I always heard cancer doesn't hurt. I had pain in my right breast one day and that night while in bed I started to do a self exam, which I do every month, and felt a huge lump. Still wasn't worried, I mean cancer doesn't hurt right?? We did antibiotics thinking it was a clogged cyst or blocked duct. Did an ultrasound biopsy and still wasn't worried until over a week later I got "the phone call": we need to see you and your husband in our office at 3:00. Working in the medical field I knew that wasn't a good sign. It was only 10:00 in the morning when I got the call. That was the longest 5 hours of my life.
Needles to say it was cancer Stage 2 and my lump was almost 3 cm big!! We did a lumpectomy, eight rounds of chemo and 33 radiation treatments. Then genetic testing was done and I carry the BRCA 2 gene. So from there I had a mastectomy. In the mean time I had a complete hysterectomy because my tumor (Big Bertha as I called her) was estrogen positive. Of course during the expanding process for the implants I got really sick after a second stage incision procedure. I was sicker than I've ever been. I could hardly get out of bed, ran a fever, couldn't eat. So back to the OR. They pulled the implant and kept me on antibiotics which by this time was REALLY making me sick. I was in the hospital by then and on the second day they found out the infection was a yeast infection!! Who gets that during breast reconstruction?!
Eventually I had both implants removed and ended up with a radical mastectomy, which means it's to the bone. As much as this journey was difficult I wouldn't trade it. It's made me who I am today. I AM a fighter
Bellevue, NE
