My diagnosis came as no great shock to me. at the age of 41, I know my own body well enough to know something's different. On October 30, 2014 I went in for a mammogram with a pretty large lump that I had felt for quite a long time before this. The tech immediately called in the radiologist, and, that same day, things got underway! I was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and the lump was 3.5cm in size. Unfortunately, a few days later, on the day of my biopsy, my mother was diagnosed with a heart condition and needed immediate surgery for that, so I postponed. This was a blessing in disguise! It gave me time to think, research, love and live. On January 6, 2015 I had a bi-lateral mastectomy with sentinal lymph node biopsy, and I was out of the hospital less than a day later. I'm still fresh out of surgery, but one thing I have learned through this experience is that research is great, but don't let it scare you! I saw videos of people having my same surgery that were in bed for weeks afterward. I was up and walking around within hours. I've taken a total of two pain pills in the past 3 days, and I feel fine! This is YOUR experience... OWN IT!
We've all heard it preached.. self exams. Do Them. Research.. Do It! Groups.. find a great group that you can lean on for support. All these things matter, but above all, give your cancer a name and OWN IT! (My cancer's name is GONE)
Atascosa, TX