‘I have lived for eight years with a breast’

A cancer survivor who waited for almost eight years to obtain a breast reconstruction will finally obtain his surgery next month.

Aberdeenshire’s Gail gailus had a mastectomy – an operation to withdraw your right breast – after receiving a cancer diagnosis in May 2016.

When she asked her surgeon to rebuild her chest in the summer of 2017, she was warned to expect an expectation of 18 months.

The NHS Grampian acknowledged that some patients had waited for “a lot longer than we would have liked” and apologized publicly for the delay.

Mrs Agar, 56 A report on long waiting times.

Women, who range from 44 to 73 years old, said they were grateful to NHS doctors who helped rid them of cancer.

But many have spoken of the mental anxiety of living with a breast for years waiting for surgery.

And some felt guilt of wanting elective surgery which, unlike their previous treatment, would only improve their appearance – and not to save their lives.

Ms. Agar received a diagnosis of breast cancer two days before the second anniversary of her daughter.

She had chemotherapy and mastectomy, and asked for a breast reconstruction.

But while she was waiting for a surgery date, she learned to live with a breast. She said she couldn’t put her “life on hold”.

In the years that followed, she has obtained a new job and unfortunately lost her father. Her daughter is now 10 years old, her mother has the 80s and her husband is working offshore.

This meant that when she was offered a surgery date with a notice of a few days in 2022, she had to refuse the refuge because she could not organize the last minute childcare.

Just before Christmas, she was finally offered a surgery date in February – almost eight years since she asked for the reconstruction.

Now she admits that she has questioned her need for surgery when the date of the operation has finally passed.

“I left for seven years without getting it. Should I choose to do so?” She said.

But in the end, she decided to move forward with surgery.

“I don’t really look at my body. I just want to feel again like a woman. My breasts were a large part of me,” she said.

“Whenever I put this prosthesis, it reminds me of my cancer journey. I just want to be above it.”

Breast reconstruction surgery generally takes more than 12 hours and requires a large number of provisions for staff and theater.

The NHS Grampian said that “its surgical capacity remains disputed” and that it was unable to undertake breast reconstructions in large numbers. They said they had to prioritize patients according to the “immediate clinical need”.

Waiting times have been affected by the pandemic and an increased workload associated with mastectomies on Women with the so-called Angelina Jolie or the BRCA1 gene.

A spokesperson for the Health Council has confirmed that they are currently undertaking a small number of delayed breast reconstruction surgeries and that they have priority to those who have faced the longest expectations.

“Although we are happy to undertake these surgeries again, it will take a while to tackle the back of the pending patients,” he added.

Jenni Christieson has been so aware since surgery to withdraw a breast, she abandoned one of her passions – Salsa dance.

The 44 -year -old man from Abroath, who also lost his hair during chemotherapy, said that she thought she was losing the two things that made her look like a woman.

“Losing both at the same time was probably one of the most difficult things and it was only the promise of my hair back and the breast reconstruction that prevented me from collapsing,” She declared.

But three years later, she has not yet undergone breast reconstruction.

“My hair took ages to grow and my reconstruction has not materialized,” said the mother of three children.

The situation has wreaked havoc on Jenni’s mental health and left it to the conscience of itself.

“I was a salsa dancer but I won’t do it anymore. I am so aware of not being looked at,” she said.

“One of the worst things is to go to my wardrobe and nothing is fine,

“My daughter gets married next year. I try to get a mother’s mother outfit but they all look horrible.”

NHS Tayside confirmed that he had received a complaint.

A spokesperson added: “The surgical team continues to prioritize clinically urgent patients who need surgical intervention as part of their breast cancer treatment.

“This means that some patients waited longer than we would like for their reconstructive surgery and we apologize.

“A certain number of patients in this group have undergone their surgery in recent months and the service explores other opportunities for other patients.”

Judith Logan had a breast reconstruction about a year after being diagnosed for the first time with breast cancer 20 years ago, when she was 43 years old.

“It has completely changed my life,” said the 62 -year -old Aberdeen. “(Previously) I couldn’t look in the mirror, I thought it was horrible.

“Then, I was given a reconstruction and an uprising of breasts on the other breast. The whole of the northeast could see my incredible breasts,” she joked. “The surgeon who did it is my absolute hero.”

She had breast cancer twice since then and in 2021, she had to undergo another mastectomy. It was warned that it could be a few years before it was rebuilt.

“I hate my body, I hate my prosthesis. But part of me asks me if I’m just. It’s cosmetic, it’s not going to save my life,” she said.

“Am I selfish because I want cosmetic surgery? But that goes further than that. It affects my mental health. I know the difference that it made to me as a person the first time.”

However, she said she was bored by people who complain about the delay.

“We are not entitled to this. It is part of the healing process. I see it as a privilege to undergo surgery. I fully understand that vital operations must pass first.”

An Scottish government spokesperson said: “Excessively long expectations are not acceptable and we sympathize with any patient whose treatment has not reached the standards that we all expect from our health system.”

They said they worked with health advice to treat those who waited as long as long as possible, while developing a lasting model for the future.

“The Scottish government is considering key actions to support the development of the next cancer action plan before its publication in 2026, aimed at improving cancer survival and providing fair care,” they added.

“Our ambition remains that all women and girls receive the best possible health results throughout their lives.”