Today marks the 1 year anniversary from my bilateral mastectomy (aka double mastectomy). One year ago at this time I was being admitted into the hospital. It was my first surgery ever. My first time ‘going under’. I was optimistic that day, thinking I’ll have the cancer removed and go about my life. Heck, I had just started working again and already had to take time off for a medical procedure. When the surgery was over I remember waking up feeling pretty OK and my first question was, ‘did cancer hit my lymph node?’ Luckily the answer was no… I can go about my life. Plot. Fucking. Twist.
A week later we got a call from my surgeon with the final pathology results. In that moment, my life and my families life changed. Not only did results come back that cancer had gone aggressive (upgraded from Stage 0 in March to Stage 2 in April), but I needed to remove my right nipple immediately since cancer was sucking on my teet AND it DID hit my lymph node (micromastatic). It was such a blow to my normal positive outlook.
Looking back I can confidently say cancer was only a bump in the road. Did it change my life forever? Yep. Sure did. You know how? Because I refused to lay quietly. I told my story whenever I could and I’d like to think, because of me, I might have saved a few boobies. Because my life forever changed, those that went and got a mammogram because I reminded them, also forever changed. We’re all tied together, somehow, someway. 2022 might have been a shitty year, but the things I experienced and the things I learned might have made someone else’s 2022 and beyond better. For that, I’m grateful. It’s true what they say, ‘you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only option.
THE PAST (April 2022 – April 2023):
3 Surgeries (Double Mastectomy, Nipple Removal, Port “installed”)
16 rounds of aggressive chemo (4 of those being “The Red Devil”)
28 rounds of radiation
2 injections (so far) of ovarian ablation (aka Zoladex), 2 years to go
Pill – daily estrogen blocker (Tamaoxifen), 5-10 years to go
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UP NEXT:
May 22, 2023
Surgery to replace expanders with silicon boobies. Peace out uncomfortable expanders!
Surgery to remove port. Peace out port!
Hot flashes continue and hair is growing in curly! Looking forward to new boobs just in time for summer!