I was diagnosed in 2004 with LCIS. I took Tamoxifen for 5 years. I was always given a clean bill of health until November, 2012. I noticed an indentation in my right breast around the nipple. I called my Gynecologist and he had me immediately get a mammogram and ultrasound. Nothing conclusive showed on either test, so the referring surgeon scheduled an MRI and it lit up everything.
I had an MRI biopsy on 12/21/2012, and received confirmation on 12/26/2012 that I had breast cancer. It was Stage 2 and had spread to a few lymph nodes. I had a bilateral mastectomy on January 11, 2013, followed by four rounds of chemotherapy and reconstructive surgery. I have become an advocate to my friends that they need to be completely aware of changes in their bodies.
What most people are not aware of is that LCIS is not always detectable on mammograms. I had a mammogram every six months and until the indentation, no one noticed that something was there. My way of coping throughout this entire adventure as I called it was to keep saying that "I'm going to have to go through this whether I like it or not so I might as well have fun with it". I bought a blond wig to replace my missing short black hair, I had an auburn bob style wig, and I had a baseball cap with hair sewn into the back that was my "beach hair" that I used to run around town. I found that attitude is 75% of the battle, and if you learn to laugh at yourself, it puts others at ease with the situation and besides, who doesn't like to laugh?
Merritt Island, FL
