I am new to HS Web, my husband is a junkie. I happened upon this forum and have fallen in love.
This is a story that I would like to share. I know everyone hears about monthly breast exams so much that most of the time it goes in one ear and out the other. I have to admit I was the same way, even though my grandmother died of breast cancer at the age of 49 and I had a total hysterectomy at the age of 25 due to precancerous dysplasia.
Last November my mom went for her yearly mammogram, she had been doing her monthly exams and thought this was going to be another routine exam. Boy was she wrong. As soon as her exam was over they took her into an office to meet the person who had looked at her films. This is when she knew something was seriously wrong.
He walked her through her films and said that a week later he wanted her to have an indepth mammogram and a sonogram.
They got her in touch with a wonderful surgeon and he told us he believed that it was breast cancer but it was small, so he THOUGHT everything would be okay and they would be able to get it ALL!
Since December my mom has had 4 surgeries and is in the first stages of chemotherapy. The cancer was only 4mm, but it was very aggressive. She has invasive ductal carcinoma, ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma and she is ER, PR and HER Positive; which I have been told is not a good thing. Keep in mind this mass was only 4mm. It spread to her lymph nodes. We have started chemo and she is currently in her second round of 8 rounds. Her rounds are 21 days apart, comprised of 4 different types of chemo medication and she has to take shots every week to keep her red and white count up enough to continue her chemo treatments. She has lost all of her hair and when I say all I mean ALL! We still don't know if the cancer has spread anywhere else since her last surgery. I am sure most of you have heard of the PET scans but these only show masses that are larger than 1cm. As of yet she has not had a mass that large, most of the cancer that has been found is because of other tests or surgeries that she has. Once her chemo treatments are finished then she will have the rest of her lymph nodes removed to see if they are positive. If they are negative then she will take radiation. If any come back positive, then we start this process all over again.
I was 4 when my grandmother passed away so I don't have those awful memories to deal with, but when my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer we moved her in with us. She doesn't have a significant other to help her through this. Only her 2 daughters, a son in law and a 12 year old grandson. She is a very strong person and I don't know if I could handle it with the grace that she has. She is truly an inspiration.
Since my mom was diagnosed my sister and I have both had mammograms, I hate to admit it but it had been a while since I had one. I have a calcified lump that we are keeping an eye on.
I wanted to share this story, so that you will know that when it comes to cancer it is not the size that matters. Have your yearly mammograms and do your monthly check-ups.
And please next time that you kneel to pray, please pray for the millions of women and their families who have been touched by this horrible disease.
God bless all of you!!
Original Post
Boy, y'all were planning ahead, weren't ya!!!
How many games was this over?
Whew ... that's a relief about your mom's scan.