Clinic-based follow-up treatment

Transcription

1 Ayrshire Breast Service Clinic-based follow-up treatment Information for you Follow us on Find us on Facebook at Visit our website: All our publications are available in other formats

2 You are now approaching the end of your initial treatment for breast cancer. This may have included surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. While some drug treatments will continue for a longer period, you will not require intensive hospital treatment. This can seem like a big step after several months of attending hospital regularly, but we hope that you feel ready to move forward and get on with your life. This leaflet will give you information to help you prepare for the future. There are two aspects to this: Recovery: This involves getting back your physical and emotional strength so that you feel able to take up your normal activities. Follow-up: This is a check each year so that any problems in the breasts can be detected early. Recovery It is important not to expect too much of yourself at first and accept that it takes time to recover your strength and confidence. Eating well and becoming more active can help you recover more quickly and can improve your general health. Being more active can be as simple as walking regularly - either alone, with family or friends or with a walking group. 2

3 There are many services available throughout Ayrshire to provide support for both your physical and emotional recovery. North Ayrshire: Visit Community class programme: Visit kaleisure.com/fitness/classes to find out more. KA Walk: Visit to find out more. Weight loss: Contact Weigh to Go Ayrshire on or East Ayrshire: Visit and select Community, life and leisure, and then Leisure, sport and community facilities Contact Community Recreation on Weight loss: Contact Weigh to Go Ayrshire on or 3

4 South Ayrshire: Visit and select Community, life and leisure, and then Find leisure/ activity centres. Contact Activity for Health on Weight loss: Contact Weigh to Go Ayrshire on or Local support services can provide counselling, support groups and complementary therapies to help with your emotional recovery. You can also get advice about benefits or financial problems through the Information and Support Directory on org. If you cannot access the internet, your Breast Care Nurse can provide you with a printed version of the directory. Clinic-based follow-up You will attend the follow-up clinic and have a mammogram at University Hospital Crosshouse once a year for the next ten years. This is so that any problems in the breasts can be detected early. After that, you can return to the National Breast Screening service and have a mammogram every three years. If you are younger than 40 years, you will continue to have a mammogram every year at University Hospital Crosshouse until you reach the age of 50 years and can enter the National Breast Screening service. 4

5 Your yearly mammogram You will receive a mammogram appointment for the x-ray department at University Hospital Crosshouse around the anniversary of your original diagnosis. Once your consultant reports and checks this, we will send the results to you and your family doctor (GP). This will usually be about three weeks after your mammogram. If the mammogram shows any changes, you will be brought back for further mammograms, an ultrasound or occasionally a biopsy to show what is going on. These changes are often benign but we will check them out thoroughly. If you have a concern If you have symptoms related to your breasts or if you have any concerns regarding your treatment, please contact your Breast Care Nurse. Alternatively, you can contact your consultant through their secretary. The telephone numbers are on the back of this leaflet. If you have symptoms that are not related to your breast or your treatment, visit your family doctor (GP), rather than worry about it. 5

6 Contact telephone numbers Breast Care Nurses: University Hospital Crosshouse: Call the numbers below, or call the hospital switchboard , and ask for them to be paged: Lynn McCartney on , or page 3243 Angela Wallace on , or page 3607 Lorraine Anderson/Carol MacGregor on , or page 3348 University Hospital Ayr: Call the number below, or call the hospital switchboard on , and ask for them to be paged: Linda Brady or page 1980 Surgical Secretaries: University Hospital Crosshouse Ms P Whitford (Heather) Mr M Osman (Jackie) Ms S Tovey (Lee) Ms S Elgammal (Angela) University Hospital Ayr Mr S Bhattacharya (Leslie)

7 Oncology Secretaries: Beatson Oncology Centre Glasgow Dr G Lumsden (Pauline) Dr L Scott (Sharon) Mammogram appointments (X-ray department): Seroma Service (University Hospital Crosshouse): Monday to Friday from 9am to 1pm - Clinic 2/2A Elaine Cochrane / Lesley Humes /

8 All of our publications are available in different languages, larger print, braille (English only), audio tape or another format of your choice. Tha gach sgrìobhainn againn rim faotainn ann an diofar chànanan, clò nas motha, Braille (Beurla a-mhàin), teip claistinn no riochd eile a tha sibh airson a thaghadh Tell us what you think... If you would like to comment on any issues raised by this document, please complete this form and return it to: Communications Department, 28 Lister Street, University Hospital Crosshouse, Crosshouse KA2 0BB. You can also us at: comms@aaaht. scot.nhs.uk or [email protected]. If you provide your contact details, we will acknowledge your comments and pass them to the appropriate departments for a response. Name Address Comment Last reviewed: November 2013 Leaflet reference: MIS GD