Regular breast screening – our best tool in the fight against breast cancer

Hi. I was diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer four years ago at the end of this month. I was 36-years-old then. I, myself, had found my lump through monthly self breast exams. I have fibrocystic breasts and a lump was hard to distinguish initially, except that "the lump" I was feeling after several months did not go away after each of my monthly periods like the fibrocysts usually did. I took my concern to a reputable GYN/OB doctor at a major hospital in my area. He did not seem to think anything was of concern, and no further tests were ordered, after he performed his breast exam on me. So, having trust in him, I just believed him and didn't really concern myself with it so much. I continued to do my monthly self exams and did notice that it still did not go away, and maybe, just maybe, it was getting just a little larger and more noticeable to me after 8 to 10 more months down the road. So, I made an appointment again with him and again the same story. So, since I was then more concerned with "the lump" I made an appointment with my primary physician's office for a physical to see what she would say. Of course, that appointment was about two months down the road after my last GYN appointment. Before I could make it in to my scheduled appointment, I began having sharp and continuous pain below my ribs. So, I ended getting into the doctor office for a more urgent appointment. After he could feel that my liver was greatly enlarged by palpation and by an xray, he sent me for a CT scan of my abdomen the next day, on a Friday. On the following Tuesday, I found out that I had metastatic liver tumors, and some pelvic lymph node involvement, and spleen tumors. So, since he could feel the breast lump very clearly, he immediately send me for a mammogram and breast ultrasound, a breast tissue biopsy, a bone scan, full body CT scans, and a liver biopsy within three days of the same week. I was very exhausted by the end of the week after all of the tests and the mental anxiety that went along with it all. After all the test results were compiled and I saw a breast oncologist, it was determined that I had estrogen receptor positive, Her2(-) breast cancer with mets to my upper spine, pelvis, and femurs, innumerable liver tumors, chest and abdomen lymph node involvement, spleen tumors, and a few lung spots. I immediately began hormone therapy with an aromatase inihibitor called Femara along with cessation of my ovaries so that I would be post-menopause. A month later I ended up just having my ovaries removed to keep estrogen levels at their lowest in my body. The Femara worked for 20 months, and then I had to begin chemotherapy. I took Taxol and Avastin for 18 months when my body just couldn't handle the toxicity of it all anymore. My kidneys were shutting down, and my blood pressure was sky high all the time, even with two blood pressure medications. And, not to mention the fatigue which caused me to need at least 15 hours of sleep everyday in chunks of 8-10 hours at a time. So, I then tried to see if a hormonal therapy drug would help again, which letting my body detox for a few months. So, I took Tamoxifen during that time, but without success for the cancer. Many of my liver tumors began to grow again, and I had developed new ones, too. I also seemed to have some increase in my bone mets to some degree. I also had to undergo radiation therapy treatment to my upper spine due to increasing pain in that area, and the possibility of just having a couple of my upper thoracic vertebrae collapse. The radiation made a big difference in my pain level. However, I have been starting to feel some increase in the pain again. I am now also taking Abraxane, since the Tamoxifen did not work, and have taken three cycles (treatment every three weeks). Today I had more scans to see how I am responding to the Abraxane therapy so we can decide to keep moving on with it, add something else to it, or change the treatment regimen again altogether.
I do believe that my outcome/prognosis may have been better, if my GYN doctor had decided that further testing of the lump I felt was important. At least I would have had a 15 month jump on the breast cancer. And, I am sure that the metastases would either have not been there, or been much more minimal with a better treatment outcome. So, I cannot stress enough to young women under the age of forty that doing your own self breast exams, if you are not getting mammograms yet, is very important. I trusted my doctor, but I think I learned that even the most trusted doctors can be wrong when only you know your body the best. It is important to speak up and not feel like their word is "the" word, and if something is definitely different, then demand that it get checked out. I didn't know what breast cancer felt like, so just hearing my GYN say that my breast "feels like any other 35-year-old breast," was a relief. I didn't have discharge from my nipple, no skin changes, and my breasts looked pretty symmetrical still. A lump that doesn't go away can mean breast cancer even without the other symptoms.
So, Please do your SBE's (self breast exams) on a monthly and get to know your body so you know when there are changes.
I hope to see my three children grow up.
Take Care - Denise

Kay, I'm a breast cancer survivor, it would have been 3 years in February. However, three weeks ago, I found out I have cancer in the only ovary left during a hysterectomy over 30 years ago. I'm 61. I went in for a pain in my right side. My GP ordered an ultra scan for the right side, where I have a stone the size of a peanut in my gallbladder.. and God knows why he also ordered a pelvic and abdominal ultra sound which showed the problem in my ovary. I hadn't even thought about it for years. So please, please, ask women who have had a hysterectomy and where an ovary was left, to ask for a periodic ultra sound of that ovary. My surgery is scheduled for January 18th. I'm a wreck... I work full time days and blog on my site nights.... This will impact my life considerably. Hoping its less then stage one...praying everyday. The unknown makes me wonder, what next..?

Thanks for your post..

Dorothy from grammology
remember to call your gram
http://grammology.com

I guess this is something that we all know Kay. But we need to have it brought home to us in articles like this to reinforce the message. And yes, I'm one of the guilty ones too.