In February 2009, I began to notice my left nipple would sink in and rise while the right would not. It felt softer than the right. I would see this while showering. There was also some dimpling on the areola. The symptoms went away for a while and I kind of put it in the back of my mind. I had my yearly exam in March and my doctor did not find anything. I made my mammogram appointment for April 8 and on April 10 I received a letter stating I needed to have a '"special" mammogram and ultrasound. At this point I had no doubt in my mind: I had Breast Cancer. I had the tests on April 20. The ultrasound detected a second mass. It was an agonizing week before I heard from my doctor telling me that the masses look suspicious. During this time I experienced pain and swelling in the area of the tumors. I had a lumpectomy on May 6 and was told I had cancer on May 12.
I began Brachytherapy June 3, Chemotherapy June 29 and external radiation November 9.
It has been a tough year, both physically and emotionally, but I just got my results from this year's Mammogram and I am happy to say they found No Evidence of Disease!
Phoenix, AZ
