Share review of Mr Paul Thiruchelvam

Mr Paul Thiruchelvam 2022-07-03 Person 5 5 0

It was pure chance that I ended up in the expert care of Paul Thiruchelvam. Things happened fast. From initially complaining about an achy breast to having a mammogram, ultrasound and then biopsy for a lump they had identified in my other breast, took about a week. It was before Christmas, Covid was rampant, the Lister couldn’t see me and I ended up at HCA Chiswick Medical Centre. The radiologist, Neil Upadhyay put me in touch with Paul and his wonderful PA Michelle managed to fit me in. When I got my diagnosis, friends and family immediately wanted to know who my consultant was and to make sure I was in the best possible hands. I can say for certain that I was. I got my diagnosis on 23rd December. We were told that nothing would happen until the New Year as HCA were closed until 4th January and this felt very scary. However, Michelle and Paul kept things moving all through this period, updating me on the type of cancer, arranging CT and PET scans for 30th December and calling me on New Year’s Eve to say that the cancer had not spread. I was treated incredibly quickly. The lumpectomy took place exactly a month after I was first diagnosed and LICAP reconstruction three weeks later. Radiotherapy followed six weeks after that. Paul is extremely collaborative, has a brilliant bedside manner and makes you feel that you are his absolute priority. He is supported by a pain specialist, Matthew Brown, oncologist Suzy Cleator and two very caring cancer nurses, Amelia and Helen who were always at the end of the phone. I felt so calm in his care, to the point that I felt utterly lost when I was discharged and no longer seeing him weekly or fortnightly. With my surgery, he explained all my options, gave us a few days to reflect on them and then invited us back to agree a plan of action. My initial instinct was just to get the tumour out and not care about the aesthetics of my breast. I am so glad I had my husband there to make me realise that I would care deeply about being misshapen and lopsided in the long run. And I am so grateful that Paul never pressurised us into a quick decision. I had a lumpectomy followed by LICAP flap reconstruction three weeks later. My lost breast tissue was replaced with skin and fat from the side of my chest wall. I found the prospect of this pretty incredible as I am pretty lean but this did not deter Paul. He must have marked me up with pen at least four times. The final job is incredibly neat, with a single horizontal scar from both lumpectomy and reconstruction extending around my rib cage to my back. He is definitely a UK leader in the field of LICAP flap breast reconstruction and lectures medical students at Imperial College on this and other subjects. Paul is phenomenally dedicated. I stayed over at King Edward VII after my reconstruction and he was there the following morning (a Sunday) at 7am to see his patients. I also needed emergency surgery for a haematoma after my lumpectomy. Michelle sent me straight to A&E at Charing Cross where he does his NHS work. Paul came and saw me immediately and swung into action, putting a team together within minutes to operate on me. When I came round towards midnight, he was still there in his hospital scrubs to check I was OK. His registrar was texting him at 6am with an update on my progress. As others have written on here, I feel so incredibly lucky to have been treated by Paul and to know that I will remain in his care for the next five years. Thank you for everything.