My Breast Cancer Story

                                                    

I realized the other day that I have not really written a post about my personal story with breast cancer. So here it is.

I have to go back 6 years because I believe this is the starting point of my story. I had my little baby girl MES on

April 10th, 2002

. She was a healthy 7lbs and a blessing. We had gone through some fertility issues and after 4 years of trying we had finally had our beautiful baby girl ( I have two other girls too, But felt that our little family was incomplete) 5 weeks after her c-section delivery I developed a severe breast infection on my left side (This is the exact location of my cancer). I was hospitalized for 7 days and had my abscessed breast drained 3 times. I had to stop breast feeding abruptly which was very difficult. I had felt like a failure, but that is another story all together.

 On September 25th I had my second annual mammogram and ultrasound. After a long wait the technician comes back and gives me the all clear. "No cancer comeback next year" After my Mammogram I began experiencing a bit of pain on my left side in the place were I had my breast infection. Not much but just a nagging little pain. As time went on it got more and more pronounced. In early November I had my annual GYN appointment. I told my Dr. about my breast pain and he checked it out during my exam. At this point he found some nipple discharge of which he sampled and gets tested. The tests come out normal no cancer, just a cyst no big deal. By late November my pain was constant. More severe, I think no big deal no cancer. Still there is this little nagging in my brain saying this can not be normal. I made a call to my GYN after the Thanksgiving holiday and he suggests that I see a breast surgeon. OK will do. My Dad Fell on I can't even remember what day it was. He was rushed to the hospital with four broken ribs and after three days is moved to ICU and is put on a ventilator and is in very poor condition. After one Hell of a brave fight my Dad recovered and was home by Christmas. What an incredible gift for us. In January after the whirlwind of my Dad's recovery and the Christmas holidays I decide now I can breathe and I must see that breast surgeon. My pain was severe and constant.

I saw Dr. S. and he examined me and suggested I have surgery to have my benign cysts removed. There have been no biopsies at this point but the cysts did show up on my films and were thought to be no big deal. On January 17th I had my surgery. I had cysts on both sides. I got both removed, surgery was very easy and I actually had less pain after my surgery than before. No big deal. Dr. S. says after he removed the cysts he felt around a bit just to make sure nothing else was there. He felt a tumor that did not show on my films. He took it out and had it sent to pathology. Four days later I am sitting in his office and he is telling my I have early stage one breast cancer. Huh? Wait a minute they said I was OK in September Huh? OK, He says you probably need a lumpectomy or maybe a mastectomy. Talk it over and come in four days and we will talk again. Dr. S. Saved my life! If I had not had that surgery my cancer would have been undetected until it was too late! I am truly blessed! Meanwhile I am doing some checking around and I know at my hospital there is a very well known breast center that my Dr. S. is not a member of. I think why not? Breast centers are where all the action is, cutting edge technology and all that stuff. Well it turns out my surgeon is a general surgeon who does breast surgery but is not a specialist. So, OK what do I do now? In steps my friend JS. Who is a very smart cancer researcher who just so happens to have done her doctoral research with the head of the breast center at my hospital.  We get an appointment ASAP with the head surgeon. She is so great; the center is wonderful the staff is the best. Hooray finally I get some TLC. I have a long talk with my doctor. She suggested that I have a lumpectomy and chemo, maybe radiation. OK I can deal with that, Lets get to it. The day after my appointment I am back in the office. Things can happen fast when the head of the breast center is your Dr. She schedules a chest x-ray and an ultrasound. The technician found two spots that look abnormal but the Dr. thinks it is just post surgical but decides to do a needle biopsy just in case. Four needle biopsies later, and a mammogram OUCH! Yes the mammogram came after the biopsies OUCH! The tissues are sent to the pathologist and drum roll please.......... I have cancer in two other places in my left breast. They never showed up on my films or my ultra sounds.

This is were my options change drastically. With in 24 hours we are talking about a mastectomy. OK I am so scared, freaked out really to put it mildly. I am 41 years old with three kids. 41 year olds DO NOT GET CANCER! Wrong again. They do and boy there are a lot of young ladies out there that have breast cancer. This makes me very angry. I have already told my parents, my three brothers, my kids, and my best friend that I have cancer, Oh and my friend JS. Now I have to tell everybody else. I chose not to tell the whole world just close friends and family. It was so hard. I did not want to have to tell people over and over again. I had had enough. I was stressed out and on the edge and frankly could not handle it. It did not last long. I live in a very rural area; everybody knows your business as soon as it happens!

 I go in again to meet with my surgeon. I get to meet with her partner a plastic surgeon, another smart woman on the cutting edge of cancer technology. My plastic surgeon is so great she and my breast surgeon are my hero's. I can not say enough about how great they are. How wonderful the staff is. Thank God for them! We talk and decide that a double mastectomy with reconstruction is the course of action we will take. This was a hard decision. But because I had cysts on both sides, and discharge on both sides, I decided I do not want to worry about this again every year. I do not want to worry about cancer being undetected again. On February 7th I had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction and a sentinel node biopsy. It was hard, emotional, and painful. I made it through I did it!

On February 14th I met my new oncologist. He is the best, Young smart and cute too. At this appointment I find out that here was a very small cancer found in one lymph node.  I have to have another surgery. Lymph node surgery and at the same time a chemo port will be put into my upper chest. (the chemo port is put into my upper chest under the skin. It is hooked into a vein and is there to make my chemo a bit easier. Instead of having my arms all ripped up during chemo the needles are just put into the port and it is much easier) On February 28th I had my surgery. It was an outpatient surgery and I was home by

4:00

in the afternoon. After a tough weekend of pain meds and no sleep I went back in to get my post surgical check up. Everything was good and I am recovering well. Although I still had my drain I get the good news that I have no other cancer in my lymph nodes. It was a bit of good news to say the least.

So here I sit typing away on my laptop. The infusion center just called and I have scheduled my first chemo for Wednesday April 2nd. I am glad I have it on my calendar. Every time I think about chemo I get sick to my stomach and feel nauseous. I guess it is a little panic attack. I am really nervous about it. If I can do double mastectomy I can do chemo right? No big deal. I have 8 treatments over a 16 week period. I start in April and will end sometime in early July. I will lose my hair 10 to 14 days after my first treatment and I will be bald and look sick and be tiered. I am worried that people will stare at me and feel sorry for me. I am worried that my kids will have a hard time with their bald Mommy. They should not have to worry about having a bald sick Mommy.

Go out and get you Mammograms and ultrasounds! Listen to your body. Be proactive and see your doctor if you fell like there is something not right about the way you are feeling. I did and it saved my life!

Comments

[Nicole]

Good for you for being persistant! I didn't realize how many of us are ignored because of our age/no bc history etc. I was lucky (as lucky as you can be having cancer and all) that nobody ignored me. Thanks for posting your story. :)

[Imstell]

Wow. That's quite a story. God certainly had your back that day in surgery! How lucky to live near a Breast Center.

I think you might feel better (panic attack wise) once yo start chemo. The anticipation (or lack there of) always makes things worse. Once I started chemo I finally felt like I was taking control of something. How is your mastectomy recovery going otherwise?

[WhyMommy]

You tell 'em, girl!

I love this.

Thanks for putting your story out there. It does make a difference, and I bet the woman who needs to see it will.

And chemo, while sucking, is not the end of the world. You may not even notice a difference after your first couple. After the next, you will be tired. You will be bald. But ... you will still be your kids' mom.

They will rally and get through this. Remember, hon, it's you they love. Not your hair.

[Heidi Zeigler]

Oh Sarah- I have read your email today and I went on to your blog to see what kind of cancer you had to begin with. I am so sorry! I am 4 weeks post masectemy-bi lateral with sentinal lymp nodes. I am now cancer free...but not feeling too excited after reading your news. I will have you in my prayers Sarah. You can do this! XO Heidi Outre Beauty Bistro