Kerry Sharpe (50) from Leicestershire said that she was tired of being in pain and had given up hope of ever feeling better. She met an oncology scar therapist while on a cruise. He immediately helped her to get rid of the painful ‘agony” of deep breast cancer scars.
Breast cancer survivors lived with pain. “red hot pokers” She was unable to move for 10 years and then realized that there were treatments available.
Kerry Sharpe (50), from Leicestershire, had a mastectomy and lymph node removals as part of her treatment for breast cancer. She left with excruciating scarring on her chest.
Radiotherapy was blamed for her pain, and she was told there was no cure.
In the end, she “lived with the pain for 10 years” She was changed by a chance encounter with an oncologist.
She shared her story LeicestershireLive: “I was in absolute agony, it often felt like someone was sticking red hot pokers in my chest.
“After my surgery, I was told that the pain was caused by radiotherapy. There was nothing I could do. I lived with the pain for ten years before I finally went on a cruise.”
On the holiday Kerry and her mum went for spa treatments, whereby complete chance she got talking to an oncology therapist from Milan.
She also added: “I had three scar work sessions with Alessia during that cruise and it immediately made a difference.”
“When I first started getting scar therapy I could hardly bear to be touched, it was so painful.
“It is much better now, but it upsets me that I had to live with the pain for ten years, and yet, people continue to be told the same thing and are living with unnecessary pain. We need to do more to raise awareness.
“My wish would be for scar therapy to be offered after every operation.”
Future survivors might not have to go through the same decade of pain Kerry experienced.
Macmillan has teamed up to support women who have had breast surgery.
Hannah Poulton, a 42-year-old physiotherapist, received financial support from Macmillan to fund a project to assist women following their operations.
Hannah also uses holistic medicine as part of the program. “light-massage”Techniques to reduce pain and discomfort
While the therapy will not eliminate scarring, it will improve the appearance of the hypersensitivity and reduce its severity.
Hannah is raising awareness at Leicester Hospitals about scar therapy and the many benefits it can bring. “huge difference”It can increase your quality of living.
“Aftercare for your scars following cancer surgery is so important and can make a huge difference to the quality of life but few people know about the benefits of scar therapy.
“Some people don’t know how to care for scars, or what products to use to improve scar recovery,” she added.
“Scar therapy uses gentle, light touch massage to reduce hypersensitive scars and reduce pain. It also helps with scar aesthetics.
“Scar therapy cannot get rid of the scar but it can help to soften it. It is a holistic approach, looking at the whole person and acknowledging the emotional connections with the scar. We can also teach self-scar massage techniques, so individuals can continue Scar Therapy at home.”
A Macmillan spokeswoman said LeicestershireLive: “Currently there is no support offered to women with breast surgery scars despite the fact that they can cause constant pain and leave them unable to pick up their children, so Hannah has teamed up with Macmillan to launch an innovative new scar therapy service in Leicester.”