My Journey with Breast Cancer

My name is Juliet. W. Mbugua and I was 40 years when I was diagnosed of breast cancer 3-years ago. As a hotelier I was not exposed to health education in my work place and my general knowledge on cancer was low. I relied on social media and radio for health tips and sometimes consult google. When I secured a job in a hospital, things were different. All staff are taken through weekly continuous medical education where other non-clinical staff could attend. In 2018 October, during international breast cancer month, that very Friday, the topic of discussion was about ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’.

Through the teaching I came to know of the signs of cancer and immediately I remembered a breast lump I have been having for almost 15 years. It made me curious when the presenter mentioned that breast cancer does not necessarily present with pain. I remembered asking my mother about the lump and she told me, ‘Juliet, as long as it is painless, don’t worry about it’. In the hospital where I work, I had a chance to interact with the members of a Breast Cancer Survivors’ Group that was started by a surgeon who had an interest with breast surgery and breast cancer treatment. Little did I know that I will be a member of the group and that the doctor would actually operate on me one day. Since I participated in the group activities by default, because of the nature of my job, I got to learn a lot from them as they shared experiences. Occasionally, I would feel my breast lump and kept wondering if it was cancerous. I felt not ready to ask a health professional because I had mixed feelings and I was not sure if I was ready to be told I had cancer.

One day, the doctor who was also the cancer survivor’s patron passed by my office and I gathered strength and told her about my 15-year-old breast lump. She examined me and she immediately told me, “we need to start management now”. Her eyes betrayed her shock and that even shook me to the bone. She took me to her ultrasound room and scanned my breast. After that she took a Biopsy and booked for me a mammogram which was done on the same day, a test that would have otherwise taken weeks to do. I kept asking if it was safe to do such massive procedures in my body. The doctor smiled and reassured me a thousand times.

After a week the histology results were out and when I saw my doctor calling, I took time before picking that call and I remember was ‘triple something something...’ It was through that call that I was booked for surgery for she was going abroad in two days to further her studies in the UK. I kept wondering how my God sent me to work in a hospital so as to get help from the hands I know and trust. On the eve of surgery, I was given lots of information about the surgery and was asked not to eat from midnight. My doctor, the anaesthetist and the nurse gave me all the information I required. The team was set and its leader Dr. Bahaty was one lady God sent from heaven to help me. When I was taken to the operating room, I was so scared of the pain and whether I would feel the knife. The team re-assured me and I did not even realize I had gone to sleep once the anesthetist injected something into my pink-colored venous access on my right hand. I woke up later only to realize that the procedure was finished and that it was a success. The whole breast was removed and some tubing were draining some blood to a vacuum sac. Was transferred to the ward and the post-surgery care initiated. Dr. Bahaty left me in the able hands of Mr. Taiswa who was also her scrub nurse during operation to take care of my wound as she travelled. The nurse gave me a manual of all I needed to do and records I was to keep at home. In a month’s time my wound had nicely healed and I started my chemotherapy. This was not easy at all since I would travel from Kisii to Eldoret to get my cycles. My hair fell off and the side effects were so unbearable. Giving up was never a choice and I was walking with my team of health workers in each step of my six cycles of chemotherapy.

Exactly a month after chemo, I started radiotherapy sessions. The feeling of being left inside big machines alone, was the greatest scare of my life. I did all my 30 cycles till. My doctors put me on hormonal therapy after that. I am currently on 10-year Tamoxifen tablets. I look at it as an easy ride if a tablet a day can keep cancer away. The journey was very costly and my NHIF card really came in handy. I could not have managed without the help of the insurance cover. At some point I asked for assistance at Safaricom foundation. They gave me a cheque of one fifty thousand. It did help a great deal. I came to realize that everything happens for a reason and a purpose. It was not easy, but I thank god for the strong team of people who surrounded me. I will mention just but a few people who truly held my hand through out this journey.

1. Doctor Bahaty my surgeon.
2. Shawn and Amanda this are my children and also my caregivers.
3. DR. Skitter Wangeshi my sister.
4. Lilian Wangari my mother.
5. Mr. Taiswa my nurse.
6. Madam Asuma physiologist
7. Sister Agneta oncology nurse.
8. The entire Oasis Hospital fraternity.
9. The MTRH team.
10. The Martha cancer survivors’ team

Again, working in a hospital helped a lot. I had the right people around me and I could ask as many questions as I could. At fast, I wanted to keep it as private as possible. but because I was getting treatment in the same facility, I worked in. it was not possible though naturally I am an extrovert but when it comes to my private life, I like to keep it that way (private). My best lessons in life were learnt as soon as I was diagnosed with cancer. Indeed, pain is not a sign of cancer. With cancer, you only live one day at a time. Listen to health professionals, to be honest, I got a lot of opinions including proposals to visit traditional healers. Everyone ought to have a health insurance.