My Ten-Year Journey Beyond Breast Cancer

This year marks a significant milestone for me—ten years free from breast cancer and freedom from breast implant illness. My journey, which began with a diagnosis of invasive ductal carcinoma, has traversed paths of resilience, challenge, and self-discovery. Today, I reflect on this decade-long journey, the decisions I made, the complications I faced, and the victories I achieved.

The Diagnosis and Early Treatment

My battle started when three tumors, each the size of a quarter, were discovered in my breast. Unfortunately, one of these had ruptured and spread cancer cells to my lymph nodes. The ensuing treatment protocol was aggressive and thorough, involving chemotherapy to target and kill cancer cells, followed by five years of Tamoxifen—a medication used to prevent the recurrence of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Decision for Reconstruction

After these initial treatments, I faced another challenging decision regarding breast reconstruction. Initially reluctant, I was eventually persuaded by my surgeon to undergo the procedure. This decision, meant to be restorative, unfortunately introduced a new set of health challenges that I could never have anticipated.

Post-Implant Health Struggles

Post-reconstruction, I began to experience various symptoms that suggested autoimmune disorders. These symptoms included an inability to produce saliva on the left side, inflammation, Sjogren's syndrome, hives localized to the left side, significant weight loss, and swelling and itching in my fingers and legs. Foods high in histamine exacerbated these symptoms, leading me to adopt an antihistamine diet, a challenging regimen given its restrictive nature.

A Shocking Discovery

My health issues became more puzzling until a startling revelation came to light. The breast implants I had received were part of a recalled batch—specifically, the Allergan implants known to be associated with health risks, including a rare form of cancer. Shockingly, I had not been informed of the recall, a critical oversight that had left me unknowingly at risk.

Resolution and Recovery

To stay alive once again, I went through a complete removal of the implants and the surrounding capsules—a decision guided by the desire to eliminate all potential sources of my symptoms. During surgery, the doctor found that my left implant was slowly leaking silicone into my body though it would have been difficult to detect on imaging. This explained my left side symptoms that doctors were puzzled by. Remarkably, after the removal surgery, the majority of my symptoms resolved, and my health significantly improved.

A New Lease on Life

Freed from the debilitating effects of my breast cancer path including the illness caused by the implants, I rediscovered my vitality. The body has an amazing ability to heal.  I have since run several marathons, a testament to my recovered health and spirit. These experiences have not only taught me the importance of self-advocacy in medical care but also highlighted the profound impact of informed decision-making.

Looking Forward

As I celebrate ten years of being cancer-free, I am profoundly grateful for my freedom from illness and for the lessons learned along the way. My journey underscores the importance of vigilance in health matters, the necessity of thorough research before medical procedures, and the power of resilience.

To those navigating similar paths, I share my story as an example of staying hopeful and a reminder of the strength that lies within us all. Embrace knowledge, advocate for yourself, and never underestimate your ability to overcome adversity.

Understanding Breast Cancer Diagnosis: A Personal Journey and What It Means for Others

 

Breast cancer diagnosis can be an overwhelming experience, filled with uncertainty and questions. My journey through the diagnosis and understanding of my condition provides a clear example of how medical professionals use various tools and knowledge to pinpoint the nature of cancer and plan effective treatment. This understanding is crucial not only for treatment but also for providing insights that might help others in their fights against breast cancer.

Early Detection and Diagnosis

In my case, I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma, which is one of the most common types of breast cancer. This type originates in the lining of the milk ducts and can grow to invade other parts of the breast tissue. I had three tumors, each about the size of a quarter. The discovery of these tumors was initially made through routine screening and confirmed by more detailed imaging studies such as mammography and ultrasound. These imaging tools are vital for visualizing the size and position of tumors, providing the first glimpse into what patients and doctors may be facing.

Advanced Imaging and Biopsies

To understand more about the state of my tumors—whether they were intact or had spread—my medical team used advanced imaging techniques including MRI and possibly CT scans. These provided high-resolution images showing not just the tumors themselves but also how they interacted with surrounding tissues. However, the most definitive insights came from biopsies. By removing a small piece of the tumor tissue and examining it under a microscope, pathologists could see not only the cancer cells’ characteristics but also whether the tumor had ruptured or if its cells had invaded nearby lymph nodes.

In my situation, the analysis revealed that two of the tumors remained intact, whereas one had ruptured. The presence of cancer cells in the lymph nodes was clear evidence that cells from the ruptured tumor had begun to spread, or metastasize. This information was crucial for staging the cancer and planning the appropriate course of treatment, which in my case involved addressing not only the primary tumors but also the secondary sites where the cancer had begun to spread.

Understanding the Speed of Tumor Growth

The speed at which a breast tumor grows can vary dramatically based on the type of cancer. Fast-growing cancers like triple-negative and HER2-positive are aggressive and can quickly spread beyond the primary tumor site if unchecked. This highlights the importance of regular screenings and prompt action following any signs of breast abnormalities. For others, understanding the aggressiveness of different tumor types can be critical in prioritizing treatment options and surveillance strategies.

