Fighting cancer together

Cancer outpatient services

SWAN Hill District Health’s cancer care services are designed to provide a supportive and welcoming environment for patients and families with a focus on overall care, including physical, spiritual and emotional wellbeing.

Recently, McGrath Breast Care Nursing co-ordinator and Cancer Care co-ordinator have relocated to 125 Campbell Street, Swan Hill along with our community health team.

Some of the outpatient services we are able to offer here are: face-to-face consultation and education with the McGrath Breast Care Nurse or cancer care co-ordinator, access to a number of cancer resources, assistance in referral to other allied health services such as the oncology exercise group, lymphedema physiotherapist or dietitian. Assistance with the telehealth oncology clinic in which we are able to facilitate clients’ telehealth appointments with their oncologists or specialists.

Services also include cancer wellness education sessions, access to the wellness support group, which is for clients and there carers to meet with others going through a cancer diagnosis.

The outpatient cancer service offers coordination of care, from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up, including appointments and referrals, clinical care and discussions of options.

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Breast cancer awareness

OCTOBER was breast cancer awareness month and it is a great time to remind women and men to check their breasts as finding breast cancer early provides the best chance of beating the disease.

Remember you don’t need to be an expert or use a special technique to check your breasts, learning what your breasts normally look and feel like and then identifying any changes when they occur.

Changes to be aware of include:

· A new lump or lumpiness, especially if it’s only in one breast.

· A change in the size or shape of your breast.

· A change to the nipple, such as crusting, ulcer, redness or inversion.

· A nipple discharge that occurs without squeezing.

· A change in the skin of your breast such as redness or dimpling.

· An unusual pain that doesn’t go away.

It’s important if you notice any of these changes to see your doctor without delay.

Breast Screen Australia offers free breast screening for women without symptoms aged 50-74, when screening has the greatest potential to prevent deaths from breast cancer.

Women aged 40-49 and 75 years and older who have no breast cancer symptoms or signs are also eligible for free screening mammograms.

For more details, contact BreastScreen on 13 20 50 or visit www.cancerscreening.gov.au

For more information on breast cancer awareness head to nbcf.org.au/about-breast-cancer/detection-and-awareness

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Wig service

THE wig service has also re-located to 125 Campbell Street.

Our outpatient cancer services, through generous community donations and the ongoing support of community donations, are able to offer a wig service to the community. It provides a wig for people diagnosed with cancer or other medical condition that results in hair loss, free of charge.

A local hairdresser will consult the client to help choose, order and fit the wigs as close to the clients natural hair as possible.

Whilst many may not need their wigs ongoing once treatment has finished and their own hair grows back, we also have a wig library where we encourage clients who are no longer using there wigs to donate it back to us, so they can be fully cleaned and used for future clients.If you would like to find out more about the wig service or our outpatient cancer services, call the McGrath Breast Care Nursing co-ordinator on 5033 9202 or the cancer care co-ordinator on 5033 9201.