I'm a single career girl who shares her home with two gorgeous cats, loves reading, hill walking, listening to music and baking cupcakes.
In the summer of 2010, I rolled over in bed and felt something odd in my right breast. Two weeks later I heard that heart-sinking phrase, ‘I'm sorry, it's cancer’, and underwent an intense regime of treatment starting with neoadjuvant FEC-T chemotherapy to shrink my tumour. I had a skin-sparing mastectomy with immediate Latissimus Dorsi flap reconstruction and axillary node clearance as I had three nodes involved. Once I had healed up, it was 25 zaps of radiotherapy including my underarm and collar bone areas. My cancer was ER-positive and PR-positive so I take tamoxifen; initially this was to be for five years but was extended to ten.
Two years after my mastectomy I had a reduction and uplift to my good side, as I had been rather lop-sided. Nipple reconstruction and areola tattooing was the final step of a long journey, but worthwhile as it gave me back some of my confidence.
I have mild lymphoedema on my affected (non-dominant) side, especially in my hand, which is well controlled by the use of compression garments.
At the time of my diagnosis I was 47 so fell between the cracks, being neither defined as a 'younger woman' or being of an age to be in the screening programme. I really valued the Breast Cancer Now website, initially reading the excellent publications they produce, and later finding support via the online forum. I wanted to give something back and really enjoy being a Someone Like Me volunteer.
You can email me at catriona@breastcancernow.org