Me and my scar

Apparently October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, so this is my contribution, though it's something that we ought to be aware of every month.

It's 27 years since I first had the symptoms of breast cancer. I've had it twice, on the same side. The first time, I had a lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy. The second time, I had a mastectomy. I took the anti-cancer drug Tamoxifen for 5 years too. Now I have a scar and a fat arm. The fat arm is caused by lymphoedema, the result of having the lymph gland under my arms removed when I had my mastectomy, to check that the cancer hadn't spread.

A report in The Huffington Post about body image after breast cancer says, "... in a recent poll of more than 600 women conducted by Breast Cancer Care the overwhelming majority of people who have had breast cancer (88%) said the disease and its treatment has had a negative impact on the way they now feel about their bodies." I'm not one of the 88%. Being asymmetrical doesn't bother me a bit. Slobbing around at home, I'm often lopsided. Out and about, I wear a prosthetic boob stuffed inside my bra, usually referred to as my pink jellyfish, as it's made of gel in a sort of plastic bag. I wasn't offered reconstruction but wouldn't have wanted it anyway. It's bad enough, having to have a general anaesthetic for essential surgery; having it for cosmetic surgery didn't appeal.

Anyhow, this is just to remind you to check your wobbly bits (male or female) at least once a week, or ask your beloved to check them for you. If there's anything suspicious, see a doctor. It took me two years to persuade a consultant that I had cancer the first time. Eventually, he ordered a mammogram, probably to shut me up. Fortunately, the first one was slow growing, or I'd have been long gone. But I'm still here, with multiple health problems unrelated to cancer. Sorry to be a drain on the NHS's resources, but there you are.

Look after yourselves!

Click here for more on breast cancer, and maybe make a donation to MacMillan Cancer Support. They helped me.