Know your lemons
After a worrying period of time since I first felt
discomfort in my left breast, my mind has been put at rest after spending much
of this afternoon at the fairly new Breast
Centre at Worthing Hospital.
The figures I found
on googling Breast Cancer are alarming enough; one chart I found showed these
figures for the possibilities of developing breast Cancer at different ages:
30’s 1 in 233
40’s 1 in 69
50’s 1 in 38
60’s 1 in 27
70’s 1 in 8
These figures look bad enough to be very scary for women in
general.
However, in my own group of friends who go swimming the
numbers are much more alarming. In a small group of swimmers who were members
of our triathlon and masters swimming club, two of the women suffered all the
fear and trauma of double mastectomies’ both in a short time frame. Two other
women friends at the early morning swim session have also suffered Breast
Cancer. One of these last two women I have known since she was twelve or
thirteen when she had really thick dark cropped hair. Widening the circle out a
bit further to women I know but are acquaintances rather than close friends
there are several more women who have had to brave this monstrous experience of
breast surgery, and all from the swimming world.
So what I’m saying is that from my life experience the
figures shown might be on the optimistic side. This is why when my left breast
started to ache when I was out running or when I turned over onto my chest in
the night, I did not leave it very long before making an appointment at my
doctor’s surgery.
The newspapers and TV seem to be having a high old time
complaining about the NHS of late but although when I first rang the surgery I
was told that I could have an appointment in ten days, the moment I told them
what my cause of concern was, I was given an appointment for the next day, even
though I had asked to see my own GP but she was off recovering from an operation
herself, I asked if I could possibly be
seen by female GP and that was arranged for me. The GP who examined me said
that she was fairly sure that there were no lumps but still referred me to the
New Breast Care Centre in Worthing . She said
that because nothing had been found that I would go on the less urgent list but
would still be seen inside six weeks. However, a letter came from Worthing hospital very quickly asking me to ring to make
an appointment, five days later I was seen. That was today. Less than thirty
minutes after my 3.30pm time, my name was called. My husband took my book away
because I had not heard (that’s another problem). It was a three stage procedure;
first I was taken in for discussion about my symptoms followed by an examination,
then sent back to the waiting room again to wait for a mammogram. I was glad I
had taken my book. Then after another half hour I was called to go and have the
mammogram. That was a thorough affair and didn’t take all that long although it
is a fairly uncomfortable thing to have done.
Then back to the book until the mammogram had been seen. I
was finally called back in and was, thank God and all the angels, told that
there was nothing to worry about and that it was just a muscular problem.
The trouble with any fear of breast problems it that women
tend to put off having the whole thing checked out. Also there are lots of
places, various website that are most helpful in telling what it is you are
feeling about trying to detect.
I found one called ‘knowyourlemons’ that I found
tremendously helpful.
Wondering is not any help. Go and ask the doctor as soon as
you have your first moment of doubt.
The NHS service was brilliant and caring.
The book was good too, Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris
