Tag Archives: Breast Cancer Care UK

Breast cancer, Breast Cancer Care UK, Cancer, Radiotherapy, UK, Uncategorized, Vita Magazine, Women's Health

Vita: Radiotherapy Tips

Ah, January. This time last year, I was just starting a course of 33 radiotherapy sessions for breast cancer and I didn’t really know what to expect. So for my latest blog for Vita, I’ve written a few tips for coping with radiotherapy for anyone who’s going through it now – I hope it helps.

Anyway, after a year of writing for Vita, I decided the new year was a good time to stop, so I’ve hung up my boots. I’ll still be writing for the Huffington Post and Big Scary ‘C’ Word though, so don’t go anywhere.

If you’re reading this and fancy trying your hand at writing for Vita, they are looking for three new bloggers, so do enter the competition. You just need to have had your own experience of breast cancer.

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Breast cancer, Breast Cancer Care UK, Cancer, Hair loss, Health, Taxotere, UK, Uncategorized, Vita Magazine, Women's Health

Vita: Ten Chemo Tips

IMG_3350This time last year, I had just finished the last of six rounds of chemotherapy and was preparing for my first post-chemo Christmas. It’s hard to believe a whole year has gone by, particularly as I still remember the day I was ‘sentenced‘ to eight months of treatment as if it were yesterday.

Since then, I’ve met a lot of people going through chemo and I’ve been surprised at the varying advice given to them by different hospitals, for example the woman whose nails went black and started falling off after chemo because she had never been given a simple tip to help protect them.

With this in mind, I’ve written a list of ten top tips to get through chemo for this month’s post for Breast Cancer Care UK’s Vita magazine. Click the link to read the list.

Merry Christmas all!

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BCSM, BRCA1, BRCA2, Breast cancer, Breast Cancer Care UK, Breast Cancer Screening, Cancer, Genes, Genetics, Health, Mammogram, MRI, UK, Vita Magazine, Women's Health

Vita: MRI or Mammogram?

Anyone who has ever survived primary breast cancer will know the feeling of fear that lives with you every single day. That is, the fear that the disease will at some point return or metastasise, leading to incurable secondary breast cancer.

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Apologies for the recycled MRI selfie, but you can never have too many selfies

For survivors like me, there is no ‘screening’ for metastasis. But what doctors can do is regularly check the breasts themselves for recurrence, with manual examinations, mammograms and MRI scans.

I, however, have been somewhat confused over the last six months about whether I’m supposed to be having MRIs or mammograms from now on.

So, in my latest post for Breast Cancer Care UK’s Vita Magazine, I talk about the national guidelines and recommendations for MRIs.

Disclaimer: This should by no means be taken as ‘advice,’ because I am not your doctor. But hopefully it’ll give people a better idea about the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines, and from there you can ask the experts.

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Breast cancer, Cancer, Emotional Health, Social Media, UK, Women's Health

Vita: Making Friends With Cancer

IMG_6114A few weeks ago, back in my hometown of Huddersfield, I bumped into a girl from school. I hadn’t seen her for at least 15 years and could barely remember her name, but I did the courteous thing and said, “Hi, how are you?”

“I’m fine,” she nodded. “But how about you? Are you fully better now? I’ve been following your blog.”

And that’s when I realised just how far-reaching and powerful social media can be.

To read the rest of this post in Breast Cancer Care UK’s Vita Magazine, click the link below:

http://breastcancercare.org.uk/news/blog/making-friends-cancer-role-social-media-serious-illness

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