I Have Breast Cancer, What Now?

By Jean Mandel

My habits were not always so good when it came to taking care of myself. The two things that I was good at was making my annual appointment for a pap smear and a mammogram. Today, I am so grateful for that habit!

In November 2001, I went for my annual mammogram. While waiting for the technician to come back in the room after the doctor had looked at my films, I was confident, as always, that everything was fine. When the door opened and she ask me to follow her down the hall, the doctor wanted to see me, my heart felt like it stopped. What was this all about?

The doctor was a very sweet and soft spoken lady. I felt very at ease while I listened to her. My films were on the screen in from of me, and she pointed to several spots that she thought needed to be checked. She told me that she really thought it was just calcifications and nothing to be worried about, but we wanted to be sure. Of course we did.....

I made an appointment to come back for a fine needle biopsy. This was all foreign to me. I was told to bring someone with me to drive me after the procedure. I was glad I only had to wait a couple of days because the obsession started in my head, what if?

My husband took me to my appointment and I was in a really good place spiritually that day. I had turned the outcome over to my higher power, and I knew this was going to be ok.

It was uncomfortable for a few minutes, but the Serenity Prayer is one of my favorites, so I just recited this over and over in my head for the few minutes I was on the table. There were two ladies in the room, and I caught something that one of them said as she was doing the biopsy. She said, "oh good, this looks blue, I think this one will be ok." Whew...I did not have a clue what that meant, but I was feeling positive.

I went back for my results about a week after the biopsy. I left from work, and went by myself. My husband ask me if I wanted him to go, and I said no, I will be fine.

As I waited for my turn to see the doctor, I was getting nervous and questioning myself about coming to get the results alone. Serenity Prayer again! My name echoed when the nurse called me back, why didn't I let him come with me is all I could think. Serenity Prayer.

As I sit in the office, my films in front of me again, the news the doctor had for me was truly a shock. Jean, I am sorry to say that the biopsy was positive for cancer. The good thing is, it is the very earliest stage that a person could have. It is called DCIS, which stands for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ. All of this sounded so foreign to me. I got a pen and piece of paper out of my purse to start trying to write down what she was saying. She told me that DCIS means that the cancer is in the exact place it started, and had not started to spread even outside the breast. Thank you God.

She asked me did I have a surgeon that I would like to use. I did not as I had never even had any kind of surgery. She suggested a couple of names, I was just bearly hearing her. I ask her to decide for me, and she did, set my appointment up for the next week.

I am headed back to work, saying I have breast cancer, now what? I just did not believe it. When I walked in the office, my co-worker ask how it went and I just started crying. Now it was real, I had to say it out loud. "I have breast cancer, but the good thing is it is in the very beginning stages." I do not know if I was trying to be positive or comfort her. We both cried. I did not tell my husband until I got home from work. He was wishing as bad as I was earlier that he had went with me.

I went to see the surgeon, and I really liked him. He told me he thought a lumpectomy would be the best surgery for me, but the decision was mine. I followed his advice. The surgery was an out-patient, very easy surgery for me. When I went back to see the surgeon, he told me that he suggest radiation, and scheduled me to see a radiation oncologist. Here I am in foreign land again. I went the very next day and felt pretty good when I left her office. She assured me that after 6 weeks of radiation, my chances of the cancer coming back would be very slim. I was ready to get started and get this all behind me.

The radiation really was not that bad, a little scary until I got use to it. I went five days a week for six weeks. I scheduled it in the late afternoon so I could leave work and drive there. After a couple of weeks, I started to tire easily. We had a couch in the office, and after lunch I would lay down and rest for an hour or so. My breast did become very raw close to the end of the treatment but nothing I could not stand.

I also had a regular oncologist. He put me on Tamoxifen. I took it for two and one half years and told him that I wanted to stop because of some of the side effects I was having. He agreed and I was very glad. I saw him every three months for a year, then it went to six months and now, I only have to see him once a year.

Today I am six years cancer free! Do I still go for regular mammograms? Yes I do. I know that I was one of the very fortunate ones to have my cancer caught at such an early stage. This is one habit I will keep!

About the Author

The above article was written by Jean Mandel. http://incomeonlinehere.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jean_Mandel

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