I took a moment today while on the elliptical machine to reflect back to where I was 4.5 years ago as I read an article in a magazine about breast self exam. A women had her mammogram and nothing showed, 4 months later she found a lump herself. This most likely saved her life. All to often lumps go undetected for a year or so and it spreads so damned rapidly. I was in a situation that my lump had a cyst right near it if not attached to it and I was booked to have it drained, but the Christmas of 2007 we were home to Canada and I put off the drainage till February. The cyst broke while home so when I got back and went for the appointment to have it drained I told them it was gone but that I had a hard lump where it was, the technician called in the Dr to take a look and they both agreed it was nothing just the outer layer of the breast. I kept feeling it and even asked my husband his opinion, he felt it was getting bigger to. So I made an apt with a breast specialist at Strathfield Hospital to have things checked out. They did the routine mammogram and she came out to talk to me and said I need you to go back in I want a few more pictures with a cone view. I said you don't like what you see do you, she said not at all. Get these done and we will talk. I did and was then taken into her room and she started to do an ultrasound as well and talking about treatments, I said to her, do you think this is cancer, she said I thought you suspected it as well or you wouldn't have come to see me. She was right, my worst fears were coming to light, the tumor was about 3 inches or so. I had a biopsy the next afternoon and was called the day after with the results I had ductal carcinoma,she was sure it had spread beyond the duct to the lobe and later the pathology from the breast confirmed it when I had a right mastectomy, they wasted no time after that, this journey be can June 4th 2008. I saw a surgeon on June 10th and surgery was booked for June 23rd. I had a consultation with an Oncologist Prof. Philip Beale, he was wonderful, explained it all, held my hand and told me his best chance of curing me would be now, so he was going to hit me with everything he had. I also so a radiology Oncologist and was going to have 25 treatments with them after the chemotherapy was done. It was a long road, FEC was ok as far as chemo went and I continued to work full time, but Taxol was another story, it nearly killed me, so in thinking how many good sells it destroyed we were hopeful that it got all the bad ones as well, 1 of these treatments put me off work for 12 months, and they went back to FEC for the last 2, Radiation was very long, each treatment took 2 hours or more depending on extra testing, I made it to number 24 and refused to go back, the Oncologist agreed with me and felt they had done enough. it has taken me till now to feel well and strong enough to start a journey back to a healthier me, so as I reflect back I am so glad that today I can and I did 90 minutes on the elliptical machine and I feel empowered to keep going so today I signed on for a year, I have lost another pound so now I am down to 192.5, getting closer to that first 10lb mark. Today's Quote is
"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble
but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or
happy."
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