I was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer at the age of 44. It came as a huge shock as the tumor was 3 to 4 cm’s and I did not even know it was there. I had a lump in my left breast, which I knew to be a cyst as I have had many over the years. My G.P. arranged an appointment at the breast care center he did not examine me as I was in a hurry and told him it was just a cyst.
Three weeks later I attended the clinic I was given a routine mammogram. It had only been 14 months since my last one so I was not at all worried as I sat reading the usual magazines in the waiting room. I was called into see the Doctor who informed me that I had a mass in my right breast that they were very worried about. I didn’t understand I said that it was my left breast I had nothing wrong with the right. The Doctors face was grave. I felt like screaming, but instead I lay there numb, whilst the radiographer put lubricant on my right breast and proceed with the ultrasound.
I saw clearly the mass appear on the screen, the white image stared back at me, I heard the radiographer say “calcification” and I knew what that meant, “Its cancer isn’t it “I said to the Doctor. He looked at me gently but did not answer that question He told me they would now do a biopsy, which they did a painful procedure which took a sample of the tumor. An appointment was made for the following week for the results.
I stood in front of my bedroom mirror and looked at the breast I could not see anything unusual, I lifted my arms and then saw that the right breasts outer shape was not longer rounded but pulled into the shape of a lip something inside was distorting the shape. I sat on the bed and cried, what and how should I tell my family.
The following week Breast Cancer was confirmed and the arrangements were made for my admission into hospital. A week later an operation was performed to remove the tumor this involved removing half my breast and all of the lymph nodes in my arm pit. A few days later I was told that the cancer had spread though out the breast and I would need a mastectomy there was however a bit of good news the lymph nodes were not involved. A few weeks later I had the mastectomy and then six months of chemotherapy.
I have now been clear of cancer for three years and am hopeful of a recovery. I would like advise all women not to be complacent with self examination of your breasts and make sure you study them in the mirror and note any changes in shape and if anything is amiss go and get checked the earlier you do the better the survival rate if it proves to be Cancer.
