Mr Paul Thiruchelvam

at Charing Cross Hospital

I had a consultation with Mr Thiruchelvam following the diagnosis of DCIS within the NHS screening pathway. I was lucky to be able to transfer to Private Care although I would have been in equally safe hands within the NHS, as I had been up until that point! The private option speeded up the timing surgery, and that was a fortunate position to be in. I am 2 weeks post operation. The care, support and pathway has been excellent so far. I am heading for radiotherapy in 3 weeks. I thank the whole team!

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Written by a NHS patient at Charing Cross Hospital

From the start Dr Paul explained everything in great detail and all of the options available to me for my surgery. I felt at ease and well informed about everything that was going to happen, he was very reassuring throughout my whole experience. The aftercare team were amazing too, I had Orla who took me through step by step and listened to and answered all my questions, nothing was too much. I'm extremely grateful and felt very well supported throughout. Thankyou to an amazing team.

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Written by a NHS patient at Charing Cross Hospital

The care I received from the Mr Thiruchelvam and his team was outstanding. There were, however, some procedural matters that could be improved to give even greater care: 1. I was not examined at the first consultation, and when I asked for details of how the surgical procedure would be carried out, I was told that this would be covered at the next consultation. This meant that I had to arrange childcare, and take more time off work to come back a second time. Time consuming and expensive. Would it not be more efficient to make the consulations a little longer, and include the examination and a discussion of the surgical procedure? 2. When I was discharged after the surgery, I was given pain relief but no details of how to care for the dressing, other that not to shower that night. I had to contact Breast Services the following day and eventually got through to a nurse who asked me to come in to the clinic so that she could look at the dressing. More childcare and time off work, only to be told that the dressing could stay on until my follow up consultation in two weeks' time. It wasn't until that meeting that I was told that I could shower as normal, but not take a bath. And that the dressing could be removed in a further two weeks from that date. It would have been enormously helpful if details of the after care of the dressing could have been included in the Discharge Summary.

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Written by a private patient at Parkside Hospital

With shock I received the news that I had breast cancer in both sides. Mr Thiruchelvam was highly recommended to me by a friend. In a few hours I had an appointment with him and he explained in meticulous detail a plan. After numerous scans and biopsies the operation went smoothly with the help of his great team Dr John Mayer (anaesthetist) and Dr Matt Brown (pain control specialist) and of course his ever-present PA Michelle who was there whenever I needed guidance. I am delighted with the outcome of my mamoplasty surgery and await a plan for the next stage of radiotherapy. How lucky I was to be guided into the safe sure expert hands of this kind, caring, brillant surgeon who explained very clearly his plan and listened to me. Parkside Hospital and the Breastcare nurses were also very supportive and made what could have been a terrifying experience into a very comfortable secure one. Roll on the next stage!

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Written by a NHS patient at Charing Cross Hospital

I first met Mr Thiruchelvam on 1st April 2021 when he told me that my biopsy showed DCIS. Which means that cancer is in a breast duct and was grade 0, which means that it doesn't appear to have spread out of the duct. He arranged for me to have a second biopsy in a different area of the breast which thankfully did not show cancer. A few weeks later I met with Mr Thiruchelvam again and he explained in an unbiased way all the surgical options I had and that I would need radiotherapy six weeks after surgery He showed me detailed photographs of women who had these surgeries which was very helpful. He gave me time to think about what I thought was my best option. My breast care nurse Jess was there to give me extra support. I never felt isolated but felt well supported throughout this process. I remember the night before my next appointment with him, where I would discuss my surgical decision, I felt bewildered, its such a big decision to make, my breasts are so important to me, I breastfed my two sons and it was a marvellous experience. My breasts are very erogenous and I didn't know how I would accept an altered body image. I really was in a pickle by the time I saw him the next day and I was flip-flopping between the options. He gave me lots of time during that appointment, he really cared and didn't rush me. I had the support of Jess. I decided on LICAP flap, in two stages, firstly Mr Thiruchelvam would remove the cancer by breast conserving surgery( lumpectomy) and then two weeks later perform the LICAP surgery. He explained all the risks of surgery. In great detail he explained what LICAP is and he drew on my body where he would make incisions. In simple terms its a type of breast reconstruction, where fat/tissue from under the arm is used to replace lost breast tissue to give shape and size back. The first operation took just over an hour and I went home that day. The care from Doctors, anaesthetic team and nurses was exceptional and I felt well, I took antibiotics prophylactically for three days and only two paracetamol the night of the operation, I really didn't feel pain. The LICAP took about 2 hours and I felt very drowsy and quite nauseas till the evening but went home with a drain in-situ, to take away excess fluid. I felt much weaker this time but still went out for a walk the next afternoon. Mr Thiruchelvam telephoned me the next day, it was wonderful to hear his calm, concerned voice. He said the operation had been a success. That call meant so much to me. A breast care nurse called me daily to see how I was doing and checked how much was in the drain. After a week I came back to hospital to have it removed. My son saw me after the surgery and was beaming and remarked "Its a miracle Mum, your breast looks better than before" He wasn't wrong! I am so happy with how I look, I am amazed and truly grateful and thankful to my team at Charing Cross. I saw Mr Thiruchelvam 10 days after my surgery and I was so excited to show him how good I looked, we both beamed at each other with happiness and joy. Mr Thiruchelvam has been monumental throughout. He is indeed, such an enthusiastic, passionate and highly skilled surgeon(I have a tiny scar that can't be seen when wearing a bra). I feel extraordinarily lucky with the care I received at Charing Cross. Everyone has made me feel super important and special. This has I am sure affected my emotional and mental state. I have mostly felt euphoric with occasional short episodes of feeling flat and sad. What really helped me before I had surgery was to read reviews about Mr Thiruchelavm but after reading about five, the overwhelming conclusion is that he is second to none!

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