MY STORY: Barb

Iam a two-time breast cancer survivor.

My story began in February 1986 when I was 35 years old. I felt a lump in my breast and had a mammogram. The lump didn’t show up on the mammogram so I thought everything was OK. A few months later I found out that mammograms were not 100 percent accurate so I went back to my doctor. My lump hurt so I had an ultrasound to find out if it was a cyst. It wasn’t that.

I saw a surgeon who said it was a tumor, but it wasn’t cancer. Since it was a tumor he said it would grow but I shouldn’t be concerned. I told him it hurt and he said all the more reason it was not cancer.

I told him I wanted the lump removed and found out it was stage one cancer. I had more surgery to see if the cancer was in my lymph nodes and it wasn’t. That was a good thing.

The surgeon wanted me to have a mastectomy but the oncology doctor said there was a new treatment – a lumpectomy followed by radiation. I went with that treatment and it proved to be successful until 2010.

In January 2010 I saw a bruise on my breast and blood coming out of my nipple. I had a mammogram that didn’t show anything; the doctor thought it might have been a blood vessel that burst and the blood was from that.

I then had an MRI and a small spot was found. I talked to a surgeon who said she didn’t think that spot was cancer, but I had heard that before. So I had the spot removed. Although it wasn’t cancer, cancer was found in the surrounding tissue. It was a slow growing cancer and I feel the bruise, blood and spot was a blessing in disguise, otherwise that cancer would not have been detected.

The only treatment for me was radiation and since I already had my limit of radiation I couldn’t have any more. There was a new procedure that would have required me to go to the University of Minnesota Hospital twice a day for a week to have radiation injected through tubes directly to the affected area. At this point in my life, September 2010, I opted for mastectomy. I also opted not to have reconstructive surgery and am very happy with my prosthetic breasts.

All my life I have been physically active with sports – running, skiing, biking and just general working out at fitness centers. I knew something wasn’t right and my body was trying to tell me something. I am glad I checked out those things as both times my cancer was caught early. Also, I try to be mentally positive. That and being physically fit has helped me out with the recovery process.

I often wonder where I would be today if I had not gone through with my surgery back in 1986. I know I wouldn’t be here to tell you my story.

I want to say to all you ladies out there to please have your annual mammograms no matter how uncomfortable and painful they may be and to do self-exams. If you find anything unusual have it checked out. Even though my cancer was not found through mammograms, ultra sounds and MRI, I still believe in these tests as they have found cancer and have saved many lives.