Nasty cancer

YUP...it's cancer

I have breast cancer.

Pretty straight forward. 

I was diagnosed mid-August, had a biopsy August 30 which confirmed it and had surgery Oct 4

It’s a complicated process with so many people involved but Credit Valley Hospital has been wonderful, supportive and very efficient in dealing with it.

I had a routine mammogram sheet provided to me by my gynecologist.  She asked me to go in for a routine screening since I hadn’t been in 3 years.

That was April 

I was too busy with work and life in general so I put it off.

I began having some rib pain and went for a general checkup.  I had complained off and on to my doc about it for a while.  He said it was nothing.

I told him I had the form for my mammogram and would just go check things out anyway.

I booked my appointment, did the routine test and went home.  I thought nothing of it.

The hospital called me back and said they wanted to do a close up of a section that seemed different.  They told me not to worry and they would compare it to my old one just to be sure.

Two days later they called me after comparing and assessing the situation.  It could be cancer and could I come in the next morning for biopsy surgery.  So I did.

They took 9 core samples of which two the doctor felt very sure contained good samples of the cancer.

Analysis came back a week later and it was cancer.  They scheduled me for a meeting with an oncology surgeon.  She reviewed my options with me and booked my surgery.

Oct 4 surgery was done.  (none of this was easy or comfortable – if you ever want more info I would be happy to  share it).  I had a partial mastectomy of the left breast.

I took a couple of work days off after to deal with the pain. I had swelling and bruising over the next couple of weeks.  Then the swelling started to go down and the bruising continued.

I’m still bruised now but it’s almost gone.  I am feeling pretty good.

I’ve had meetings at the hospital with oncologists and radiation docs.

Today I started my daily radiation treatments.  For the next 4 weeks I will go every day and there will be weekly meetings with the radiation doc to follow up on the burning and peeling.

It’s not pleasant but I am fortunate to have caught the cancer early.

It was a stage 1 which is early stages but grade 3 (highest level invasive cancer)

I’m lucky as it was still contained and there were 2 tumors growing.  If I had waited another 6 months I might have had to do chemotherapy.  I’m just lucky!

I’m doing radiation as there was a 30-40% chance of reoccurrence as it was against the chest wall and docs want to make sure there are no remaining living cells.

It does cause some heart and lung damage but the benefits outweigh the negatives!

I have a very good chance of being cancer free 5 years from now.  They are just concerned that it could show up in my right side later.   If it does we will treat it then.  I have opted not to take the Tamoxifen drug as there are many bad side effects including blood clots and cancer.

Anyway, I’m sharing as some people found out and some have heard a bit here and there.  I was just trying to keep it to myself and keep working through this.  Staying busy helps you not to worry J.  I feel much better talking about this now than I did a couple of months ago.  

For more info check out www.cbcf.org.  They have been a wonderful support.

SO PLEASE get a mammogram on a regular basis.  If you are mid 40’s ask your doc if you can get one at some point to have a healthy image on file.  It was very useful for me as they saw changes when comparing both images.  24,000 canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year.  Early detection will save lives!

Once you are 50 you can go every two years, no doctor referral needed. Just call your hospital up and ask for the breast screening program.  If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer you need to have the discussion with your doctor soon.  Only 5% of breast cancer is due to a gene, the rest is random.  I had no risk factors at all and no symptoms.  If you find a lump in your breast it’s usually at a higher stage and treatment could be more extensive.  You could not feel my tumors in my breast.  They were very small.

Be proactive and look after your health.  BEcome informed and make decisions quickly.  It could save your life.