diagnosed, I ran 2-3 times a week and I did weight training 3-5 times a week. Cancer does not discriminate. It doesn’t care about your age, religion, sex, job title, if your healthy or not! Everyone needs to be vigilant for any signs or symptoms of cancer. Monthly checks need to be done, know what is your normal. AND if you do find anything seek medical help and always advocate for further testing or second opinions where needed. YOU are not to blame and it is not the end, it is just a bump in the long road of life. Do not let cancer define you and live the life you want to live. Good luck with treatment and remember all your emotions are valid.

Here is Julie's Instagram link: Training_Through_Breastcancer