Getting Diagnosed
After we moved our family to Cambridge, I found a small bump that as a mother of a 6 month old, thought was a blocked duct. Having had mastitis when nursing my son, I was terrified of another blocked duct and booked myself a doctors appointment on July 13th.
By July 21st, I found another lump in my armpit and was able to rush into a same day ultrasound. The next day, I was told that my results were abnormal and that we would be requesting a biopsy. My doctor put in a request at 4 different cancer centers and we waited.
While waiting, I messaged close family and friends. I called my grandma (who recently beat breast cancer) and asked my dear aunts all kinds of medical questions.
My one aunt, having done her fellowship at St. Joes, was able to forward my file to a surgical oncologist who booked me into the CIBC Breast Center at Juravinski Hospital. August 5th, I had my mammogram, ultrasound, and had 12 samples from 4 tumors biopsied. Those results shows a total of 3 masses in my breast and 5 in my lymph nodes on my left side.
THESE BIOPSIES CONFIRMED STAGE 3 HER2+ METAPLASTIC CARCINOMA (MIXED INVASIVE DUCT CARCINOMA AND SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA)
After working with my oncology team at Juravinski Cancer Center in Hamilton, ON, we have settled on a plan of 8 cycles of chemotherapy, followed by a double mastectomy and 12 rounds of Herceptin.
In the past 2 weeks, I have contemplated my mortality, my children’s futures and the burden of being ill while still striving to be a mother, a partner, and somehow still come out with my life and my health. We’ve had a lot of stressful days, lots of joy, and I have definitely had those moments where it simply is too much and I spend the night wide awake worrying about what the future looks like.
While I fully trust my doctors to get me through this ordeal physically, I am hoping to continue to work while also recognizing I will need to hit the pause button to focus on my health and my family a bit more in the coming months.
