Ealing Woman's Breast Cancer Journey
Catherine Gunnewicht shares her experience urging everyone to regularly check
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One evening, last January, I was washing in the shower when I suddenly felt a hard, small pellet in my right armpit. I didn’t think much of it and put it to the back of my mind. I’d had a sore throat for a few weeks and was sure it was just a swollen gland from a virus or an infection. And anyway, you don't get breast cancer in your armpit do you?
But every day I felt this lump and it did feel odd and didn't quite sit right, even though I kept repeating to myself “you don’t get breast cancer in the armpit". By March, as I'd had a lingering sore throat for weeks, I decided to go and see my GP and showed her my lump in passing. She reacted immediately and referred me to the breast clinic at Ealing Hospital. Many appointments, scans, biopsies and MRIs later I was ushered into a small room with 2 Macmillan nurses and told the dreaded words: "you have breast cancer"….
Nothing can ever prepare you for those 4 words. I was stunned, shocked, terrified, angry, incredulous, sad …. This was 26th April, a day that will stay etched in my memory for ever. That evening, my running club (Ealing Southall and Middlesex) were organising celebration drinks for all those who had completed a marathon. I had run my first marathon in April (Brighton) and didn’t want to miss the celebrations. It felt totally surreal walking into a pub and chatting to all my friends and posing for photos, when I kept repeating to myself “I have breast cancer”.
( the night after diagnosis)
Eventually after about 3 weeks of crying and having to get used to saying out loud “I have breast cancer”, the news sunk in and I was calmer even though I still didn’t know the extent of my cancer.
I was booked in for surgery in early June (lumpectomy and sentinel lymph node biopsy) and one week later was given my result. The cancer had not spread to the lymph nodes. I would need radiotherapy and hormone therapy but no chemo.
The post op recovery was harder than expected, emotionally and physically. I had expected to be back running and cycling within a few days but it wasn't so easy and the arm exercises were so painful! I had to force myself to do them daily. I booked myself into free counselling sessions at the cancer charity The Mulberry Centre based at West Middlesex Hospital. This is an absolute haven for anyone diagnosed with cancer. There are infinite numbers of resources, classes and various therapies to choose from. It is a wonderfully healing place. I recommend having counselling when you are diagnosed with cancer because there are so many different emotions and it helps to talk through them.
As I begin the next phase of my treatment, I know it is the unknown in terms of what to expect, but I consider myself as one of the lucky ones. I found my lump, I went to the GP and she reacted quickly. I was seen within 2 weeks at the breast clinic and all subsequent tests and procedures were done quickly and in a very caring way.
Being diagnosed with cancer is a huge shock and means having to recalibrate how you perceive yourself. You may grieve for the person you were before the cancer was diagnosed. You may think about your own mortality more and have frequent thoughts about the cancer recurring in the future. This is a new way of thinking about yourself and these fears and feelings may linger for months and even years long after the treatment is completed.
Please remember to check your breasts regularly and don't forget the armpits as you can get breast cancer in your armpit!!
Catherine Gunnewicht
18/07/2017
