SURVIVOR ~ Breast Cancer Stage IV

When I was 35, I saw a daytime talk program that recommended that women get a baseline mammogram starting aat age 35. So I was a good kid, and went. Called the doctor's office the next week, and they said it was fine, but there was an area that was difficult to read, so I should have another in 6 months. I marked my calendar, mentally put a check mark on my duty list, and moved on. (However, this is not what the mammogram said - it told them to give me an exam - and if they didn't find anything in the physical exam, to get another one in TWO months.)

In the next few weeks, I developed a red area on the outside of my breast. Asked the doctor, he told me it was an infectino and prescribed antibiotics, which seemed to help somewhat, but didn't take it away. So he prescribed another course of antibiotics. When that didn't do it, he sent me to a surgeon, who took one look at me, and I swear the color drained right out of him like an old Casper caartoon. He would not let me out of his office without a promise that I would go straight to the hospital for a biopsy. I protested - I hadn't arranged for child care for the whole day, and then he really scared me - he said "If you have what I think you have, I do not want the weekend to go by without getting started on fighting it."

Well, of course, it WAS what he thought it was - inflammatory breast cancer. After that, I had a full year of chemo, MRM, HDC, and rads. During that time, I had pneumonia and a pulmonary embolism - those were "fun" too.

Treatment bought me a 5 year remission, which is practically unheard of with inflammatory breast cancer. It was fabulous - I thought it was gone forever.

In September of 98, we found recurrence in the lymph nodes in my chest and neck. It has paralyzed my left diaphragm and my left vocal chords, leaving me with somebody else's voice (I miss sounding like me). I have been on Taxol & Herceptin, Navelbine & Herceptin, Xeloda, and now Gemzar. I have been very lucky to have had a large number of different chemos work on my cancer (I just wish they would work LONGER!)

I have learned that I am happier when I am happy. Sounds pretty silly, but since this is the hand I was dealt, there is no purpose stomping around and being grumpy about it - I am the only one who suffers by it. I am determined to enjoy my time on earth with my family, as much as I possibly can.

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