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March Madness has taken a whole new meaning in our house this year! On October 27, 2017, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Now, in March, my treatment starts…let the REAL madness begin!
March Madness is a big deal in our house – we cheer loud & strong for our Kentucky Wildcats! But, this year, things are a little different.
Let’s start at the beginning and I will bring you into the fold.
In late September I changed jobs. My new job saved my life, and had it not been for this new season in my life, I would not have had my well woman exam. (The annual well woman mammogram MISSED my stage 3 cancer.)
Did I tell you that I did not find a lump?!?
Neither did my nurse practitioner when she did the physical breast exam. The girls were just fine!
So, during the height of football season, my life was full of changes: new job plus a little health scare. To be clear, I was on a tailgate hiatus. 🙁
My Breast Cancer Story
In October, when breast cancer awareness is in full swing, I was having mammograms which led to that dreaded core needle biopsy. (Bada Bing, Bada Biopsy!) Oh, and this mastectomy seatbelt cover
This display. Truth be told, I wanted to kick it down each time I passed it in Publix. It served as a visual reminder of what no one ever told me…you can have breast cancer without having a lump!
We waited on the results.
And waited.
Finally, on October 27 Copa & I went to Florida Hospital’s Celebration Health to get the results – do I or do I not have cancer?
By the way, read here why I was at zero risk for breast cancer!
We listened to Joel Osteen on the way down to Celebration. It’s about an hour from our home. Remarkably, we weren’t nervous. We’d brought our concerns and hopes to the Lord prior to the appointment, and we felt peace and comfort.
Which was helpful when we found out that yes…yes, I do have breast cancer. And, it is invasive lobular breast cancer; most likely borderline Stage 2.
Get This: I Did NOT Find A Lump!
I could have had 10 baseline screening mammograms last year, and they would have revealed the same thing: no lump(s)….just dense breast tissue.
Lots of women have dense breast tissue!
Dense tissue doesn’t mean you have breast cancer.
My cancer is invasive, meaning it has gone outside of the original area. Invasive lobular bc is like a vine that has thousands of tiny off shoots, and those off shoots have off shoots. They all weave and wind inside the breast tissue. Invasive lobular does not present a nice, tidy lump that is felt or identified on a mammogram. No, invasive lobular is a sneaky silent killer.
My surgeon said that they could “dump buckets of chemo in me and it wouldn’t dent the cancer in the breast”. Surgery is the most common way to deal with invasive lobular breast cancer. They did not think it had gone into my lymph nodes. If it that were the case, chemo & a new game plan would be in order.
I made the choice to have both breasts removed, not just the one containing cancer. Here is why I made that decision. 🙂
Fast Forward to February: My Double Mastectomy
February 20, 2018 was the day I said goodbye to my boobs, and goodbye to cancer! Or so I thought.
A week after the surgery, we learned the results of the pathology reports. I have Stage 3 cancer and it is in my lymph nodes. That was the bad news.
The good and joyous news is that my prognosis is the same: FULL RECOVERY! Praise God!
And, I’ve recovered remarkably well from the mastectomy. I’m feeling really, really good and was only on pain medication for 3 days following the surgery.
I still am not cleared to open car doors, lift my purse or do housework (darn it!) but I am pretty much at 80 % of what I was before the mastectomy.
Tomorrow, I’m hopeful some of the suture bandages will be removed at my followup appointment.
Thank you all for your emails and messages on social media.
God’s got this, and hence so do I!
I’m ready for the fight of my life – LET’S DO THIS!
PS~ If you are preparing for a mastectomy or you’d like to help a friend prepare, click here for ideas and tips.
PPS- Once all of this is over, I’m ready to go back to Las Vegas & celebrate!
UPDATES:
Click here to see how I went Mastectomy Bra Shopping after Breast Cancer.…8 days after surgery!
Questions I am asked most frequently about my breast cancer
Sideline Chat – I am not a doctor, I am just a mom! Information on this website is my opinion and specific to my type of cancer and treatment plan. Nothing is to be construed as medical advice. Please, consult with a trained medical professional to discuss your symptoms and questions. However, if you want to share your breast cancer story with me, leave a comment or send me an email!
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