Hannah’s story
About Me
My name is Hannah Dring, 32, from Bourne Lincolnshire. I am wife to my husband Dan, married for 6 years, together for 15. We have 2 boys together, Henry, 4 and Dylan 3. We love the lake district and try and visit several times a year. We even got married up there overlooking lake Windermere. Last year we had Woody the German Shorthaired pointer join our family. I am a Primary school teacher but have recently stepped back from the classroom to concentrate on myself, my health and my family but will be doing some family learning tutoring from September.
The Diagnosis
In October 2019, aged 31, I was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer after finding a breast lump in the shower. When I found my lump in mid September I went straight to my GP who referred me to the hospital breast clinic. I had an initial appointment, ultrasound and biopsies taken and then 2 weeks later, on the 18th October was diagnosed.
The Support
I told my family straight away. I told certain family face to face as I felt it easier to do than on the phone. That evening I text all my friends as found this easier than speaking to everyone. I felt I just needed to tell people and get it out there myself as didn’t want word to get about before I had said it myself. I decided I wanted to be very open about the whole process to help people understand but also so I didn’t have to repeat myself to everyone asking which is why I decided to write my blog (queendring.wordpress.com).
I have had fantastic support from my husband, family and friends and my 2 young boys are (sometimes) the best medicine, defiantly a good distraction and have been incredible throughout.
My family and friends took it in turns to take me to chemo and luckily they were allowed to stay at that point and keep me company which did help pass the time. I also had people cooking us meals and dropping off parcels of goodies which was always so helpful and appreciated, especially when you have others to feed too!
My Kids
Having my boys having to watch me go through everything was very hard. Luckily my youngest, Dylan, was only 1 at the time so oblivious to it all. My eldest, Henry quickly picked up that I had to go to the hospital lots. We told him I had a poorly boobie and got a book from the hospital called ‘mummys lump’ which explained it to him abit. He coped amazingly well. Children are very resilient and they managed everything incredibly. They sometimes found it hard when I was poorly after chemo and had some overnight stays in hospital and at times now they appear worried or sensitive if I mention going to hospital or needing to see the doctor.
The Treatment
For 8 months, November to June 2020, I completed my active treatment;
15 sessions of chemotherapy compromising of 12 weekly sessions (paclitaxel and carboplatin) and 3 x 3 week cycles of EC chemo,
a mastectomy
15 sessions of radiotherapy over 3 weeks
During chemo I had a PICC line fitted to deliver the chemo drugs through. My veins held out for a few weeks but then became very sore and difficult to find.
The Side Effects
Managing hair loss is very personal. Mine started to fall out after about 4 weeks and became very sore and itchy. I decided to shave it off and personally felt much better for doing so. I felt I gained some control back. I did get a wig through the NHS service but I only wore it a handful of times. I liked it but I personally felt more self-conscious in it and mostly opted to wear headscarves. It was winter so luckily, I had a hat on most of the time. At home I often wore a buff as your head gets surprisingly chilly.
I suffered with sickness A LOT during chemo. Always tell your team as my anti sickness got increased as needed and it makes so much difference!
For chemo sessions I would recommend taking; slippers, large scarf to wrap around self, magazine, snacks, drink, activity book, phone, book. Wear loose fitting clothes as you are sat there for a while so comfort is key!
I also suffered with mouth ulcers. I was given a special mouth wash and used lots of bonjela. My skin was very dry and sore too and I would just recommend sudocrem at night.
Genetic Testing
Because of my age I was offered genetics testing and during treatment I discovered I also carry the BRCA1 gene mutation. Due to this I was eligible to have a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, something I felt strongly about in order to reduce my future risk as much as possible. However, because of the Covid-19 pandemic my surgery was altered and wasn’t all classed as “essential”. I was only allowed to have my left breast removed (the cancerous side) and therefore had this done in April in the middle of lockdown. In May 2020 I was given the news that I’d had a complete pathological response to chemo, the best outcome as it means all cancer cells were killed in my tumour and I was officially ‘cancer free’.
After Treatment
The after effects of treatment are also hard and often not thought about. For a few months after treatment I was very achy and sore. I struggled to get up and down as my hips and feet were sore. This has eased over time however. The tiredness is accumulative and takes time to settle and for you to feel energetic again. During treatment I also put on weight which has its own challenges and self esteem issues.
The Positives
I also took part in the Look Good Feel Better course through my cancer well being centre which was brilliant. They really helped me with learning how to draw eyebrows and it’s stuck with me now even after treatment. You get a bag full of goodies too!
I also spoke to my well being centre at the beginning and they arranged a will writing service for myself and my husband. Just something that we’d been meaning to do anyway so kind of ticked a job off the list. But they offer so many services and information so do go into your local one.
Since my diagnosis I have also become a Boobette for CoppaFeel! charity where I spread the important breast aware message through talks and presentations.
My journey has been long, hard, very challenging and is by no means over. I live with the fear and worry that my cancer may return and I am still battling with the side effects of treatment. My preventative surgery for the right breast and double reconstruction should hopefully happen soon. I’ve recently attended the plastic surgery clinic at a different hospital to discuss DIEP flap reconstruction. In March 2020 I had my fallopian tubes out as a preventative measure and a stop gap to my ovaries being removed when I’m nearer 40.
Take Home Message
The most important message I want to share is to encourage people to regularly self-check and know what’s normal for them. Everyone has breast tissue so it’s important we are all aware of the signs and symptoms and always get checked out by a doctor if in doubt. Breast cancer can affect people of all ages and does not discriminate so please become breast aware. Early diagnosis really is key in the fight against this disease.
Check out Hannah’s amazing blog here.
She’s also on instagram here.