21 February 2022
One woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every 10 minutes in the UK and one in seven women will develop this common type of cancer in their lifetime.
Living with breast cancer and navigating your way through treatment can take its toll both physically and emotionally. At Sciensus, we can help to take away some of this stress by providing treatment in your own environment.
Amanda is a Sciensus patient who has received breast cancer treatment at home. Here, she describes how this has benefitted her and her family.
My safe space
“Receiving my treatment at home was the best decision I have ever made,” Amanda explains. “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer and told that I could have treatment at home if I wished, it was a no-brainer. My home is my safe space and I was able to have my treatment in a familiar room in my comfy chair.”
Having treatment at home is also more convenient, she says.
“There was no travelling to and from hospital or worrying about traffic and finding a parking space. I didn’t need to worry about the weather conditions that day or whether I might have forgotten anything either.
“At home, I knew that if I felt ill after my treatment, I could immediately go and have a lie down or do whatever made me feel better. If I fancied something to eat or drink, it was there in my kitchen.
“People used to ask whether it was like turning my home into a hospital when I had treatment at home, but it never felt like that for me. The nurses came in with all their equipment and then they took it all away.”
One-to-one nursing
“The nurses are exceptional and they sit with you the whole time during your treatment,” Amanda explains. “They just concentrate on you and your treatment. This was another reason why I chose to have treatment at home; it’s one-to-one nursing and that probably isn’t always the case in hospital. If I had to chose three words to sum up the service I received, they would be: professional, caring and safe.”
Having treatment at home was also beneficial for Amanda’s family.
“Your family and loved ones go through so much when you are dealing with cancer and by having my treatment at home, it was less daunting for them as they were around,” she says.
“My daughter is at secondary school and it meant that I was there when she left for school and returned and this was very important to me. My husband works mainly from home so it meant he could be around if I needed him while I was having treatment and he could pop in and check on me while still carrying on with his normal day.
“I feel very passionate about how Sciensus helped me through one of the most difficult periods of my life and made it so much easier.”
We’d like to thank Amanda and her family for sharing their experience with us and allowing us to share it more widely to highlight the benefits of our service.
You can find out more about our services and the full range of cancers we are able to treat on our website: https://www.sciensus.com/our-services/cancer-care-at-home/