February 2026 - The Journey Begins

On 5 February 2026, three days after my 36th birthday, I had an appointment with the Breast Clinic at Ninewells Hospital. I had no idea what to expect but the staff were amazing, so warm and professional, they put me right at ease. First of all I had an ultrasound on my breast, and as the Radiographer was looking at the lump on the screen she said it looked like a fat necrosis, a benign lump that can sometimes appear after a small injury. However she asked me if I'd injured the area recently and when I said I hadn't, she decided to do a biopsy to be on the safe side.  They then numbed me up and took two samples (ouch) to send away, and that was it. 

The bruise on the bottom of my breast after the first biopsy!

2 weeks later, on 18 February 2026, my results were in. We headed in to see my surgeon, Mr Pitsinis, to see what he had to say. I had a gut feeling that it was going to turn out to be more than a fat necrosis, particularly after having to go in for a face to face appointment.

Mr Pitsinis then explained that the samples had unfortunately come back positive. I had a Grade 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, which was hormone receptor positive and HER2 negative. So that was a bit of a shock! My main memory of that appointment was how Shaun said he couldn't believe how calm I was when we were told the news and that I just sat there drinking my coffee like we were having a chat!

Mr Pitsinis then explained that I would need to come back for a mammogram and a second ultrasound but if they came back clear then the plan would be a simple lumpectomy and some Radiotherapy. Spoiler alert: they did not come back clear...