Talk about awkward...you run into a friend you haven't seen and the inevitable question, "So how are you?" So, what am I going to say, "Oh good other then the fact I have breast cancer for the 2nd time in 3 years and I'm having a bilateral mastectomy in 2 weeks. How are things going with you?"
This run in has happened now a few times and I just say "things are going good". I figure why bother, it makes both of us uncomfortable and maybe they will find out but I don't need to be the one to tell them.
What has this 2nd go around with breast cancer made me realize? The person you talk to at the store that's rude to you or the person who cuts you off driving may not be having the greatest day, matter of fact they could be having a really crappy day but if I give them a smile, just maybe, it might help their day not be so crappy. This has also made me realize you simply don't know what's going on in a person's life. A good friend of ours said to us when we were dealing with all this, think of it this way; Imagine there is a cooking pot. People write their problems on a piece of paper and drop it in. You will then pull out a problem and it becomes yours. You will wish, once you pull out someone else's problem, that you had your own back. You find out things that are going on in people's lives and you are thankful for your own problems. I could not imagine caring for a sister who has colon cancer, have a husband that's having an affair, a teenager that's caused an accident while driving drunk, or having a parent that is showing the beginning signs of Alzheimer's. Then again, they probably would not want to be me and dealing with breast cancer for a 2nd time in 3 years with a bi lateral mastectomy in 2 weeks.
Am I still going to be cranky with someone, probably. But I will try to be better on how I handle that really rude person because their problem at home could be worse then mine.
Keep me company as I travel thru my journey facing breast cancer again.
Why would anyone want to read about someone else's problem when you have plenty of your own? Maybe one day a loved one, a friend, or you will be diagnosed with breast cancer. My blog might offer insite into cancer resources, thoughts, questions to ask, or guidance in helping you deal with this disease. These are my experiences and suggestions. Every breast cancer is different. If you are touched by breast cancer, be sure to consult your Dr. for direction in treatment.
I equate my blog to the emergency evacuation instruction the flight attendants do before you take off on an airplane. Nobody pays attention to them but when your plane is about to crash you think, "sh*t, why didn't I pay more attention to them? Which color cord do I pull first again?" We have so many things going on in our lives that one more thing to dwell on that doesn't apply to us right now may not be important but when it does, we wish we would have paid attention.
My blog is something you might read a couple times or maybe follow. Hopefully you gain some knowledge about breast cancer, in particular, Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC). It is the 2nd most common type of invasive breast cancer however it only accounts for approx. 10% of all invasive breast cancers. It is the silent breast cancer. It is generally not detected with a mammo but rather an ultrasound. Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) is what I have been diagnosed with. My suggestion to every woman who is of mammo age insist on an ultrasound with your mammos.
UPDATE 3/2011
I have had my bilaterial mastectomy and I am recovering. ILC is a sneaky cancer as I said above. My various Dr.'s here and at UCSF confirmed the size of my tumor should be between 2.5cm-3.5cm with possibilty but not most likely, 7cm. After my surgery, my tumor was confirmed to be 11cm. My Dr.'s are very knowledgeable and are on top of things. This is simply the truth about ILC. I had mammos every 6 months, ultra sounds, and MRI's. With all of these, it was not picked up until 1/2011. The good news, if you can call it that, only 1 sentinel node out of 2 has micromastic findings and 5 aux. nodes were negative.
Be sure to start my adventure from the blog history on the right. I have tried to bold points to make it easier to extract the important information. If there is anything you get out of this blog, refer to my Dr.'s listed below if you know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer in the East Bay. These Dr.'s; Dr. Gottlieb, Dr. Wotowic, and Dr. Sherman are my 3 musketeers....all for 1 and 1 for all!
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