I was 36 when I went to the doctor because I found a lump. They said it was nothing "just tissue endings" and sent me home. Five months later I insisted on being seen again, and because I insisted, they did a needle biopsy. A month later I was diagnosed - stage 2 (with no fam history). My son was 2, and it rocked me to the core. It's been 13 years and I still wonder why it wasn't caught 5 months earlier. A simple needle biopsy changed everything.
Chemo was difficult for me, and as a single parent, I still had to work. There was a time when (with all the toxins, lack of sleep, panic attacks, and a hyper 2 yr. old) I decided I wasn't going to finish chemo treatments. So my doctor came to me with his pen and paper and said he needed the names of everyone who would be taking care of my son once I'm gone. I FINISHED MY TREATMENTS.
My advise to everyone:
KNOW YOUR BODY!
BE INSISTENT!
GET SECOND/THIRD OPINIONS!
DON'T LET FEAR COWARD YOU!
DECIDE EARLY WHAT YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR!
FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT!
LOS ANGELES, CA