Guest Post written by Lani @ Lani's Breast Cancer Blog
I was about 25 weeks pregnant this past May when I found a lump in my right breast.
One night my breasts were a little more sore than usual. I was rubbing them, everything felt "normal" until I came across a hard stationary mass in my right breast.
I understood that people can develop fibro cysts while they are pregnant. This however, did not feel like that. This was a lump that I could not move around.
I showed my husband that figured that I was just being paranoid but still advised me to make a Dr.'s appointment just to confirm that everything was ok and benign.
I am a little more paranoid about lumps and such since I was born with a hereditary cancer called retinoblastoma.
I know that even though that cancer was cured and I have been cancer free for 31 and a half years, there can be secondary cancers that can pop up at anytime in my life from that first cancer. I try and stay in tune with my body as much as possible and I never ignore any signs that there may be something wrong.
I went the following week to see the Dr. He felt that it was a cyst that has popped up from the pregnancy and told me that its perfectly normal. He wanted to send me to a general surgeon for a second opinion just to confirm, especially since I had a history of cancer.
I ended up going the following week after that to the surgeon that said the same thing. He felt that it was nothing but wanted to biopsy the lump just to confirm.
Not long after that, I had it biopsied.
I was called into the surgeons office the following week to discuss the results of the biopsy. My husband was not going to attend the appointment with me as I said I would go on my own, everyone had convinced me that it was nothing. The Dr.'s all felt that it was nothing.
This lump actually felt like ti could move a little so it was quite convincing that it could actually be benign.
My husband decided to attend the appointment with me.
When the surgeon came in, he got straight to the point. It was cancer. He sat there staring at me after he said that. Even though it had somewhat registered in my brain what he had said, I was still trying a little to process it. I felt my body freeze, my heart sink. I sat there waiting for him to say "just kidding, its nothing just as we had suspected" That didn't happen.
He had given me a huge package containing information on breast cancer, including a book. He marked off the chapters in the book in which pertained to me that he wanted me to go home and read.
He then said that he booked the ER for the following Tuesday. We at this time sitting in his office late on a Wednesday evening. I had less than a week until the surgery.
I then had to make a decision whether or not I was going to have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I chose right away for the mastectomy. The surgeon told me to go and think about it. Not to make the decision so fast.
In the mean time, he had contacted the cancer agency where they have my complete history on file. They advised that since I had been treated in my left eye as a new born with colbalt radiation, it was advised that I do not receive anymore radiation treatment. So, what this meant was that I would have to have a modified radical mastectomy where no radiation would be needed. If i had the lumpectomy, I would have the lump and surrounding tissue removed followed up by radiation.
The following week, I had the mastectomy.
The surgery went well. I was pretty scared to have it done. I kept thinking the whole time I was climbing up onto the operating table was that this was going to make me cancer free. Also, I was 27 weeks pregnant. I was told that the surgery would be safe and ok for the baby. I felt so much better in one way knowing that I would not be alone.
The following week the results were in from the tests they ran on the lymphnodes and surrounding tissue etc. Everything was clear!
I had the best news possible. They had removed 21 lymphnodes and every single one was clean. All surrounding tissue and skin and chest wall were negative.
There was lymphvascular space invasion noted. However, the chance of this spreading was still not likely.
I ended up having a 2.5 cm mildly hormonally dependant tumor. The tumor was most likely there before I got pregnant and as the estrogen increased during pregnancy, my tumor fed off of that and grew rapidly therefore making it detectable.
It is standard to have chemo treatments if the tumor is more than 2cm and/or if it is hormonally dependant.
I was to be induced early at 38 weeks so that I could start chemo.
I ended up having my baby a little over 38 weeks via c section. Chemo was delayed by 2 weeks so that I could heal from the c section.
I am now receiving chemo. I am on the second of four rounds in which I go once every three weeks. Afterwards my Oncologist was discussing a year of Tamoxifin treatment before I go on to get pregnant with my second child.
I have an appointment with the reconstructive surgeon for next February where we will discuss a new set of boobies. I am going to have a prophalactic mastectomy of my left breast.
Right now, I am losing my hair, I am exhausted, some days a little frustrated a little sore. For the most part I am ok.
I am staying positive and looking at all of the blessings that I have received from this cancer rather than looking at the negative.
I have a very healthy baby boy that I love very much and fills my day with nothing but joy and motivation to go through with the chemo and do whatever it takes to make sure that this cancer does not come back anywhere in my body.
I found this lump early. I found it by accident. I should have been checking my breasts regularly but I was not. I am just lucky that things happened the way they did.
This has been a lesson for me to check the other breast regularly. With any cancer, time is of the essence.
Please don't forget to donate by clicking here for Keep a Breast or here for Susan G Komen.
