Monica’s Story (Breast Cancer)

After years of not getting a mammogram, I decided I had to start looking out for me. I ended up at the doctor with chest pain.

To get the mammogram results I had to have a regular physician. I’m so lucky I chose the one I did: She made all my appointments for me and kept in touch.

My story begins at the end of May when I went for my mammogram. After my first test, they called me back in–which they always did. I went in and after 3 mammograms, an ultrasound, and a biopsy (that took forever), they concluded that they needed to get this tumor out of my breast.

I was told it was not cancer, but when they removed the tumor, they found a 5.1 mm mass behind it. Within a week, I was back for another surgery to remove my lymph nodes. After the follow-up, I was scheduled to see an oncologist. I had no clue why because my lymph nodes were clear. It turns out the type of cancer I have is very aggressive and fast-growing.

I made my decision to enjoy my summer, take my vacation and start 12 weeks of hard chemo Sept 16th. The chemo will continue for a year, but I will only go once every 3 weeks for the remaining 9 months. After the 12 weeks, I will then do radiation treatments.

It’s crazy how things happen so fast and your life changes. I am still on the fence about chemo, doing lots of research. It’s a very scary process. Will I still have a quality life after chemo? That’s the beginning of my journey. To be continued…