I was diagnosed with Stage 0 Ductal Carcinoma In Situ breast cancer on March 25th, 2008 after 2 mammograms and one very painful stereo-tactic biopsy. I wasn't surprised. For some reason - reasons that I cannot adequately explain - I "knew" I had cancer before I actually found out about it. This doesn't mean that I wasn't shocked or horrified when I learned about my diagnosis - I was - but I I sensed it. If there is anything I can share with all of you, it is this: pay attention to your body, as it does give you signals you need to pay attention to.
The cancer itself was not a major issue honestly. It was caught at its earliest stage so technically it was a "blip" on the "radar of my life." My medical oncologist viewed it as a warning to me, so it was from that perspective I took action. Within two weeks of my diagnosis, a lumpectomy was scheduled on my right breast. This surgery was simple and I had little pain. After I recovered from the lumpectomy, radiation treatment was scheduled for a month because I have fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia complicates radiation treatment, as it heightens the exhaustion one normally feels from the actual treatment. This was true! After 3 days of treatment during that first week, I slept for over 20 hours. Once radiation ended, I allowed my body to recover for a period of 8 months before my next surgery. Because I had a condition called estrogen dominance that caused the cancer in the first place, I was not allowed to take Tamoxifen, which is a drug that normally prevents recurrences in women that do not suffer from hormonal issues like I did. As such, the only preventative course I could take was a total hysterectomy and oophorectomy (ovaries were removed), which was done laparoscopically.
It's been 7 years since I was diagnosed, and though the journey has been tough in these years, I am doing great. I feel fabulous, look fabulous and am cancer free. GET YOUR MAMMOGRAMS!!!
New York, NY