I found out I have Breast Cancer on March 2, 2011, after “tricking” my doctor into seeing me. He thought that since my test came back negative nine months earlier that I was fine, and did not need to be seen. After “tricking” him into seeing me and having more test done, he found I was stage 3/4 breast cancer.
I cried a lot and then I got mad. I would not let this beat me. I make fun of my cancer. I tell myself, “I always wanted a boob job and a tummy tuck, now I get both and I get to pick my size,” or that, “I’ve been trying to loose weight for years, thanks to chemo I lost 80 lbs.” When I had my “KILLER BOOBS” removed I had to have a wound vac; I named him Harvey Hoover. The extra piece of flesh left on my left side I named Picasso. Making fun of cancer is not for everyone. Some people think I don’t care that I have breast cancer. I do care! It SCARES me to death! This is how I cope.
My family and I will not let this beat me. I was in chemo the first time I participated in a renaissance fair. I was in so much pain, but I was having the time of my life. I was not going to let a little thing like mind numbing pain stop me from doing something I have always wanted to do. I will not let anything get in my way, not even breast cancer.
Talahi
California
Submitted 8-30-2012
The informational content of this article is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
This story is intended to convey a personal experience and, because every person’s experience is unique, should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional healthcare advice.
Sometimes the best way to cope is with humor. That’s what I did too. The attitude helps a lot.
I do not understand stage 3/4, but maybe that means in between. In 2002, at age 31 I was diagnosed with stage 0 DCIS, and begged for a bilateral mastectomy or at least a mastectomy of my left breast which was cancerous. Neither happened. I had a lumpectomy, 6 weeks of radiation, then 5 months of wound care and a central line of antibiotics after my left breast abscessed … Fast forward 5-6 years when I was finally off Tamoxifen ….stage 2 breast cancer, left breast (yes, same side)…. Bilateral mastectomy and 6 months of chemo. Donated 26″ of my 40″ of hair. Initially, in 2008, I thought, ‘oh yeah, new boobs and tummy tuck’!!! Yet, being a single female I have been on arimidex daily and zoladof monthly at MD Anderson. Having my ovaries and Fallopian tubes removed in December. I am thankful to be alive. My brother was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2012, he died in January of 2013….my sister diagnosed with colon cancer in July 2008….is in lungs, liver and brain.
Talahi,
More power to you, I laughed also, I was 47, had my son at 28 and did not plan on nursing another child. I had a lumpectomy , I wanted a double mastectomy, the Doctor refused. After surgery, when I removed the bandages, I was very pleased, the scar was the shape of a crescent moon. I was sad when the bright purple scar faded to a soft pink. While in radiation, my hand and arm swelled, the doctor wrapped it. We were going through a merger at work and I was asked to do a presentation immediately one day. When we went to lunch, I was asked about my arm, said it was a fashion statement, working on breast cancer.
Once the drains were removed and swelling down, I was pleased, I had one old breast and one perky breast.
The Cancer Center at Fairfax Inova Hospital were wonderful, on the questionnaire about my experience there, just giving numbers was not enough,. I wrote a letter and compared it to the removal and treatment of a hazardous waste site…they all loved my sense of humor and said while I was going through my 40 radiation treatments there was a different vibe in the entire center…a positive attitude is good for all of us.
Healing energy, thoughts and prayers.
janice