A Scots woman has spoken out after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32.
Kat Denisi, from Willowbrae, underwent gruelling treatment, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and multiple surgeries since her diagnosis in June 2022. Getting ready for a holiday to Florida, Kat was trying on bikinis when she was shocked to notice an abnormality on her breast.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live, Kat, who is now 35, explained how she burst out crying to the GP back in the summer of 2022.
She said: “I had no visible lumps but in 2022, I was trying on bikinis, I was going to Florida for my aunt’s funeral – she had died of cancer. I shoved my breast into the cup and I felt an indent. I thought, ‘That isn’t supposed to be there’. Only when I pressed really hard, I felt a lump
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“I phoned my GP immediately, crying that I had found a lump. They said on the phone that because I was young I shouldn’t be worried but they got me in for tests.
“I was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in June 2022. It was really aggressive. I was so shocked. They told me I had to start chemotherapy and they would shut down my ovaries to protect them as much they could.
As part of her treatment, she was also put into a medically induced menopause known as a ‘crash menopause’- which Kat admitted she didn’t realise happened until a year later.
She explained: “At the time, I didn’t really understand what that meant. It’s really overwhelming when you’re told you have cancer. You’re being told about chemo, your hair will fall out, all the medication, surgery. The doctor didn’t actually say the word ‘menopause’.
“It wasn’t until a year later, in 2023, I realised all these hot flushes and changes to my body were actually menopause.”
The freelance prop maker explained how before she started any treatment, the medics at the Western General did offer IVF treatment. However, they warned if she and her husband went down that route, it would delay any treatment for the cancer.
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Kat said that she and her husband had spoken about having children, but were waiting for the right time to settle down.
“We were both young, I had not long moved to Scotland [from the States], we were travelling, and we just said we would wait until we were both settled in a few years. But suddenly, we had this time pressure and we had to make a choice. In the end, my partner and I decided we didn’t want to delay treatment, my oncologist agreed, and we turned down the IVF.
“I said, ‘if I’m not here, then it won’t matter’, so let’s get myself settled and then we can think about kids later. Going through menopause at 32 feels like you have been put into a new body with no time to prepare.
“I have hot flashes, brain fog, my skin is sagging, my libido is gone, a dry vagina and it incredibly hurts to have sex. It’s like my body isn’t listening, it isn’t reacting the way it used to. My husband and I now have to find new ways to be intimate.
“Do you know how hard that is for a young woman? It’s something you have to live with on a daily basis.
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She added: “I completely understand that I had to be put in menopause because of my cancer treatment but I wish I had met someone or there was a booklet to discuss the side effects of that.”
Now, Kat is still undergoing treatment and has an appointment with her oncologist in December.
She said: “People look at you and think you look well, and you’re over it. But I’m still taking medication, my ovaries are still asleep. It is so unfair to be told you have cancer. And to anyone going through it, it’s okay not to be happy, it’s okay to openly talk about it.
“The Maggie’s Centre has been my ride or die. There are other women there, who are now my friends, and know exactly what I’m going through.”
Ali Clarke, Cancer Support Specialist for Maggie’s Edinburgh, said: “It’s so important to raise awareness of ‘crash menopause’ which we see and hear in our centre every day and what a massive impact it has on people’s lives.
“An impact on quality of life and emotional well-being following treatment-induced menopause can be long-lasting and for some traumatic.
“If we keep the conversation going more women, and their friends and families, can identify the signs and symptoms and get the help they need – whether that is psychological support or help to understand what it might mean for their fertility, or to protect their longer-term health.
“At Maggie’s our focus is to help people feel less alone and give them the advice and information needed to support them through the changes they can face.
“In Edinburgh, we run menopause workshops which we know help women feel like they can cope and even live their lives again.”
You can find more information about the workshops and support at Maggie’s here.
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