‘I needlessly lost a breast’

From archives – November 2017.

Forty-three-year-old Ivyn Wangui is living with the regret of losing a breast that she shouldn’t have had she sought multiple physicians’ advice on her cancer diagnosis.

Wangui, a Nairobi resident, went under the knife in August 2017, shortly after the August 8 general election.

She was directed to the theatre after her doctor said samples taken from her right breast had all symptoms of cancer. That happened even before her biopsy test results were out.

And, when the breast cancer test outcome was presented to her, Wangui was shocked to discover that she did not have the dreaded disease. Losing her breast was needless, but it was too late to reverse the damage.

“After receiving the results, I thanked God that I had no cancer history. But later, I felt bad that I lost a breast, which I shouldn’t have. It left me wondering how doctors go about their work,” Wangui told K24 Television in an interview aired on November 26, 2017.

Recounting how she got to know about her misdiagnosis, Wangui said: “I was in the operating theatre, where I had gone for post-surgery care, when the doctor came in with the results and told me that the cancer test turned out negative. I was heartbroken and livid.”

According to the mother-of-two, her doctor said he was sorry, and regretted relying on preliminary tests to recommend her breast removal.

Wangui, who engaged in physical work that required a lot of energy, said following the surgery, she was unable to resume work.

She, however, declined to reveal whether she would lodge legal complaint against the doctor who recommended her breast removal.

To avoid being misdiagnosed, doctors advise that you seek multiple physicians’ advice before agreeing to undergo any form of surgery, to write down every symptom and present them to a medical practitioner and finally visit credible hospitals and specialists.

This Sunday, November 10, K24 Television’s Punchline, hosted by Anne Kiguta, will be addressing matters health and misdiagnosis in particular. Save the date: the time is 9pm.