Diane's Breast Cancer Story - 2

When Diane shared her story with me, I asked if I could post it for others to read. All of us know of someone whose life has been turned upside down by breast cancer. What I found over the years is that a lot of us do not know how to be proactive when it comes to our health. Most of the times, we're too busy to pay attention. Sadly we care for others better than ourselves, and we wait until we're literally crawling into the ER before we acknowledge that there is something wrong. This is our body, God's temple and we need to care for it but in order to do that, we must make the effort to educate ourselves and raise awareness for others.

There will be several posts that represent updates she sent family and friends via email. It allows us a glimpse of heart struggle and her relentless search for answers.

Thanks Diane... xo

Disclaimer: This is a true story. This represents the writer’s opinion only and should not be used as a medical guide. The writer does not claim that medical information contained in this story is completely accurate, current or error free. The writer is not responsible for direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or any other damages arising out of or in connection with the information provided in this story. Please consult your physician for all medical procedures, advice, plan of actions and test.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

I met with the oncologist today and Friday I have an MIR. I am fortunate to live in a state with two National Comprehensive Cancer Centers. Next Wednesday I am going to a Comprehensive Cancer Center for another opinion. So I have not decided where I am going to have treatment, but I am leaning towards the Comprehensive Cancer Center. The Cancer Center will run their own tests again and between the two, I will know what all my options are.

It’s astounding that so many women get Breast Cancer. I am also going to start eating better. Daily vitamins, lots of water a day and I will avoid sugars. Man that will be hard. I have read that not only should you avoid sugar, but you should watch when you eat it. Never eat sugar before a meal as this will spike your insulin. Only eat sugar and fruits after a meal. Also I need to exercise more. The American Cancer Society recommends at least 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise. The Institute for Cancer Research recommends an hour of moderate exercise each day and one hour of vigorous exercise each week.

Thursday, November 17, 2005 6:28 PM
Due to the size of my tumor, young age of 47 (yes, I am young for Cancer), pre menopausal, and STRONG family history (sister and grandmother) I am going to have to do Chemotherapy. So, surgery, Chemo and then radiation. This will be a 7 month battle and I was hoping for 2 months.

Saturday, November 19, 2005 4:19 PM

Great News, the MRI shows I have no other Cancerous tumors in either breast. So, we only have the one tumor. Ahead is the surgery which will show if it is in the lymph nodes. I feel good about both of these. I didn’t realize how scared I was of the MRI results until the doctors office called with the good news and I started to cry.

Friday, November 25, 2005 9:04 AM

Went to the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC) on Wednesday, Nov 23 for a second opinion, fully expecting to hear the same thing I had heard before, but I did not hear the same thing. The CCC believes we need to do genetic testing to determine the risks of reoccurrence. If I am positive for the mutated BRCA1 & BRCA2 gene, I run the risk of a 40-70% chance of reoccurrence and the CCC recommendation is double mastectomy. The CCC doctor also does not want to talk about chemo until the lump is actually removed and then sized.

Right now I am playing a waiting game, the genetic testing takes 5 – 6 weeks so the surgery is on hold until the first of the year. I hate waiting that long and am not sure I am willing to give up both my breasts even if the results come back +. Further discussions are needed with the doctors. On the schedule is the sentinel node surgery on Friday December 2. Thursday December 1, I will be injected with blue radioactive die that will locate my sentinel node; they will then remove the mass and determine if the Cancer has spread to my lymph nodes. This test and the size of the tumor will indicate if I need chemo. If there is no Cancer in the lymph nodes and the tumor is smaller than 1.5 CM then I will not necessarily need chemo. The MRI showed the tumor at 2.2 cm so I fear chemo is inevitable.

BRCA-1 is a gene which, when damaged (mutated), places a woman at greater risk of developing breast and/or ovarian Cancer, compared with women who do not have the mutation. In a woman with a BRCA1 mutation, the estimated lifetime risk of developing Breast Cancer is about 50% compared with 12% in the general population. A person who has this mutated gene has a 50% chance of passing on the gene to each of her children.

BRCA2 is a gene which, when damaged or mutated, puts the carrier at a much higher risk for developing Breast Cancer and/or ovarian Cancer than the general population. In a woman with a BRCA2 mutation, the estimated lifetime risk of developing Breast Cancer is 50-60%. BRCA 2 and BRCA1 together account for about 80% of the Breast Cancer that occurs in women with strong family histories of the disease.