Pink Lavender Lingerie

I originally posted this on my personal FB profile on October 2nd, 2019 in hope of it inspiring and reminding all of the wonderful women in my life to get their annual mammograms. For all those that are not aware, I am a breast cancer survivor, and my story is below.
*Please do not leave any Comments stating your personal beliefs on which diagnostic tools and/or treatments are best or unnecessary because this post is not about that and I will not engage in any debates or allow arguing on this page.

So, it’s the beginning of breast cancer awareness month and I am posting this to remind every woman out there to please, please get your yearly mammogram!!

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on August 22nd, 2018; almost two months to the day after I turned 41. I met my oncologist the following day and my oncology surgeon the day after that. They already had a treatment plan for the mountain range like calcifications and masses both inside and outside the ducts in my left breast that were a little bigger than a golf ball. They weren’t found by a mammogram. They were found by me. They were found by me in August when my OB had not felt anything there in January. That’s how aggressive it was. It was also in my lymph nodes.

I had had a mammogram scheduled during the previous winter, but we had a little snow storm and my preschool closed. I couldn’t take my then three year old son with me, so I cancelled. I tried to reschedule a couple of times, but it didn’t work out. Then one day, there was this rock hard golf ball like thing at the top of my chest and I knew, I absolutely knew that it was cancer. I can’t explain how and I wasn’t being all doom and gloom and freaking out about it. I just plain knew.

The week after my diagnosis flew by and I hardly worked because I had so many appointments. I had day surgery to put my port in my chest for the chemo treatments. I had a full body CT scan to look for my cancer. Thankfully they didn’t find any because it wasn’t metastatic. I had an ultrasound on my heart to get a baseline because one of the chemo drugs I was going to get could seriously damage it, along with radiation that was down the road. I also had a full body bone scan and bloodwork. I even had to go to the dentist for a cleaning because I wouldn’t be able to go after I started chemo because the bacteria in the tartar they’d be removing could make me sick with my weakened immune system. My son couldn’t get his MMR vaccine because it is a live virus that could’ve made me sick.

The following week I had to take a short class on chemo and what to expect. I also got a schedule for my treatments. They would be every other Wednesday starting 9/05 for 8 weeks because the first two drugs were too strong to do every week. Every treatment was followed by a Neulasta shot 24 hours later with IV fluids. Fridays were the worst. I woke up feeling like I got hit by a bus and had the flu without the congestion. Sundays I would turn the corner and then feel almost normal by the next treatment.

I cut my shoulder length-ish hair super short a couple weeks in to make it easier when it came time to shave it off. It started falling out right after my son’s fourth birthday party. I waited too long to shave it off though, so it hurt like hell when my husband did it one night in our bathroom. You know a man loves you when he goes to Wal-Mart at 9:30 at night in the middle of the week to get clippers because you’ve decided it HAS TO go that night and then helps you shave your entire head.

I also had genetic testing and thankfully I DO NOT have the genetic marker for breast cancer and I have not passed anything on to my son. I can not explain how elated and relieved I am about this.

The third chemo drug was supposed to be every Wednesday for 12 weeks starting on Halloween. I had reactions to it, so they added a cocktail of other drugs to make it more tolerable. My son was confused and for some reason thought momma would have hair again for Halloween. The best part was no more Neulasta injections. The worst was the fatigue, the brain fog and the God awful heartburn. My esophagus was so raw I had to take a medication with lidocaine in it to numb my throat so I could eat.

Thank God my amazing employer allowed me to work from as much as I wanted. I worked full time the whole time, except for the one day I called in sick. On chemo days, I would work the first half of the day and then go to chemo the second half.

I didn’t make it through all 12 treatments because the neuropathy in my hands and feet got too bad. I did 10 of the 12. The oncologist was happy with that. I was extremely fortunate that the chemo started working immediately and by the third treatment, you couldn’t feel the mass any more. The cancer didn’t show up on the next set of scans! We thought a lumpectomy with partial lymph node removal was all that was needed. We were wrong.

The first one was done in February, but the edges or margins of what was removed weren’t clean, they were more cancer cells. A second lumpectomy was done in March with the same results. An infection popped up after that one.

A mastectomy had been taken off the table, but now had to be done. The chemo had a cookie crumble like effect on the cancer. It broke it up so small that they couldn’t find it all, so to make sure it was gone, all of the tissue had to go. That was done on April 12th. They put in a temporary implant and tissue expanders to help with the reconstruction that will be in early 2020. I get a tummy tuck out of the deal when they use that tissue instead of doing an implant. Implants have to be replaced every 10-15 years and I don’t want to deal with that.

I had radiation every day, 5 days a week from the middle of May through mid July.

I WAS DECLARED CANCER FREE AND REACHED SURVIVOR STATUS ON JULY 15TH, 2019!!!

A mastectomy had been taken off the table, but now had to be done. The chemo had a cookie crumble like effect on the cancer. It broke it up so small that they couldn’t find it all, so to make sure it was gone, all of the tissue had to go. That was done on April 12th. They put in a temporary implant and tissue expanders to help with the reconstruction that will be in early 2020. I get a tummy tuck out of the deal when they use that tissue instead of doing an implant. Implants have to be replaced every 10-15 years and I don’t want to deal with that.

I had radiation every day, 5 days a week from the middle of May through mid July.

I WAS DECLARED CANCER FREE AND REACHED SURVIVOR STATUS ON JULY 15TH, 2019!!!

I also have to have hormone therapy for the next 7-10 years to keep my body estrogen free to try to help keep the cancer away. A bone density test didn’t show any weakness from the chemo. Another ultrasound on my heart in about 5 months will check for any damage from the radiation.

Again, I posted this to remind women to get their mammograms. Some of my cancer was stage 2 and some was stage 3. My oncologist said it was probably there about 2.5-3 years before it could actually be detected with just a breast exam. Please make the time and don’t wait!! Don’t put it off!! It’s not worth it!!

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Just your daily reminder! 💗

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Pink Lavender Lingerie

Today, we remember the heroes, all of the first responders, those that lost their lives and the helpers. Always look for the helpers. ❤️

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Fourth of July as our country celebrates 250 years of independence and unity!