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Karen
I was on a business trip in Washington when I noticed that my left breast was pink and swollen (hotel bathroom mirrors are so large!). Then I also noticed that it was heavier, and there was a mass in the bottom quadrant.
I went to the doctor's office the next day, and he sent me for a mammogram and ultrasound the following week. A month later (mid October 2003) I went for a Fine Needle Aspiration and Core Biopsy - the FNA showed irregular cells, and the Core showed nothing suspicious.
My surgeon recommended a lumpectomy. This was done on November 24th, 2003. The lump had grown from 1.5cm to 8x6x6cm in that time. Seven of thirteen lymph nodes were cancerous, and the lump had no clear margins.
I was diagnosed with IBC by my oncologist on December 11th. Chemo began December 18th 2003 and ran until May 21st. Mastectomy took place on June 8th, and radiation treatments began July 19th - I finish on Tuesday August 24th.
In the midst of all of this I was also diagnosed with a brain aneurysm - I'll be seeing a neurosurgeon next month to determine what has to be done about it.
What have I learned? I learned that I am strong - stronger than I ever imagined. After over 30 years, I quit smoking on July 19th, realizing that if I was strong enough to get through the past nine months, surely I could quit smoking. So I did.
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February, 2006 Update
Still cancer free and still not smoking. What a journey this has
been. I take Arimidex and have just about every side effect known
- from weight to foggy brain to dry mouth and stuffy nose. But
it's all good when you consider the alternative.
I am still waiting for surgery to remove the excess tissue and
fluids from my underarm, but this will not happen until my other
big issue (the giant aneurysm) has been dealt with.
So I take this
time to enjoy everything life has to offer - friends, family and
cold weather to ease my hot flashes. I am always and ever will be grateful to the wonderful people on this list who share their sorrows and triumphs.
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August, 2006 Update
Still NED - Yahoo! Still not smoking! And, I survived brain surgery.
The neurosurgeon fished out a vein from my temple area and connected it to two major veins in my brain to redirect the flow of blood to the aneurysm.
And so, I'll be going for a CT scan next month to make sure all is well.
Life is good.
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