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Early screening helped me beat breast cancer - Owiny
Happy. Hellen Owiny stands next to the decorated bottles she makes for a living at her home on Tuesday. PHOTO BY PAUL MURUNGI
What you need to know:
- Creating awareness. Daily Monitor is this month running stories on cancer to empathise with those affected, celebrate with those who have beaten the scourge and also create awareness.
- Today, Hellen Owiny shares her story of battling breast cancer, writes Paul Murungi.
When Hellen Owiny, a former primary school teacher at Lira Primary School, first felt a lump in her right breast during an afternoon bath, she kept it to herself thinking the swelling would disappear.
Hellen did not know this would turn out to be a journey of her battle against breast cancer which she says she has partly won. She shares her story
I am 55 years old, married with two children and a member of Uganda Women Cancer Support Organisation. One day in May 2015, I was from the garden, taking a shower when I accidently felt a swelling on my right breast.
I pressed it in a hard way. The swelling was round, hard and remained stuck in the same position.
I kept it to myself thinking the swelling would disappear.
However, after one week I confided in a friend, Aidah Akello, who had had an experience with cervical cancer. She advised me to seek medical help.
I took the advice and went to Lira Regional Referral Hospital where doctors told me they were suspicious and wanted a biopsy done (a medical test involving extraction of sample cells or tissues for examination to determine presence or extent of a disease), then send the sample to Uganda Cancer Institute (UCI) for pathologists to test.
However, the doctors demanded for Shs100,000 which I did not have and therefore the tests were not done.
Painful journey
Within the same week, I moved to Kampala where I reported to my husband. He was very alarmed after feeling the lump in my breast and declared it was cancer.
All the while I did not know anything about breast cancer or lumps.
The next day, he escorted me to Mulago National Referral Hospital.
At Mulago, the doctors did a biopsy and other tests including a mammogram, abdominal scan and that was in August, 2015.
After a week, I took the results to Dr Noleb Mugisha, an oncologist. On studying the results, he explained that I had cancer.
He made it clear to me that I would have a mastectomy which is the complete removal of the breast. I got scared, tears started rolling uncontrollably.
Dr Mugisha counselled me saying tears is medicine that relieves the mindset.
So, I asked whether we could only remove the lump, but he insisted he wanted to save my life since the cancer was at stage two.
On September 9, 2015, I was sent to see Dr Fred Okuku, a consultant oncologist. He unveiled to me everything and booked Dr Jane Faula for surgery!
I was then required to prepare for the surgery. Several tests were done including the heart, lungs, chest X-ray, liver functions and blood tests which were really costly.
A week later on September 16, I was admitted to ward C at UCI ready for mastectomy before chemotherapy. The next day on September 17, I was called to the theatre.
A young man who was sent to call me rudely shouted at me to go to theatre; causing my blood pressure to shoot up to 180/90. So, the oxygen was administered to lower it down causing me to spend close to five hours in the theatre.
The next day, I was discharged with a long tube running through my right (breast) chest, and told to return after five days. When I went back, I feigned strength because I never wanted to scare my family members.
Treatment
But after examination, the doctor found there was a lot of fluid in the wound that had to be removed.
That day, the doctor removed 100 millimeters, and more 80 were removed after five days. I was immediately put on chemotherapy (treating cancer using drugs).
However, the hospital lacked the chemo drugs.
I had to purchase them expensively from private providers. I lacked knowledge of pre and post chemo support which to me is the worst stage of cancer.
The drug is very strong for our body since it destroys good cells and cancer cells altogether.
It has numerous side effects such as vomiting, body weakness, loss of hair, discolouring of finger nails, loss of appetite and mouth sores.
When I went for my first dose, the nurse only said: “You will lose your hair.”
Other side effects were not told. I went back home but luckily I did not vomit but felt body weakness and loss of appetite. After some days, I had my first shock! While bathing, my hair would come off on soap. So I got a head scarf to wrap my bold head.
However, during my fourth dose, I became anemic because of bloody diarrhea which lasted four days. I lost appetite and was only surviving on warm water and juice.
Effects
My husband took me to hospital and I was put on blood transfusion before being given a fifth dose of chemo. Unfortunately, the first dose of the blood transfusion gave me a bad reaction. I did not know that someone’s body system can reject blood. I developed pimples all over the body prompting that the doctor stood at a distance waiting for my death.
I called on God’s intervention.
My prayers were answered when the blood on transfusion clotted and was removed. Meanwhile, my second dose of transfusion went on well.
During my fifth dose of chemo. I had 9.5 units of blood and then received treatment. At that time, I met Josephine Bamuwamye also a breast cancer survivor who became my mentor.
She works at UCI as a volunteer in counselling and advising women to go for regular breast checkups. My most vivid memory was having Christmas in hospital while others were enjoying in their homes.
I had my sixth dose of chemo in January, 2016 and prepared myself for radiotherapy.
I was sent for radiotherapy in early march 2016. I was signed for evening and would get five doses every week, though after a serious struggle on line.
Many times, I would go back home at midnight. However, after three weeks the machine broke down completely.
I was put on a list to travel to Kenya and complete my dose but as fate would have it, I delayed to get money for upkeep and was left out.
The doctors advised me to be put on tamoxifen for five years under their monitoring.
The cost
I take these drugs every day and they cost Shs70,000 for every purchase. I kept my trust in God and my church members stood with me. My husband Paul Owiny and children stood by my side.
During this cancer period, even family members are badly affected and tortured especially financially and anxiety and stigma. No one can fight cancer alone because it is unforgiving and is a dreaded disease.
I am aware that in order to keep healthy, I have to look after myself well and believe that our body works best when we are free from stressful situations. The cancer journey is like life itself; unpredictable!
