Dr Liz O'Riordan talks about her surgeries & aftermath - A UK Breast Surgeon with Breast Cancer

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arpie
arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
edited July 2023 in Now what? The highs and lows of survivorship
Dr Liz O'Riordan was diagnosed with breast cancer some years after qualifying as a breast cancer surgeon & realised that whilst she knew some of the physical effects of Breast Cancer surgery - she really was not prepared for the psychological (and indeed actual physical limitations) that she experienced, once she'd had her own surgery, chemo, rads etc - she also suffered from extreme cording that restricted her arm movement.  Eventually, after a recurrence and more surgery, it prevented her from continuing as a Breast Surgeon.

This is a more recent write up : 
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/dr-liz-oriordan-im-a-breast-cancer-surgeon-this-is-what-surviving-cancer-myself-taught-me/GWGO5EWTRNFAHB7MLHU5SGPTIM/


In her own 'blog' - she writes candidly - from her own diagnosis, surgery, chemo, tabs & treatment overall with all the same fears and side effects that many of us have experienced .... Read her personal story here (then click on her 'blog':

http://liz.oriordan.co.uk/

You can follow her on Instagram too
https://www.instagram.com/oriordanliz - work your way thru her videos ..... they are authentic & helpful

She has announced a New trial in the UK, attempting to identify younger women with higher risk of breast cancer BEFORE diagnosis - particularly those with dense breast tissue .... leading to earlier intensive testing before the 'normal age' of 40

https://www.instagram.com      /p/Ct_-RRUINgJ/.

(copy & join these 2 parts of the link, to see it as it won't load here.)

Nina Lopez (who Liz interviews in one of the videos - add 'this link' after the '.instagram.com bit ... p/Ct2ESwoIkwn/) who talks about HER triple Negative BC here:
https://www.the-c-list.com/stories/nina-lopez-39-shares-her-story-of-motherhood-treatment-and-resilience-as-she-lives-with-secondary-breast-cancer

And below, are some of the subjects that she covers on Instagram .. 
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  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
    edited July 2023
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    And talk about NOT TAKING YOUR OWN ADVICE  ........ she would tell her patients not to use Dr google ... but when her cancer returned, she googled it .... AND DIDN'T do breast checks on herself!! :o

    Also, some very good suggestions that Drs SHOULD check out Cancer forums & other bits ..... 

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/jul/24/the-breast-surgeon-who-had-breast-cancer-i-used-to-say-dont-google-it-first-thing-i-did-google-it
  • Vangirl
    Vangirl Member Posts: 350 ✭
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    @arpie I feel that those doctors who advise patients not to google are a little condescending. There's an unspoken assumption that the patient is unable to interpret and correctly apply the information they find online to their own circumstances, and that we don't know how to recognise which are the legitimate sources of information.
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
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    Agree to a degree, but I think they say it for our own mental health too @Vangirl.   But sadly, a lot of the stuff that pops up when googled is 'old & outdated' & may scare the crap out of you as well .....

    I would call most articles older than 3 years to 'not be current' .... maybe 5 years at a push ..... as there've been so many advances in treatment in the last few years & new drugs available.

    It is just a shame that the 'most recent' stuff doesn't always show up first.  And with so many different types of BC - they could even be reading up on the wrong one (til after they've had their proper pathology done .....) and be thinking horrible scenarios when it mightn't be anywhere near that bad?  
  • Vangirl
    Vangirl Member Posts: 350 ✭
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    Obviously I can only speak for myself, but I personally always take into account the age of the information I am accessing. And I've found that, in general, sources available online provide a prognosis that is on the more optimistic side if you are looking at "breast cancer" without specifying a type, grade or stage. I believe that it is up to the individual to decide how much information they want. For those who prefer to know only what their doctors tell them, the advice "don't Google" is wise, but not all of us are in that category. 
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
    edited July 2023
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    SHIT BUGGER BUM ...... Dr Liz O'riordan has had another local recurrence, so is going thru it all again :( 
    Wishing her all the best -

    instagram - put in oriordanliz

  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
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    Interestingly .... her first sentence is how I informed my Uke group members of my initial diagnosis back in 2018 ....

    For those not on Instagram ...




  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 7,600 ✭
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    Liz O'Riordan has been VERY proactive in documenting her latest recurrence - every week since her diagnosis, often with emotion - on both Instagram and Youtube video ......

    She has had her latest surgery & was told it is clear, the cancer is gone - but because it was her 2nd local recurrence (3rd diagnosis in total) ... she thought she'd be put back onto AI tablets again .... but ..... her Onc has decided that she will go onto Faslodex/Fulvestrant injections basically for the rest of her life in an attempt to prevent a 4th diagnosis (including Mets.)

    Here she is talking about her current ongoing treatment, post op .....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOjTwR4FQvs

    If you'd like to see more of her Videos (they are very good & easy to listen to) ... go to her Youtube page here:
    https://www.youtube.com/@DrLizORiordan/videos

    Here are some of the topics that she has covered in the last 6-7 months:



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