- Have YOU got a story? Email: tips@dailymail.co.uk
Beverley Callard has revealed her mind is ‘manic’ while preparing to return to work as she gave a health update following her breast cancer surgery in a post shared to Instagram on Friday.
The soap star, 68, revealed she is battling the disease last month after being diagnosed just after she’d relocated to Dublin to start her new job on Irish soap Fair City.
Sharing an update with her fans on Instagram, Beverley opened up about the struggles she is facing while trying to prepare for her trip to London.
She said: ‘Well, what a day today. I’ve been packing because I was told I have got to go to work on Sunday and Monday in London.
‘So the quite posh outfits I need and as you can tell, I love wearing things like this more than anything else.
‘So today I had a try on in my bedroom and then got myself into a state because I’m fine now. I’m fine now.
‘But what do you do when you can’t put a bra on because you’re still sore and you still have wounds.
‘So how do you make yourself look equal on both sides. Because I thought I’ll find a soft bra, put it on and shove a pair of socks in there or something.
‘No, it didn’t work at all, so then I thought, well, I can’t stick a shoulder pad on myself or something because I’m too sore everywhere.
‘So I was completely, oh, well, I shouldn’t be going. Why am I doing this and the rest of it? But I have got good shoes to wear. That is the only thing. I’ve got great shoes to wear, and that’s it.
‘And I will sort it, but it was just one of those days today. I’ll work something out somehow.
‘So that was my day really, and I can’t sleep. My mind is manic at the moment. I think maybe it’s nerves about going back to work and everything else, but I’m being strong, and I hope you are all as well.’
Earlier this week, Beverley revealed she was sore, queasy and feeling emotional as she gave a heartbreaking update following her breast cancer surgery.
Taking to X on Friday, the star opened up to her followers and became emotional as she revealed a heartfelt gift she received from a stranger.
Explaining it had been a week since her operation, Beverley said: ‘I woke up this morning and I put on yesterday’s clothes, which were dropped on the floor last night when I went to bed.
‘I have not cleaned my teeth, I have not combed my hair. I cannot answer my phone because if someone says a kind word to me, I cry. I am sore, I am feeling absolutely rubbish today. And I have been like that all day. I am really tired, I keep feeling a bit queasy, and I have no idea why.’
Beverley then revealed that she didn’t want to post anything to her social media the day before because she was worried about making people feel ‘miserable’.
She then showed some sweet presents, which included a heart-shaped cushion and a heartfelt card that had been sent in the post from a stranger.
Explaining that the cushion was to ease her pain under her arm, Beverley became emotional as she said she was going to re-gift it after using it.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and affects more than two MILLION women a year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year in the UK there are more than 55,000 new cases, and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it strikes 266,000 each year and kills 40,000. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
It comes from a cancerous cell which develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread into surrounding tissue it is called ‘invasive’. Some people are diagnosed with ‘carcinoma in situ’, where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in those over the age of 50 but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, though this is rare.
Staging indicates how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancerous cells are graded from low, which means a slow growth, to high, which is fast-growing. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after they have first been treated.
What causes breast cancer?
A cancerous tumour starts from one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. It is thought that something damages or alters certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance, such as genetics.
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless lump in the breast, although most are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place that breast cancer usually spreads to is the lymph nodes in the armpit. If this occurs you will develop a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may do tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue which can indicate the possibility of tumours.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from a part of the body. The sample is then examined under a microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess if it has spread. For example, blood tests, an ultrasound scan of the liver or a chest X-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options which may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments are used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or the removal of the affected breast depending on the size of the tumour.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment which uses high energy beams of radiation focused on cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells, or stops them from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment of cancer by using anti-cancer drugs which kill cancer cells, or stop them from multiplying.
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone oestrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments which reduce the level of these hormones, or prevent them from working, are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small, and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumour in an early stage may then give a good chance of cure.
The routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 71 means more breast cancers are being diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call its free helpline on 0808 800 6000
