It is true! Most people who have not experienced cancer themselves or don't have a loved one with it, know very little about cancer. Why should we? We feel no need to know when we're ok.
My journey with cancer began when I'd bought some new bras, and was trying them on after I got home. Smoothing the bra down around my breasts, I was suddenly struck by something unusual - I felt a small hardness about the size of a pea on the right outer lower quadrant of my right breast. I panicked! Did I really feel that? Yes, I did! Fortunately, despite my denial of this reality I had an annual exam coming up soon, and an appointment for it was already made.
Quickly, it became the size of a grape, and then a walnut, then a golf ball. It turned out to be NON-cancerous papilloma. https://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/information-support/have-i-got-breast-cancer/benign-breast-conditions/intraductal-papilloma.
But it flagged me as potentially having breast cancer since it is often a companion to it. The first needle core biopsy was negative, the second biopsy confirmed my cancer, as invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 1 at 8mm (about the size of a dime or your thumbnail).
They got it all they said. No spread! Yea! Nodes negative. I was in the clear or so I was told! 5+ years later, it had spread to my left iliac wing - stage 4 Advanced bone mets cancer. Who knew? Not me! Very little pain, and most of the time, I'm okay.; But for how long? The journey continues!
My journey with cancer began when I'd bought some new bras, and was trying them on after I got home. Smoothing the bra down around my breasts, I was suddenly struck by something unusual - I felt a small hardness about the size of a pea on the right outer lower quadrant of my right breast. I panicked! Did I really feel that? Yes, I did! Fortunately, despite my denial of this reality I had an annual exam coming up soon, and an appointment for it was already made.
Quickly, it became the size of a grape, and then a walnut, then a golf ball. It turned out to be NON-cancerous papilloma. https://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/information-support/have-i-got-breast-cancer/benign-breast-conditions/intraductal-papilloma.
But it flagged me as potentially having breast cancer since it is often a companion to it. The first needle core biopsy was negative, the second biopsy confirmed my cancer, as invasive ductal carcinoma, stage 1 at 8mm (about the size of a dime or your thumbnail).
They got it all they said. No spread! Yea! Nodes negative. I was in the clear or so I was told! 5+ years later, it had spread to my left iliac wing - stage 4 Advanced bone mets cancer. Who knew? Not me! Very little pain, and most of the time, I'm okay.; But for how long? The journey continues!
