A musician thought an unusual bump on her chest had been caused by playing the bagpipes - but it turned out to be breast cancer.
Although Julie Brinklow had noticed the odd bulge she was not concerned and put it down to flexing her muscles from playing.
However, after her partner nagged at her to get the lump checked she paid a trip to her GP.
The 52-year-old was referred to a breast specialist as a precaution, had a mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and a tomography before the shock diagnosis in March 2023.
Doctors confirmed she had grade two lobular breast cancer.
Ms Brinklow, who is the Pipe Major of Grampian Police Pipe Band and the official piper of Aberdeen's Lord Provost, said that until the referral she'd not been worried and added:
‘It was something that I wasn't concerned about, I didn't feel that there was anything abnormal, I just maybe felt it was something that I hadn't noticed about my own body before.
‘The reason I wasn’t alarmed is because it wasn’t the textbook small hard lump, it just felt like I had a bigger muscle there or something.
‘I thought to myself that maybe I was just lopsided because I play the bagpipes and you flex your chest muscles a lot when you play.’
Ms Brinklow thought the lump was from playing the bagpipes
Ms Brinklow in hospital after her partner convinced her to get the lump checked by a doctor
However, she realised she might be in for some bad news as the day at the clinic went on but added:
‘So, when the news dropped I had a slight inkling that they were about to say it, but it was still a big shock.
‘It took me a moment to really hear everything that was being said. My mind was in a spin.’
Luckily, after further testing, she was told the cancer hadn't spread throughout her body, so treatment could be focused in the right breast.
In April 2023, the business owner, from Ellon, Aberdeenshire, had a double mastectomy, as the cancer was estrogen positive and she didn't want any chance of it coming back.
Since surgery, Ms Brinklow has also undergone an intensive course of radiotherapy on her chest which has left some soreness and tiredness.
Despite still being on estrogen blockers, she is now back to full mobility and is playing the bagpipes just like before.
She said: ‘Following surgery I was out walking for miles every day. You could say I walked myself better.
‘Lots of women don’t get their full mobility back, and when you play the bagpipes you really do need to be able to raise your arms up above your head.
‘I am still improving all the time. It is a very slow process. But I am back to doing everything that I used to do.’
She is now trying to help others who are going through the same thing and encourages anyone who needs someone to talk with to reach out.
The piper is also hoping to raise awareness that breast cancer doesn't always appear in the form of a small hard lump, and you should always get checked if you spot a change in your body.
She added:
‘The thing that sticks in my mind is that I wasn't worried about it, and I should have been. I probably wouldn't have done anything about it if I hadn't been nagged.
‘A tumour doesn't have to be a small hard lump, it can be something that just feels like a thickness that you haven't noticed before, like part of your body.
‘Don't delay in getting checked out if you think there is something different or that you haven't noticed before.’