I Love My Prosthetic Boob - She Is Called "Boobilisous"

A Bit About Me

My breast cancer journey began last April after I found a very large lump in my right breast. Why I’d not found it before I don’t know.

I was going to the doctors for my diabetes on Monday, so I asked the nurse to check it. The next thing I knew I was referred and after scans and biopsies I was diagnosed with a 7.5 cm ductal tumour.

I went on my holiday, came back, and started my 8 cycles of chemotherapy - completed last October.

My breast consultant thought she could save my breast, so I had a wide excision with a LICAP reconstruction in November.

It looked amazing, only to find that we had no clear margins and all the lymph nodes removed had cancer. 

I had my mastectomy on the 7th January along with more nodes; a total of 7 out of 15 had the disease.

In between my surgeries I had back pain which got worse after the mastectomy, so my consultant sent me for a CT scan.

I was called into hospital the day after as an inpatient, as something could be seen on my scan.

I was in hospital 🏥 for 3 nights and I ended up on crutches, not able to put any weight on my left leg.

My cancer had spread during chemotherapy into my spine, rib, pubic bone, pelvis and femur.

The cancer had eaten a massive hole at the top of my femur and there was fear it could fracture, so I had surgery on the 26th February to put pins across the hole and a femoral nail through my femur.

I’ve had radiotherapy to my spine, femur and pubic bone for pain relief. I’m now on medication to keep my cancer stable, but I will never be cancer free.

I’m now on Letrozole & Palbociclib. I still can’t walk without pain yet but I’m nearly always upbeat, smiling, and constantly finding the positives in having this disease. I'm also making new friends and supporting others along the way. 💜🌈

💜🌈I’ve had a few different looks over the past twelve months.

I found taking photos of my breast cancer journey has helped me 💜🌸🌈

I know from some ladies I’ve spoken to since my mastectomy that they find it difficult to look at themselves in the mirror or touch their scar.

From day one I made a point of looking at the new me in the mirror. I also got my husband hands on 😉 by helping me with my dressings; he was so good, bless him.

I felt that I’d let him down somehow but he has reassured me so many times and says he didn’t marry me for my boobs.

I love my prosthetic boob - she is called "Boobilisous" 

I put her in my bra in the morning and my husband puts her back in the box at night, so at least he gets to fondle my boob every night 😉

My appearance has definitely changed over the past twelve months, that’s for sure, but I’m getting to like the new me - especially when I’m pain free.

I want to share some photos. These have given me the confidence and strength to deal with the changes in my appearance. It also helps with my mental state to deal with my stage 4 cancer. I hope my positive attitude to this disease will help others.😊💜🌸🌈

Michelle Teale

Michelle was diagnosed in April 2019 with a 7.5 cm ductal tumour in her right breast.

She found a large lump in her sleep just 7 months from her last clear mammogram. She is living with secondary bone cancer one day at a time

"Cancer has been in my life a lot, both my parents had cancer at the same time back in the 80’s. Unfortunately, my father passed away aged just 54yrs in 1984. My mum, however, lives to tell the tale at 84yrs young"

"I see this as just a blip in my life that I’ll look back on and wonder what happened."

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