Breast Cancer
I wasn't expecting my 42nd birthday present to be a breast cancer diagnosis. My abnormal mammogram turned out to be early stage Breast Cancer. I was diagnosed with Stage 0 DCIS in the fall of 2019. Here are my posts about my journey with Breast Cancer from diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and recovery.
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HealthGrades Post: Breast Cancer- A Life Pivot I Wasn’t Expecting
I sat in the exam room with a flimsy paper gown on, swinging my legs in nervous anticipation. Today was the day I would get my results. After an abnormal mammogram, more imaging, and then a biopsy, the wait was over. Did I have cancer? #sponsored
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From An Inconclusive Biopsy to a Lumpectomy
After an inconclusive biopsy result, it was time to meet with my surgeon to discuss the pending lumpectomy. Surgery is soon!
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An Inconclusive Biopsy: More In-Between Ahead
I’ve had many biopsies over the years. They have all been able to definitively tell whether the finding is cancer or not. I was expecting that same clarity after this latest biopsy. I was completely unprepared to hear that the results were inconclusive.
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Cancer Survivorship: Living in the In-Between
When I finished breast cancer treatment, I eagerly awaited the time that I could move back into the normal phase of my life. Treatment was done, and now everything could fall back into place. But, it turns out, there isn’t a back to normal. Cancer survivorship, for me, means learning to live in the in-between.
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Recovery is a Process, Not an Event
Recovery from cancer or a significant injury isn’t an event. We don’t wake up one day and feel completely recovered. Recovery is a process, not an event.
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Do You Have Dense Breasts?
Breast density is an important measurement to be aware of for several reasons. One is that mammograms are not as effective at detecting cancer in dense breasts. Another reason is that people with dense breasts have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.
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Breast Imaging Focus: What Is A Diagnostic Mammogram?
Diagnostic mammograms offer more detailed pictures to the radiologists of findings in our breasts. When might one be ordered for us? What is the experience like?
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Breast Imaging Focus: What is a Screening Mammogram?
What is a screening mammogram, and at what age should we start getting them? What is it like to get one and how do we understand the results? In this post, I share some my experiences and a lot of research about mammograms.
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Decision-Making During Breast Cancer Treatment: Solving A Puzzle I Never Wanted To Do
Decision-making was so difficult, especially at the beginning. I was just learning about the language of breast cancer, and I needed to make treatment choices without feeling like I had all the answers. There was a weight to the choices. What if I made the wrong one?
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25 Things I’d Tell Myself Before My Lumpectomy
It's been two years since my DCIS diagnosis, lumpectomy, and radiation treatment. Here are 25 things that I'd tell myself before my lumpectomy.
