The Mammogram

Before I had my operation I needed a mammogram to define where the lumps were positioned in the breast (to enable the surgery to be precise) and to check for any other areas in either breast that looked suspicious.

I was really scared about this as I had heard horror stories of how they squeeze your breast between two plates of glass and just as you think it can't be squeezed any more they go a little bit more.

I was pleasantly surprised - I obviously have a very active pain imagination and found it more uncomfortable than painful - not to discount those that have found it painful just for me it wasn't as bad as expected.

As soon as these results were back they could put me through for my operation.

The Diagnosis

On 16th February I returned to Lister Hospital to meet with my consultant Mr Agarwal (a lovely little man who is hard of hearing and is very softly spoken).

I went along with my mum to see the consultant whilst Jay (my husband) and Amber (my daughter) waited in a different clinic where my mother-in-law works.

Strangely my dad was also in the hospital at this time visiting an old friend (I should probably have been suspicious at this stage that I would be receiving some bad news as why else would there be so many of my loved ones near by?).

When the Consultant explained that there were two types of Cancer (Invasive - Spread into the breast tissue and Non-Invasive - contained in the duct with no ability to spread) present in my breast I couldn't believe it.

He explained that I would need a wide local excision to remove the lumps and this would leave me with a slightly deformed breast and they would also need to remove some lymph nodes to check to see if the Cancer had spread.

I was to wait for a letter to confirm the operation date but that it should be soon.