When Louise Wilkinson discovered a lump in her breast she ignored it for two years thinking it was one of many benign cysts she had suffered.
But Louise, from Wetherby, is now urging women to perform regular breast checks if they find a lump after she was diagnosed with cancer.
?Don?t do what I did and put off going to your doctor. If you find a lump or any abnormality in your breast don?t be afraid, get it checked immediately. If you catch it early it could save your life,? she said.
Louise, who is in her 50s, was trying on new swimwear for a holiday in 2011 when her husband Gary, noticed her breast had an irregular shape and looked dimpled.
?We were about to go away, and consequently I did not visit my GP until October,? said Louise. After referral for a mammogram and ultrasound scan in Harrogate, Louise was confirmed to have breast cancer. A friend recommended consultant medical oncologist Dr Tim Perren at the Spire Leeds Hospital. He confirmed it was a tumour, measuring about 5cm.
Louise elected to have a course of chemotherapy from November 2011 to April 2012, to reduce the size of the tumour before surgery so that she would only need a lumpectomy, not a mastectomy.
In May 2012 she had the lump removed and her breast constructed using tissue, fat and muscle from her back, under the care of Mr Philip Turton, consultant breast oncoplastic and aesthetic breast surgeon, at Spire Leeds Hospital.
Seven days later tests showed that the chemotherapy had not killed the cancer. Mr Turton performed a mastectomy and Louise underwent 15 sessions of radiotherapy.
Physio Sharon Kleiman introduced Louise to The Haven, the charity that offers free breast cancer support and therapies.
Louise is back at work in Leeds. She said: ?It?s been a rocky ride and it wore me down at times. Now my hair has grown back and I feel great and very lucky to be alive.? Visit www.breastcancercare.org.uk
Source: http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/one-woman-s-breast-cancer-test-warning-1-5544213
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