1 in 8. This is the number of women who will develop breast cancer over their lifetime. This equates to about 250,000 women PER YEAR. On October 27, 2017, I became this statistic as this is the day I heard the words “I’m sorry Ms. Morales, it’s cancer.” I had always been diligent about my annual mammograms, electing to have them in October as this was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. After having a suspicious mammogram in 2012, I went to a breast specialist to review my images. A needle biopsy led to a lumpectomy with benign results. But I had microcalcifications, and the possibility of another situation was always in the back of my mind. My breast doctor told me I had “dense” breasts, which made reading the mammograms difficult, and meant absolutely nothing to me at that point. But in order to get a clearer view, every year I would have a mammogram and an ultrasound. At my last mammogram in October 2017, the usual dense tissue showed up and nothing looked suspicious. But the ultrasound tech saw something which caught her attention, and after two biopsies (one in each breast) and a breast MRI, it was confirmed. Stage 2 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC). My breast doctor sent me to an oncologist on the same day, who immediately downgraded my staging to a 3 as my tumor was estimated at 7 cm. I made the decision to have a double mastectomy since I already had irregular activity in the non-cancerous breast and was at high risk of developing IDC in that breast as well. Within the space of four days, I had seen my breast surgeon, a medical oncologist, a plastic surgeon (immediate reconstruction was a good option for me), my gastroenterologist (needed that colonoscopy NOW), and numerous technicians and phlebotomists. Surgery was completed on November 15, 2017, 19 days after diagnosis, and consisted of a bilateral mastectomy with immediate reconstruction and a sentinel node biopsy. The good news is my tumor wasn’t as large as they originally thought, so my final staging was a 2A, grade 2, ER+ PR- HER2-. The bad news is 2 of 8 lymph nodes removed tested positive. After my oncotype score came in at 17, I was able to eliminate chemotherapy from my treatment plan, but required 30 rounds of radiation followed with 7-10 years of hormone therapy with an aromatase inhibitor. I am well on the road to recovery (as much as possible) but here are my big takeaways and advice:
- Identify the POSITIVE aspects all of the time. So much of your treatment and recovery is mental, and a positive outlook from day one is critical. I’ll never have another mammogram again! God gave me great faith and continues to answer my prayers everyday. My daughters are strong and incredible, just like I always prayed they would be. Ten months of not having to go to the office – WOOT WOOT.
- Be DILIGENT in having your mammograms every year. I am living, breathing proof they really do save lives.
- UNDERSTAND your mammogram results. Dense breasts are an incredible risk to women, but are not really explained as such to women.
- ADVOCATE for yourself. We do not have Nurse Navigators here, so there is no one to help you steer through all of the tests, surgeries, tips, recommendation, resources, etc. No one is going to advocate for you except YOU. Call your insurance company and understand your coverage, keep a copy of ALL of your tests including labs, and communicate with redundancy with all of your medical team as they do not communicate with each other.
- Identify your RISKS. No family history? Me neither. I did place myself at risk by taking oral contraceptives for years, then taking a synthetic hormone supplement after menopause. This is not atypical so understand these risks. I have 3 adult daughters, and all have been tested for genetic mutations.
- Be sure you have a MEDICAL TEAM you are completely confident with. My breast surgeon, medical oncologist, radiation oncologist, and plastic surgeon saved my life, and I entrusted myself 100% into their care. If you don’t have this level of confidence with your team, find another doctor.