I found my lump at age 37, although its symptoms (itching, pain, coming and going depending on my period) were more akin to a cyst or benign fibroid tumor. When I found a doctor I could afford and went in to have it checked out, a biopsy proved it was actually Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. A PET scan a couple weeks later, followed by another biopsy, showed that it was already metastatic to my liver. Breast cancer can happen at any age, and it can have atypical symptoms. It's important to have everything checked out as soon as you can.
But Stage IV still has hope. Although we will be in treatment for the rest of our lives, for many of us, treatment has given us five, ten, even fifteen more good years. We just need more research. Anyone can become metastatic, even if you catch it at an early stage and do all the right treatments. 30% of those women go on to develop metastatic disease.
Even though I have a terminal diagnosis, I still fight, and will continue to fight until I run out of treatments, and even then, I'm not letting this beast take me without a battle. In the meantime, I work to spread awareness about Stage IV and the facts about MBC. If you have MBC, you're not alone, and it's not over yet. Keep fighting, join clinical trials for new treatments, and keep your head held high. You did not cause your metastasis or your breast cancer.
Lincoln, NE
