Support group, family and friends helped woman cope
My Breast Cancer Journey I had my annual gynecology checkup the first part of March 2001 and my doctor scheduled a mammogram for March 22.
He did not find anything upon examination. At that time, he changed my hormone therapy prescription. Around March 15, I had some little twitches in my left breast but did not think much about it. I attributed it to the change in my prescription.
When I took my shower on Sunday morning, there was a red ring around where the twitches were and I knew what that meant. I was at the doctors office at 8 a.m. on Monday morning but he said go ahead with the mammogram the next Wednesday. When he got the report, he called and said it did not look good and I needed to see a surgeon and he would make appointment and call me back.
In less than 30 minutes the phone rang again and he said, “You have an appointment at 1:45.” I said, “Today?” The surgeon did a needle biopsy that day and confirmed that it was cancer. He gave me two options for treatment—radiation or surgery. Knowing I did not want radiation, that narrowed it down. I had another biopsy to determine the kind and size of the tumor. I was debating whether to have a double mastectomy.
The doctor said, “You don’t have to decide today when you want to have surgery. You have a little time.” I asked how much time and he said the end of this week or first of next week.
Hey, that is not much time!!! It really sunk in at that time that this was really serious business. Up until then, I was in a fog, going through the motions of my daily routine.
After my surgery, it was determined that it was not in my lymph nodes and my hormone receptor test was positive, so I did not have to have chemo treatments. I was thankful for that.
I took the five-year regimen of Tamoxifen.
However, I still had the same anxieties and emotional stress as most breast cancer patients—the denial, the anger, the blame game and finally the acceptance. I could not get answers to my questions and became very frustrated until one day it was revealed to me that they do not know the answers because they have not been there and each person’s experience is different.
I joined a support group at CHRISTUS St. Michael, which helped tremendously.
I had an army of supporters behind me, family and my work family. I think I was on the prayer list for every church in town and I feel that without all of their prayers and concerns, my journey would not have been so short and sweet.
Sometimes I feel guilty when I see some of my “sisters” going through all of the treatments with all the after-effects and often times without success. I know that my faith has been strengthened because of my experience and I am so thankful that to date I have not had a recurrence. I am proud to be a survivor and now I look forward to having another birthday!!!!