Implications for Others

My experience underscores several key points for others who might be navigating similar pathways or working to prevent such scenarios:

1. Regular Screening: Early detection through regular breast screenings is crucial, especially for catching fast-growing tumors before they spread.
2. Comprehensive Diagnostic Approach: Utilizing a combination of imaging and biopsies helps in accurately diagnosing and staging breast cancer, thereby optimizing treatment strategies.
3. Understanding Cancer Dynamics: Knowing whether tumors are likely to stay intact or rupture and spread can significantly impact the decisions regarding surgical and medical treatments.

Conclusion

Navigating breast cancer involves understanding a lot about the nature of tumors and how they behave. For anyone facing this journey, gaining as much knowledge as possible about your specific condition can help in making informed decisions about treatments and managing the disease more effectively. For those who are cancer-free, this underscores the importance of regular check-ups and understanding the risks and symptoms of breast cancer. Let my story be a call to action for heightened awareness and proactive health management.

RGB - A Role Model of Hope

 

Every cancer is different. But as a cancer survivor, I know the thing we all have in common is to never give up hope no matter what. Never go down the dark path of doom. Never make a diagnosis until you have all the puzzle pieces, until you have talked to all the doctors on your team that know cancer -- know it intimately, know it across googles of cancer clients. Get all the pieces, make a plan, keep hope. 

For this path of hope, having cancer sisters and cancer brothers along the path helps so much. It does what the doctor treatments do not -- it feeds the soul, it speaks to our humanity, it provides a place of privilege versus a place of oppression. From my cancer sister Sue Beam, I learned from her that there never is a dumb question, a limit of questions, a limit of sources to examine or types of sources to examine. I was lucky to have her as my advocate who attended my oncology consults -- her MD training as a neurologist never made me feel insignificant in any of my questions, comments, fears, or places of hope. She was a source of humanity.

I look to her and to all my cancer sister and brothers for sources of this humanity. For this post, I want to focus on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, my cancer sister and a woman of courage and hope.

* Ruth Bader Ginsburg got colon cancer in 1999 (deadly - high morbidity rate).

* RGB then got pancreatic cancer in 2009 (again, along the deadliest cancers)

* RGB had lung cancer and broken ribs in 2018; treatment led to cancer free diagnosis

* RGB in September 2020 had pancreatic cancer return. She died of these complications of pancreatic cancer, just shyly missing the new Supreme Court appointment.

She was 87 and worked full time that whole time -- and with that first ten years of cancer, taking care of her husband with his cancer metastasis. He got cancer in 1956 and his returned -- he died 2010, 54 years later after his cancer. I'm 54 -- he lived my amount of years alive. Again, everyone's cancer trail is different, but what remains the same whether we get an extra day, year, decade or more -- always keep ones eyes on hope.

Radiation and Chemo -- What I learned

The details of a person's cancer is unique to each person. In that cancer trail, one might need radiation or chemo or both. There are other options, but for this post I will focus on radiation and chemotherapy.

1. If there is a planned surgery, doctors think there is hope for longer term survival. They would not have a compromised, weak person who only has two months to live through surgery. Surgery is not easy.

2. If there is a planned oncology team, doctors think there is hope for treatment or hope for palliative care to keep a person comfortable when treatment is not an option.

3. Radiation means they know where the cancer is -- there is no guess work, they can attack it directly.

4. Radiation treatments are typically outpatient treatments. They last between 10-30 minutes each. 

5.  Chemotherapy IV sessions where one goes to the hospital for roughly 6-8 hours a session are completed for cancer that is living in the body somewhere we don't know so let's kill everything. Each person has a different 'cocktail' of chemotherapy types in the IV bag that slowly drips into the bloodstream. As little as one or more bags can be used in that session depending on the cancer type, guess of location, intensity of the medication and how fast or slow it needs to be delivered. This also is typically an outpatient treatment.

6. Chemo pills are administered also as a more targeted approach

Whether it is the traditional IV approach or pill approach with chemotherapy, the oncologist is the one to determine dosing types, amounts, and numbers of sessions. Sometimes it is one oncologist who specializes in one type of cancer; sometimes it is more than one who specialize in other regions.

If an area is not treated with radiation or chemotherapy, it is due to size, location, whether treatments for one area of the body might also shrink that other cancer. My sister-in-law had a caner in her brain that was mostly removed; however they needed to leave some behind due to location. She has been living with that remainder cancer for the past 15 years. Another friend had a smaller tumor of cancer that shrunk with treatments to another area. And numerous breast cancer sisters with metastatic cancer had combinations.

