Mr Paul Thiruchelvam

Written by a patient at Charing Cross Hospital

I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in July 2018 at the age of 29. On top of that I have discovered that I am a BRCA1 mutation carrier. Needless to mention my world fall apart. The news has been delivered by dr. Paul at Charing Cross Hospital and looking back on it now I was very fortunate I came across him. He explained the diagnosis to me and my husband in a very professional and compassionate manner patiently answering all the questions we had. He then briefed us on the treatment plan and the next steps. We immediately felt well looked after and safe. Before we left his office on that day he reassured us that himself and the team will do everything they can to help me. I can now confirm that he has delivered his promise and I am extremely grateful. After that and before surgery I have seen him on a couple of occasions throughout my chemotherapy. Each time he was very helpful and professional asking me how I was feeling. I know he really cared and not just being polite. When it comes to surgery itself, dr. Paul provided me with a couple of potential options to choose from thoroughly explaining pros and cons of each procedure. In the end after a couple of appointments and research I have opted for bilateral mastectomy (of the cancer side and risk reduction of the healthy side) with immediate implant based reconstruction. It is important to mention that I have also chose placing implants in front of the muscle. My chemotherapy had to be finished earlier than anticipated and there was a risk that the initially planned date of surgery might be too late. Dr. Paul managed to bring the date forward by a week, which was a great relief for me. I have seen him on the day of my operation and again he reassured me than everything will be fine and he will do his absolute best. Operation went according to the plan. Straight after the operation my husband saw dr. Paul and he has updated him on everything and again gave him peace of mind as he was obviously very anxious waiting for me when I was in theater. Dr. Paul visited me on the ward twice on the day of operation ensuring I am well looked after. He has went an extra mile and came to check on me late in the evening and I am pretty sure it was well after his working hours. I have also seen him the next day before I left the hospital. I then had follow up appointments with him during first weeks of recovery. Finally, he himself removed my drains and then stitches. Just to reiterate, I am extremely grateful that I was under dr. Paul's care and again wanted to thank him for being such an amazing doctor and human. Ewelina

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Written by a patient at Charing Cross Hospital

My care at Charing Cross Hospital with Mr Thiruchelvam was excellent at all times. He gave time to giving me options and explaining everything both in clinic and on the ward, before and after operations. I never felt rushed by him. He drew diagrams on paper and did a lot of measuring and drawing on me, explaining as he went. I felt he was there for me and genuinely wanted the best outcome for me. At times I had a long wait to see him in clinic (not his fault), which was very stressful when awaiting results, and also when waiting to be discharged ..... but I wouldn't complain - everyone is so busy. None of the consultants are particularly sympatique/"user-friendly", but that's fine - they're not there for small talk and sympathy - you just want them to know and do their job, whilst understanding that you are nervous and may ask "stupid" questions.

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Written by a patient at Charing Cross Hospital

I will always be grateful to Mr Paul Thiruchelvam for the care that he has given me and my family since my breast cancer diagnosis 4 months ago. He has looked after me before, during and after two surgeries - a mastectomy and a total lymph clearance – and I could not be happier with or more impressed by Paul’s expertise and professionalism. Paul confidently steered me through a confusing multitude of tests and diagnoses and I depended on his knowledge of the field in order to know what to do next. I trusted him completely. Paul manages to balance being professional and skilled with being warm, approachable and receptive. On the couple of occasions where he slipped into medical jargon which I didn’t understand, he was happy to explain again in layman’s terms. He took my concerns about being a professional pianist very seriously. He gave me confidence that everything was being done to minimise the risk of damaging the area around my arm in a way that could stop me from playing. He went above and beyond to give me the best chance of this and, as a result, I am able to play as freely as before. I cannot thank him enough.

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Written by a patient at Charing Cross Hospital

The care I receipt was very good I felt I was listening to and my feelings were taken into consideration, as I felt I was able to ask the same question over again if I needed to. The day of the surgery I was very anxious Dr Thiruchelvam had my injection and wire insertion fixed the day before my surgery this help, as I was the first on the list for surgery. After the surgery Dr Thiruchelvam came to see me and to ask me how I was feeling he taled about what I needed to do and what signs to look out for like hardness and swelling, I did forget what the Dr had told me so when I saw him again I did ask and he was happy to say it all over again

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Written by a patient at Charing Cross Hospital

Doctor is very approachable and easy to talk to, and professional. Answered all questions that concerned me in a simple way that I could understand. Also my appointment times were very near to being seen by the doctor without a long wait. The nurses and reception staff are very warm and welcoming also. Excellent medical care given.

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