This is a diary of my experience with breast cancer. Whatever I write is what I feel or what I understand. The latter might not be correct, the former might not always be rational. Rely on your doctors and the expert sources they refer you to, such as Breast Cancer Care and MacMillan, if you’re seeking info & advice. I hope this might one day help someone who’s either going through the same thing or supporting a loved one.

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On Saturday, 17 December 2016, I found a lump in my breast and took it to the GP on the 19th. He referred me to the one-stop breast clinic where on the 30th I was diagnosed with breast cancer. On 4th January, I was informed that my biopsy results revealed a grade 2 invasive cancer. I had a lumpectomy and a sentinel lymph node biopsy on 19th January.

On 1 February, I found out that the tumour was in fact grade 3, but the margins around the tumour were clear and the lymph nodes negative (hurrah!).  Following an Oncotype DX test which gave me a score of 19 (only just inside the intermediate risk category) it was decided that I would not have chemotherapy. I went on the have radiotherapy (15 fractions and a boost for 5 additional days).

Following all of that I was told to take Tamoxifen for the next 10 years. I thought taking this drug would be the easy part, but it has been a struggle. A lot of things continue to be a struggle, between chronic pain in my arm and chest, and side effects from Tamoxifen. I am on my 4th or 5th manufacturer’s version of it. The doctors will tell you they are all the same, and objectively I don’t see why they shouldn’t be, but they certainly have had different effects on me.  I am taking Mylan now and hope I can live with this one for the next 9 years or so.

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