after years of mammograms in lumpy breasts, in 2001 i felt a lump in my armpit. i had hub feel it, but i did nothing about it, because it was in my armpit. A year later, i felt a tiny lump in my breast, and went to the dr. I had a mammogram, then was called back for an ultrasound. Met with the surgeon, had a surgical biopsy. The biopsy turned out to be cancer. i was 44 and had breast cancer! The big lump in my armpit? cancer. i also had a 5cm lump that I never even felt. May 8th, i had a sentinal node biopsy (which failed when the dye wouldn't travel). So i ended up with 14 lymph nodes taken out (4 were positive for cancer).The dr removed 3 lumps. i found out that i had stage 3 cancer, ER positive.
i was scheduled for a/c chemo and 33 radiations. Lost my hair (which i lost my mind over. i have terrible hair so i don't know why i was upset). The first day of chemo i cried like a baby. BUT after that, i chose to fight cancer with a sense of humor. i worked through my entire treatments. never missed a day. my work friends laughed with me, at me (my request). Everything was funny and it made having cancer so much easier. I never got sick. i wore baseball hats and ugly scarves. it's been 13 years and even though i have had a couple of scares, i'm still cancer free!
pine valley, CA
