Hi @Janie304 , welcome and sorry to hear of your diagnosis. This is a great place to be for friendly advice and to let off steam and make friends.
My story is I live in the UK and Australia (outside Melbourne) . I came over here this time for 6 months last November and should have flown back to the UK onTuesday. Due to ongoing treatment I can't fly back until later in the year.
I was diagnosed in February with early breast cancer, grade 3 and had a lumpectomy two weeks later. Presently I am undergoing chemo. I have radiation to look forward to and then 10years of hormone inhibitors.
First, you've been diagnosed in the right place. When I wrote and told one of my uk friends I had been operated on by an oncoplastic breast surgeon (she is a nurse and her husband is an obstetrician) she said the NHS doesnt use the word oncoplastic ( not sure how correct she is here) and the poor old NHS would have been a struggle.
As we are retired and self funded (we had full private health insurance all of our working lives), I elected to have the operation privately and have moved over to the public system for chemo and will now continue in the public system. For me it was very important to have my op done privately. My surgeon told me what I planned to do was quite common. I didn't see any need for my chemo and radiation to be private.
I lived in Brisbane for many years in my younger years and know the RBH. I'm sure you will be well looked after. Don't worry about being diagnosed here. You didn't ask for any of this, it's just one of those unlucky things to be diagnosed wherever you are.
I seem to have rambled on a bit , any questions please ask. Where are you from in the UK? I love Queensland and love Brisbane, Are you enjoying the endless sunshine. Winter in Brisbane is perfect. Take care and hugs xxxx
