When Life Tosses A Curve Ball: Boggy's Breast Cancer Journey

Breast cancer, the recent statistics say that 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and the numbers are increasing for women in their 30's and 40's.  I never thought much about breast cancer, as far as I knew the gene didn't run in my family tree but I can't be certain.  My mother was semi-estranged from her sisters and her sisters kept secrets and sadly my only female cousin and I don't have a close relationship.  My father was estranged from his own mother most of his life as well as estranged from his half brother.    Up until last month the only person I knew with breast cancer was an administrator I worked with and she was a very negative person.  More on her in future posts.  I survived a heart attack in 2011 and now I have to fight to survive again, you see I was given the news last week Wednesday after a biopsy on my left breast on Monday.  I have breast cancer. 

The diagnosis stunned me.  The letter from the oncologist stated to bring someone with you for support.  Glad I brought my hubby because that news was the scariest news in my entire life and the least thing I expected to hear.    Cancer to me is like a death sentence.  Its this dark vile blob that takes over your body, slowly eating away at it until you are reduced to nothing.  The doctor went on to say that its a tiny dot, a nodule he called it and described it as the size of an M & M peanut.  He said if I am lucky they got it when they did the biopsy.  I am scheduled for surgery June 11th, three days before my 61st birthday.  Although he explained everything fairly well I was still processing "caner' and not comprehending much else of what he said.  Its a shock to be told you have cancer, let alone breast cancer.  Then as I sat on the examination table wearing that dag "johnny robe" I realized that women don't talk readily about breast cancer and the procedures one has to go through, step by step.  Hence the purpose of this blog to share my experience as I go through this new battle with breast cancer on my journey in life.  And this has me thinking a LOT about what women go through, especially Crones. 


He went on to say the surgery would consist of my having dye injected into me and that had to set for 2 hrs.  Then he was going to go in a remove the nodule and then check my lymph node to make sure that it had not spread.  I asked if this were local and he said no, I would have anesthesia.  Its outpatient surgery.  I'll spend the day at the hospital, an hour drive away and then go home.  I asked him details about complications and explained our grandson was coming to visit and I wasn't going to allow anything to get in the way of that.  He said I would be given a special bra by the local cancer organization that zips in the front and has Velcro straps.  I would need to wear this for 2 weeks and take it off only when I shower.  And speaking of shower, I can't shower for 2 days!  UGH!  I'll have to do what my heart sister's call a "W" shower.  Wipes. 

After surgery he will know more about the next steps.  If surgery successfully removed the cancer then nothing.  If not then the next course is chemo or radiation or possibly hormonal therapy.  He did say if he were a betting man that he would go with hormonal therapy as my hormone receptors tested positive.  If thats the case I will take a hormone pill for the next five to ten years.  I have to say I am scared of having to do chemo therapy or radiation.  Just to be safe I am going to cut my hair sometime over the next week to prepare.  I'll need to get some scarves as well.    Do I have confidence in this oncologist?  I think so, I've been burned before in the past by the incompetent doctors here in northern Maine but he seems competent.  He studied at Duke and did his residency at one of the top cancer treatment hospitals in the country, Roswell in Rochester, NY.  Being from western NY I know of their reputation. 

I am alone in my thoughts, sharing them with you my dear reader.  I'm scared.  I am overwhelmed and trying to process it all.  My heart attack set me back but  cancer sounds so ominous.  As time goes by I'll explain more and more and of the steps from the mammogram to the ultra sound/biopsy process.  Remember to get your annual mammograms and if anything comes back with a question (I was able to get my results through the patient portal) jump on it ASAP. 

So Where do I go from here?