The doctors on ones team will inform the patient -- hopefully with all questions addressed. Sometimes one needs to be the advocate and ask more questions until they know enough. There is no rule of thumb. It is unique to each person. In my case, I was fortunate to have an advocate attend sessions with me who was a breast cancer sister who was also a neurologist. I learned from her there is no dumb question, there is no limit of questions, and sharing of information is helpful for all of us.

additional sources to visit:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/radiation-therapy/about/pac-20385162

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/24323-chemotherapy-drugs

https://www.healthline.com/health/cancer/oral-chemotherapy

Look Good Feel Good

When you feel horrible on the inside, sometimes feeling better on the outside does help. This is the goal of this program, which I found uplifting. Imagine a bunch of us bald women doing each other's makeup with the help of an expert coach. That's what this was -- it was more than the makeup. It was that human connection.

 

http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/program-finder-results?city=&state=&zip=90815

Call


http://www.breastcancerfund.org/reduce-your-risk/tips/choose-safe-cosmetics/

Lhermitte's Sign

There's power in a name. Today, two years later,  I was relieved to know the name of that sudden and seconds-lasting electrical shock I felt in my neck, limb and spine during chemo because it makes me feel more common and less strange.

When I was going through chemo, I often felt Lhermitte's (pronounced like "lair meets") sign. I now know that it occurs with high dose chemo which is used to kill cancer. 

Today, I feel this once in a while. I wonder if it's left over results? I'll have to ask my doctor. 

Wikipedia:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lhermitte%27s_sign

Other links:

http://www.healthline.com/health/multiple-sclerosis/lhermittes-sign#Incidence8

http://www.m.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/guide/lhermittes-sign-what-is-how-treat

Supplements, Star Wars and More

I was reflecting on chemotherapy this morning after a friend asked me for advice for her friend who is going through it now. Everyone's battle is so unique -- different paths for each of us. No two cancers are the same, even within the same individual. This post is about my path but maybe even 1 thing might help others. 

When I was told that I would be going through chemotherapy, I welcomed any advise my oncologist had to help me get through it. For instance, he gave me a spreadsheet that had just a few items for me to record throughout the sessions. In hindsight, memory does get challenged so checklists aides the attempt to recall information. In any case, the starter items were steroids for 2 days (1 the day before to prep the veins, 1 after to help pump the chemo throughout), Claritin daily to help with bone pain, and a minimum of 64 ounces of water daily. 

Other problems such as constipation, headaches, nausea, insomnia were things I also wanted to be prepared for so I looked for solutions to add to my spreadsheet. 

And then I thought of the job of chemotherapy: to kill cells. Ideally, kill the bad cells. I wanted to help my body not kill my good cells, or at least I wanted to help keep and or repair my good cells. Ultimately, this would help me feel better and help me get through the day in a way that would speed  the treatment part while also slowing down the savory moments as a mom with a young child. At least that was my hope. 

So, I researched like crazy and also got advice from friends and chemo mates along the way. Rest was the biggest advice. My body would be going through a lot so recovery through rest would help a ton. This advice brought up memories post childbirth. I remember reading how important resting would be and how pushing past naps would hurt. Makes sense. Chemically my body was not the same. So rest, eliminating chemicals that would make me feel worse (like sugar and coffee) would be a part of my plan. Also a part of my plan would include exercise since chemically that aided the good stuff. Chemotherapy also meant another time of mass chemical imbalance with needed solutions.

After researching and adding to the spreadsheet, I ran it by my oncologist who gave me a thumbs up. This is what I came up with and followed throughout chemo along with healthy eating (during chemo, no white or wheat flour, sugar, dairy, legumes; after chemo I shot for 80%) along with juicing carrots and celery  or other green vegetables daily. 

It was hard, but I ran a walking pace daily, napped daily, slowed down whenever I needed. There were days when I felt like I got kicked in my spine. But there were also days I got playing at the park with my son. I do feel like helping the good body chemicals was a part of these moments for me.

The next chemical change came after chemo: tamoxifen. This is another battle which I'm constantly learning to get through. It can make me feel down, physically and emotionally. But I find that when I add the following to my days, I'm so much better:

1. pharma gaba chewable by Natural Factors, 2-3 daily (good neurotransmitter brain help)

2. Calcium and magnesium in a 2:1 ratio pill (bone pain relief)

3. Magnesium serene  powder by Source Naturals nightly (good for bones and neurotransmitters that help many other processes in the body)

4. suntheanine (increases alpha brain waves that makes you alert yet calm)

5. More fluids

6. More rest

7. Daily exercise (a walk, a run, weights, or swim. Any of these daily)

8.  Tai Chi when I'm feeling like I can't sleep or I'm overwhelmed)

In hindsight regardless in my life where I've been challenged chemically like puberty, college, childbirth, chemo, tamoxifen, or when I've od'd on sugar or caffeine or other preservatives in goods -- it's made me feel off in small or exponentially large ways. I've been rewatching Star Wars episodes so here's a current analogy: these toxins of the dark side were given a good battle by the rebels of the Jedi side who fought with light sabers that included: supplements, foods that don't add to inflammation, and movement solutions. These helped fight the bad chemical invader empire. It's not the whole battle, but nevertheless a part of it.

These were my thoughts this morning. Hoping these help anyone out there with any chemical battle. It's always harder when you're in it. Hang in there! Sending you doses of love, the best supplement!

And, May the Force be with you!