Mum-of-one Tayla Gardiner, 32, believes her boob job could have helped ‘save her life’ – as it alerted her to an itchy coin-sized lump that turned out to be breast cancer
A mum has claimed a boob job could have ‘saved her life’ – because it helped her discover a lump that turned out to be cancer. Tayla Gardiner first noticed something was wrong while she was showering in January, and felt an itchy 20p coin-sized lump in her right breast.
Wanting to rule out anything sinister, the 32-year-old went to her GP, and was referred to a cancer clinic in February. There, an ultrasound and subsequent biopsy revealed she had Grade III triple-negative invasive ductal breast cancer (TNBC).
The lump they found was small, measuring 17mm, but the mum-of-one thinks that her breast implants pushed it forward, making it easier to detect. Tayla is now sharing her experience to urge people to regularly check themselves, and seek medical help if they experience unusual symptoms.
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Tayla, from Gravesend, Kent, said: “In January I found a little lump and got itchiness in my right breast. I thought it was a cyst or damaged tissue. I saw a female doctor, she felt my breast, said it was very small, and that maybe it was an infection.
“She did a referral anyway just to make sure it was okay, and thank God she did that. Three weeks later I found I had breast cancer, it was such a shock.
“It’s small, it’s only 17cm at the moment but I think because the breast implants I have are quite big, you can notice the implant more because it’s pushing it forward. I think that helped find the lump because they say to check your boobs and you know if you have lumpy boobs that something isn’t right. I can’t put into words how I felt. The first thing I asked was, ‘am I going to die?’.”
While Tayla credits her breast implants, which she had in 2014, for saving her life, she admits to worrying about whether the rupture may have been linked to it. She had experienced repeat kidney and water infections, leading her to have a full CT scan, which found her right breast had ruptured.
Tayla said: “They took the implant out and it was yellow, it was so painful because of how long it was there for. I got two breast infections in August and December. It’s such a coincidence that it happened in my right breast where it ruptured.”
The mum is now waiting to see what course of treatment she needs. Having developed no other symptoms herself – apart from some tiredness – is now urging people to check their breasts regularly, so they can get treatment as early as possible.
Tayla said: “It’s all a blur at the moment, it’s a waiting game. I’m waiting to hear from my consultant to find out if I need to have a lumpectomy, a mastectomy, chemo or radiotherapy.
“I don’t feel unwell, I feel tired but I wouldn’t know that’s there. Apart from the lump I wouldn’t know it’s cancer. You only have one life and you don’t think about it but when you get diagnosed you start seeing life in a different way.
“Every day I just walk around thinking ‘I have this cancer in my breast and I just want to cut it out’. If I left that for a year I don’t know where I would have been by then.
“We know our bodies. If you have any little thing, if you feel something isn’t right, anything you doublethink and is in your mind I’d go straight to the doctors and get it checked. I wouldn’t wait, I wouldn’t leave it. Even if you feel a bit silly.”
According to the NHS, the most common symptom of breast cancer is a lump or thickening in the breast. These lumps may feel different from the surrounding area.
Other signs include changes in the size or shape of the breast, dimpling or redness of the skin, and a rash or crusting around the nipple. Some people may experience nipple discharge, a sunken or inverted nipple, or pain in the breast or armpit that does not go away. You should see a GP if you notice any unusual or persistent changes to your breasts.