I was about 25 weeks pregnant this past May when I found a lump in my right breast.
One night my breasts were a little more sore than usual. I was rubbing them, everything felt "normal" until I came across a hard stationary mass in my right breast.
I understood that people can develop fibro cysts while they are pregnant. This however, did not feel like that. This was a lump that I could not move around.
I showed my husband that figured that I was just being paranoid but still advised me to make a Dr.'s appointment just to confirm that everything was ok and benign.
I am a little more paranoid about lumps and such since I was born with a hereditary cancer called retinoblastoma.
I know that even though that cancer was cured and I have been cancer free for 31 and a half years, there can be secondary cancers that can pop up at anytime in my life from that first cancer. I try and stay in tune with my body as much as possible and I never ignore any signs that there may be something wrong.
I went the following week to see the Dr. He felt that it was a cyst that has popped up from the pregnancy and told me that its perfectly normal. He wanted to send me to a general surgeon for a second opinion just to confirm, especially since I had a history of cancer.
I ended up going the following week after that to the surgeon that said the same thing. He felt that it was nothing but wanted to biopsy the lump just to confirm.
Not long after that, I had it biopsied.
I was called into the surgeons office the following week to discuss the results of the biopsy. My husband was not going to attend the appointment with me as I said I would go on my own, everyone had convinced me that it was nothing. The Dr.'s all felt that it was nothing.
This lump actually felt like ti could move a little so it was quite convincing that it could actually be benign.
My husband decided to attend the appointment with me.
When the surgeon came in, he got straight to the point. It was cancer. He sat there staring at me after he said that. Even though it had somewhat registered in my brain what he had said, I was still trying a little to process it. I felt my body freeze, my heart sink. I sat there waiting for him to say "just kidding, its nothing just as we had suspected" That didn't happen.
He had given me a huge package containing information on breast cancer, including a book. He marked off the chapters in the book in which pertained to me that he wanted me to go home and read.
He then said that he booked the ER for the following Tuesday. We at this time sitting in his office late on a Wednesday evening. I had less than a week until the surgery.
I then had to make a decision whether or not I was going to have a lumpectomy or a mastectomy. I chose right away for the mastectomy. The surgeon told me to go and think about it. Not to make the decision so fast.
In the mean time, he had contacted the cancer agency where they have my complete history on file. They advised that since I had been treated in my left eye as a new born with colbalt radiation, it was advised that I do not receive anymore radiation treatment. So, what this meant was that I would have to have a modified radical mastectomy where no radiation would be needed. If i had the lumpectomy, I would have the lump and surrounding tissue removed followed up by radiation.
The following week, I had the mastectomy.
The surgery went well. I was pretty scared to have it done. I kept thinking the whole time I was climbing up onto the operating table was that this was going to make me cancer free. Also, I was 27 weeks pregnant. I was told that the surgery would be safe and ok for the baby. I felt so much better in one way knowing that I would not be alone.
The following week the results were in from the tests they ran on the lymphnodes and surrounding tissue etc. Everything was clear!
I had the best news possible. They had removed 21 lymphnodes and every single one was clean. All surrounding tissue and skin and chest wall were negative.
There was lymphvascular space invasion noted. However, the chance of this spreading was still not likely.
I ended up having a 2.5 cm mildly hormonally dependant tumor. The tumor was most likely there before I got pregnant and as the estrogen increased during pregnancy, my tumor fed off of that and grew rapidly therefore making it detectable.
It is standard to have chemo treatments if the tumor is more than 2cm and/or if it is hormonally dependant.
I was to be induced early at 38 weeks so that I could start chemo.
I ended up having my baby a little over 38 weeks via c section. Chemo was delayed by 2 weeks so that I could heal from the c section.
I am now receiving chemo. I am on the second of four rounds in which I go once every three weeks. Afterwards my Oncologist was discussing a year of Tamoxifin treatment before I go on to get pregnant with my second child.
I have an appointment with the reconstructive surgeon for next February where we will discuss a new set of boobies. I am going to have a prophalactic mastectomy of my left breast.
Right now, I am losing my hair, I am exhausted, some days a little frustrated a little sore. For the most part I am ok.
I am staying positive and looking at all of the blessings that I have received from this cancer rather than looking at the negative.
I have a very healthy baby boy that I love very much and fills my day with nothing but joy and motivation to go through with the chemo and do whatever it takes to make sure that this cancer does not come back anywhere in my body.
I found this lump early. I found it by accident. I should have been checking my breasts regularly but I was not. I am just lucky that things happened the way they did.
This has been a lesson for me to check the other breast regularly. With any cancer, time is of the essence.
Please don't forget to donate by clicking here for Keep a Breast or here for Susan G Komen.
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