The results of the MRI were a huge shock.  I was told I had a suspicious lesion in my distal femur bone that was most probably a tumour.  The consultant could not tell me anything more at that stage and referred me from his care in Bristol to the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital (ROH) in Birmingham as they were the experts and could take the diagnosis further.

I received a call from the ROH several days later.  The nurse said that my case had been discussed at the MDT meeting and I would need to travel to Birmingham to see a consultant.  In late February, my husband and I made the journey for the initial appointment where we met with Professor Jeys and his team.  I was scared and emotional as I entered the room but was instantly put at ease by their caring manner.  Professor Jeys talked us through the images and confirmed it was a bone tumour. He went on to say that the severe pain I had experienced which led me to A&E was most likely a fracture of the bone caused by the tumour.  The plan going forward would be for me to return as a day case patient for a CT Guided Biopsy under general anaesthetic (GA) so they could identify the tumour.

The day of the biopsy arrived, and I was anxious as I had never experienced GA before.  My husband left me at the doors of the day-case unit where I was greeted by a lovely nurse. In fact everyone I met that day was caring and explained what was happening clearly. The procedure went well, and I returned home.

I had a call a week later to tell me that histology confirmed the tumour to be a Giant Cell Tumour (GCT) and I would need to return to see a consultant who would explain more about treatments available. At the appointment, we met with Mr Kurisunkal. He told us that the results were in fact inconclusive but pointed to GCT and I would need a second biopsy.  It was upsetting to hear this, but he went on to explain that GCT’s are not always easy to diagnose and of course, he needed to be sure that the operation he performed would be the correct one. 

Following the second biopsy, Mr Kurisunkal told me they had ruled out cancer as far as they could and that with my consent, he would perform Intralesional Curettage to remove the tumour, a healthy margin of bone and replace with cement.  Every detail was covered including the risks and outcomes of the procedure.

I was admitted as an inpatient to ROH in April 22.  Knowing how fantastic the staff are strengthened my courage and this time was no different.  I must mention the theatre assistant who sat with me in the anaesthetic room for about 30 minutes before I went in for surgery.  We talked about so many things including our favourite curry and cocktails.  As I went off to sleep, he held my hand and told me he had ordered me a cocktail for when I woke up.  I went to sleep smiling.

A few hours later, I learnt that the operation had gone well, and the tumour was removed successfully. The next day I was up and about with the help of the nurses and physiotherapy team. I felt ready to go home and start my recovery.  I had to partial weight-bear with crutches for six weeks along with exercise and rest.

I returned to see Mr Kurisunkal seven weeks after surgery. At this appointment, I had an X-Ray and he informed me that everything looked great. It was such a relief.  I was now able to start walking our Cocker Spaniel, Ernie which I had missed doing so much.

GCT’s are benign but aggressive tumours and the follow up is a scan and consultation every three months for two years and every six months for a further three years.  Unfortunately for me, my tumour proved to be aggressive.