A West Belfast woman, who overcame breast cancer, has urged others to push for answers if something "just doesn't feel right" in their own body.
Mum-of-four Nicola Walsh, 38, says friendship and fitness have also played a major role in helping her overcome the disease.
Nicola was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2021, but prior to that she had gone to her GP with concerns a year earlier.
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Almost 18 months on, Nicola is speaking out this Breast Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness about her misdiagnosis in the hope it will help others.
"Back in 2020, my symptoms were lumps on my right breast which didn't cause me any bother but it felt different to the other side," she told Belfast Live.
"At that point I was referred to a breast clinic where I had a mammogram and ultrasound. The doctors told me that they thought it was just lumpy breast tissue and there was no biopsy done.
"The type of cancer I ultimately had only shows up on a mammogram and not an ultrasound. I was called back for a six week review but they only did an ultrasound on that occasion so the cancer growth wasn't detected."
By March 2021, Nicola still had niggling doubts and approached her GP again.
"It didn't feel like the cancer had grown or anything but it was still annoying me. I was in the shower one day and I felt I needed to get this looked at again because I didn't feel happy with the answers I'd been given initially," she explained.
"This time when I went to my GP I saw a locum doctor and got the impression that I was wasting their time. I was referred to the same consultant and team again at the breast clinic where I explained that I wasn't happy and something was telling me to get checked out again."
Nicola was sent for another mammogram and says she knew what the result was going to be even before a biopsy.
"The radiographer asked me to wipe my breast with a baby wipe because they were worried there was deodorant on it, which I knew there wasn't. In the waiting room afterwards the results were taking forever so I knew what was coming."
Nicola's diagnosis was ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which is the presence of abnormal cells inside a milk duct in the breast. It is considered the earliest form of breast cancer and has a low risk of becoming invasive.
"The cancer was still within the breast and hadn't spread into the lymph nodes or anywhere else in my body so I was lucky in that respect," she explained.
"I wasn't shocked by the outcome since I already sort of knew what the answer was going to be and I think the consultant was more in shock.
"I have a great family around me who are a really supportive bunch and they dealt with it all very well. I am a mother of four with three girls at home and my little boy passed away in 2010 when he was just an hour old.
"I had a tumour measuring 7cm removed and a mastectomy. Maybe if it had been detected the year before I would have only had to face a lumpectomy. A fine needle biopsy could have been done at the time and it wasn't."
Almost 18 months on Nicola says she feels lucky and positive for the future.
"Life now without a breast is not a challenge for me. As a family we don't dwell on the negativity but instead try to see the positive in everything so the kids understand that mummy has no boob!
"I'm also now being monitored and getting yearly mammograms so if anything else happens I'll not be waiting about!"
Nicola added: "The whole point of sharing my story is to raise awareness to other women and men that you know your own body. If you're not happy with the answers you're being given then please don't take no for an answer.
"I was very lucky I got that vibe that something was wrong. If I had left it for another year this could be a very different scenario. There are people who take what they're told as gospel and go off on their way. .
"I knew my own body and that something wasn't right so if I can help another person by speaking out, then that's what I want to do."
Nicola also believes that her fitness helped her cope with her diagnosis and on her road to recovery. She has been training for the past few years with the help of personal trainer Áine Webb from Fight Academy Ireland in the Springbank Industrial Estate.
"I was very lucky that I was at my fittest at the time of my diagnosis and feel that I was more in tune with my body as a result.
"I truly believe that because my health and fitness had greatly improved since I started training again four years ago, it meant my recovery was much quicker and played a major role in overcoming breast cancer.
"I was definitely mentally and physically at my peak so I went into it with as positive a mindset as I could in the circumstances. If I hadn't had folk like Áine in my life I don't think I could have got through it or had the same drive."
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