A mum who was initially convinced her rash was just an allergic reaction had to undergo three different surgeries after discovering it was a sign of something far more serious
A mum who initially thought a mark on her head was just a harmless rash was rushed into surgery when it turned out it was something much more serious.
Victoria Brown, 57, discussed the strange rash with a friend after it had spread to her breast, but was told to relax as it was likely just an allergic reaction and that everything would soon settle down with a change in diet.
Speaking about the early stages of the rash, Victoria said: “I went on an antihistamine diet, and it did help quite a lot. And then, so everything was settled down, I was feeling really good.”
But when in January 2024 she went for a routine mammogram, she found out that everything wasn’t quite what it seemed. A few weeks later, she received a letter in the post inviting her for a follow-up at a clinic in Cheltenham. However, that day would go on to be one that Victoria has struggled to forget.
Arriving at the clinic and met by a support worker, Victoria spent the day getting scan after scan. “It was a good half day, maybe even a whole day. And then everyone was lovely and we all had a hug at the end,” she said.
Three weeks later, Victoria was asked to return to the clinic. But this time, she was strongly encouraged to bring her husband along with her.
She told Wales Online: “So we went back and I was sitting in this room waiting for a consultant and there was a bed in there and I was just like, this is not looking good, is it? This is not where you’d be going if you were all clear.”
At the consultation, Victoria received a breast cancer diagnosis and learned that surgery was necessary to excise the tumour, but despite the tough day, it was the kindness of the medical staff and the emotional support from her husband’s presence that left a lasting impression on her.
“Okay, it was big, horrible. But the man took on so much guilt for not being there to be able to care,” she says, “So I’m so grateful because I would have probably gone on my own, and then he would have carried that.”
Following her diagnosis, Victoria underwent several surgeries, yet more procedures lay ahead as she faced the prospect of a full mastectomy. She was allowed to consider her options for reconstruction: an implant, DIEP flap surgery using abdominal tissue, or opting to stay flat.
“I wasn’t pressed to make a decision then,” she says. “I was told to go home and think about it, which was amazing.”
Victoria opted for an immediate silicone implant. But healing after the surgery proved difficult. “I had trouble healing,” she says.
But in June, she was told that the cancer was larger than expected and she’d need to go back into surgery for a third time, and this time, her implant was removed, and her right side was left flat. Victoria added: “So I had to go back in and go flat basically on the right side, and she took more tissue all the way, and she said, I’ve taken everything. I really have taken everything.”
Despite the tumour reaching the edge of her breast tissue, Victoria was offered radiotherapy but chose to decline after careful deliberation. “The risks were more than the benefits for me because (my surgeon) assured me she had taken everything and I believe her,” she explains. “So then I was flat. I am flat.”
A simple request made a significant difference to her emotional recovery. “I asked for a pretty scar just before (surgery),” she recalls. “It wasn’t as devastating as I expected.”
In October, Victoria decided to join the reconstruction waiting list, a decision made from a place of self-acceptance. “I realised I didn’t want to take any further steps with my body out of the feeling of not being enough. I’m really happy,” she says.
And now, drawing from her journey, Victoria founded a Facebook group named Rooted Wise Womanhood, which provides support to women dealing with perimenopause and self-discovery.