On August 4th I was diagnosed with breast cancer. On Aug 21st I had surgery to remove the 2.5 centimeter cancerous tumor. I chose only to have a lumpectomy because the MRI I had the week before did not show any cancer in any other part of either breasts and my lymph nodes were not enlarged. They did end up finding cancer in my sentinel lymph node during surgery though and so they took out 8 other lymph nodes to biopsy. The following Monday, Aug 25th, I found out those lymph nodes were clear of cancer giving a high percentage of hope that it was not in any other part of my body. Because it was in the sentinel node though it is at least stage II cancer and I need to have chemo and radiation to make sure all cancer cells are killed.
I have another health issue that I have battled for 20 years that has worn down my immune system so my huge battle is to get my immune system strong so that I can start chemo after my daughters wedding on October 10th. My sister Toddie, my husband Keith and I have researched a lot and we are building my immune system and fighting my other health issue with products from an alternative clinic in Scottsdale and I can already see great results in how I feel.
Come mid-October, I will be going through 4 treatments of chemo, once every three weeks, through mid January and then I start radiation for 5-7 weeks once a day. I have always considered myself a holistic person and this was my hardest decision as I was really trying to avoid this but all the doctors we have met with and my family believe I need to do this so the cancer does not come back or spread anywhere if for some reason all the cancer cells were not removed. We were not sure if I had cancer in other places but I had a full pet scan of my body on September 12th to make sure that we are on the right path of treatment before chemo started and to make Keith and myself more at ease. We received the results on September 16th that no cancer tumors were seen on the pet scan in other areas of my body!
The prognosis is very good just a fight which I plan to win! I would like to thank all my friends/clients so much for all their love and support in the last month and a half! Thank you to all of you who have sent flowers, cards, cooked meals etc. Keith and I truly feel blessed! How can I NOT win this battle with all this love and support? Keith’s and my heart goes out to the women that don’t have this kind of support and we will continue to keep them in our prayers and try and see how we can help others in the future.
Many have been asking how I found the cancer. After a very stressful time in the past six months, I lay in bed many mornings having a hard time getting up because I was so tired. I have three wonderful cats but my cat Stella became overly demanding of my attention and would come and sit on my chest and pet my face with her paw. As endearing as it was, some days I would be annoyed and push her off only for her to come right back up on my chest. She is four-years old and had never been so demanding and this had been going on for about a month. Finally, on July 29th she jumped on my right breast and it hurt so I did a self-breast exam and felt something that did not seem normal. I made an appointment that Friday, August 1st, to go in and get a mammogram and ultrasound. They told me I had something “suspicious” that they needed to biopsy and I asked them to do it then. They basically told me they were pretty sure I had cancer right there and confirmed it the following Monday. As you can only imagine, Stella is even more dear to my heart for helping detect my cancer. Since the surgery, she still hangs out on my chest but she seems at peace that the cancer has been removed and she is not quite so demanding..just loving.
Again, thank you all for your humbling support! Please understand it is hard to get back to everyone reaching out to me but that all your cards, emails and gifts have blessed me tremendously!
Thank you to friends who have offered to bring us meals through the chemo. We welcome and love the support. I am on a very strict health regime though and Keith has been a gem in following it with me and preparing my meals. Basically, I have to stay away from sugar, dairy and carbohydrates besides things made with brown rice, oats and buckweat. Most organic meats and vegetables I can eat. I also have to stay away from alcohol for a long time so that means I can’t have my favorite “Freditini” margaritas with friends for awhile! Here is a link to the kind of foods I am eating these days due to my Candida with the Cancer. http://hubpages.com/hub/Candida-Diet-Cookbook
I will keep you updated on my progress and thank you all for helping stand up to the fight against cancer!
