The beginning of an Unexpected Journey

 

Hi I'm Scarlett and I have decided to share my journey with breast cancer with you.  

I had put off going to the the doctor for a few years now.  I felt healthy and didn't want to waste time and money to go see a doctor that was only going to tell you that your problem was drinking to much soda or being fat.  

For some unknown reason this year was different.  I felt that I really needed to get a physical.  I had been struggling with weight gain for a couple of years now and was not able to lose the weight.  It didn't matter how much exercise I did or how little I ate.

When my husband went to the doctor for his injured leg, I made the decision to make an appointment to get my yearly physical.  After all, full physicals were covered 100% by our insurance.  Little did I know that this was going to be a series of many tests.

Everything was going as expected.  Everything was flowing smoothly.  All test came back ok except for the mammogram...

I had to go back for another series of images and more images at different angles, plus an ultra sound which came as complete surprise.  The ultra sound did not even reveal a lump or any other sign of cancer.  Although, the doctor was convinced there was a problem. So my next visit was for a biopsy.

I'm not even exactly sure how I felt at that point.  Praying everything would come back negative or that the cancer cell was benign. Praying and hoping that this wasn't happening.

The biopsy was not quite what I was expecting either.  Totally convinced by the medical team that the only thing which really hurt was lying down on the table.  

Yes, the table was uncomfortable.  I was given a local anesthesia to numb the area around my left breast.  Of course, I was fully awake and unable to see the procedure. Not that I really wanted to anyway.  All I could hear was the sound of the machine.  Which did sort of sound like a sewing machine drilling into my breast with a needle scraping tissue to be examined.

Then the moment of truth.  On Friday, June 13th I received the news.  My doctor call and told me I had invasive ductal carcinoma.  The report was urgent and I needed to see an oncologist.  I was scared because I didn't know how severe or what type of breast cancer I had.

This whole process has been so overwhelming.  All the consultations and appointments.  I don't know what to think or what to feel.

Scarlett