It was breast cancer awareness month 2012. I was 48 and had never done a self exam before. I had been having mammograms and ultrasounds (because I had dense breasts) every year since I was 40. I did a self breast exam and felt these small bumps under my right nipple. I had also noticed that my (left breast) had grown bigger. I went for my annual gyn appointment and then went for my annual mammo and ultrasound, to the same place I had been going to for the past 8 years. My results came back with no findings. However, my gynecologist wanted to be safe and sent me to a breast specialist/surgeon. He examined my right breast and felt some lumps and sent me for a new ultrasound at a different place. (Turns out the place I had been going to for the past 8 years had missed these tumors !!!) The technician was extremely thorough and had a concerned look on her face. She asked me questions like, does breast cancer run in your family ? The results came back and I had biopsies done. When all was said and done I was Stage 3a. My right breast was 70% filled with cancer (7 masses) and 9 lymph nodes were positive. No cancer was detected in my left breast (ironically the one that had grown bigger). I had to remove my right breast and elected to have my left breast removed as well. I didn't want to wait for the other shoe to drop and wanted both breast to be equal once I had reconstruction. Thanks g-d I removed my left breast too. They found a trace amount of cancer that would not show up in scans for another few years. I would've had to go threw this whole process again, had I not been pro-active. I am now cancer free after 5 months of chemo and 6 1/2 weeks of radiation (today was my last day). Next is tamoxifen for 10 years. I have stayed extremely positive and learned to not sweat the small stuff.

Jodi
Parkland, FL