Life after breast cancer.
It’s my two-year anniversary! Yes! Two years of being cancer-free and I have the rest of my life to go. Time is moving by so swiftly. I didn’t realize that it’s been an entire year since my last post. Where did the time go?
Time
This year has been quite busy for me. When I got diagnosed with breast cancer, I was in the master’s program for family nurse practitioner. Because of the toll it was taking on me, mentally and physically, I had to take a break. Well, I’ve started back on this journey with my skates on and I’m rolling through by the grace of God. I have 3 more classes to go! That is what’s been taking up my time. I’ve been so focused on finishing up on this path, that I haven’t taken time to share with those who have been following my journey. I haven’t taken the time to share the encouragement and education that I set out to do when I started this blog. For that, I apologize to you and to myself.
I Am Well
Since my last post, there have been some changes in my health. But overall, I AM WELL. In November of last year, I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and was hospitalized for about a week. I started noticing the increase in thirst, the increase in urination, and I noticed that every time I’d have my lab work done, my fasting glucose levels would be higher than the previous result. I had my primary care provider order a hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). It was 10.0%. It is uncertain whether chemotherapy brought it out or if it was inevitable due to my family history. I’m leaning toward the chemotherapy because my levels hadn’t started rising until after I started it. My most recent results have decreased, tremendously. My latest result was 5.7%. Much better than it was. I’m not on nearly as much medication as they started me off with. I’ve made some lifestyle changes and it’s working. I don’t know if I’ll ever be back to feeling like I’m 100%, but I’m continuing to strive towards better health.
Purpose
This year makes 30 years that I’ve been a nurse. I decided to go back to school to advance in my career and become a primary care provider. My desire is to help others as it relates to health. I want my patients to really understand their healthcare needs so that they can make every attempt to take charge of their health. I want to make a difference. That’s one of my purposes. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I thought I was handed a death sentence. But as I continued to think about it, as I continued to pray about it, and continued to seek God through it, I realized that we’ve all been given a death sentence. We all have a shelf-life. We don’t know how. We don’t know when. No one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36). But… While we still have breath, we still have PURPOSE. The question is, “Will we fulfill our purpose before we expire?” Understanding this, helped me so much. I pray it speaks volumes to you, too, whatever you may be going through.
Anna’s Story
You get to meet new and interesting people as you journey through life. Whether you’re on your job, in the grocery store, at church, etc., you are bound to meet someone you make a connection with. While in school, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with quite a few people. You never know what people have been through until you listen. I met this young lady in a group chat for school. She caught my attention as she shared her story. Here I was thinking, “None of these people can relate to anything I’ve been through.” But I was wrong. And that is why I share.
Name : Anna Goodwin
Q. How old were you when you were diagnosed?
A. I was diagnosed in April of 2016 at the age of 41.
Q. Did you get annual breast exams?
A. I had my initial mammogram at 38 years old and was advised to repeat in 2 years. I was just barely over the 2-year mark.
Q. Did you do self-breast exams?
A. Not regularly. I started doing them after a patient’s wife got breast cancer. I didn’t do them regularly because I had larger breasts that were fibrocystic and I thought I wouldn’t know the difference. But, I did.
Q. When you found out you had breast cancer, did you have a routine exam or did you find a lump?
A. I found the lump on a self-breast exam (SBE)
Q. What type of breast cancer were you diagnosed with?
A. I was diagnosed with Stage 3A triple positive IDC (estrogen, progesterone, and her2). Stage 3A means that cancer spread from the breast in to the lymph nodes.
Q. What treatment plan did you decide on?
A. I had to do chemotherapy and radiation, regardless, due to the aggressive nature of the HER2/neu gene. Radiation was also encouraged because I had 2 positive axillary lymph nodes.
Q. What other options did you have?
A. Chemotherapy and radiation were always on the table for treatment. The choice I had to make was whether or not I was going to have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy.
Q. Why did you choose the treatment plan you went/or are currently going through?
A. I chose to have a mastectomy because a lumpectomy would leave breast tissue and increase the chances of recurrence.
Q. Did you get a second opinion?
A. No, I didn’t need one. Deep down, I knew it was cancer prior to all the testing and staging processes.
Q. How did you feel about your diagnosis?
A. I was devastated. I was afraid. All I could think about were negative things and felt that my situation was the worst. I thought I was going to die on the operating table. I had googled the percentage of people that actually die during anesthesia, and my mind was eased seeing that it was less than 1%. After surgery, I had gotten more nervous believing that chemotherapy was going to kill me. In 2009, I had a friend pass away as a result of going through a similar course. My husband, at the time, would tell me, “Anna, your cancer isn’t what is going to kill you. Your nerves are what’s going to kill you”. I dove into my Bible after that. Joyce Meyer’s book, Battlefield of the Mind, was really helpful. God’s Word, and the workbook to the book, helped me through and really gave me peace with my diagnosis.
Q. Did you do genetic testing?
A. Yes.
Q. What were the results?
A. The genetic markers for the BRCA 1&2 gene were negative. All other gene mutations were negative, as well. With those results, genetically speaking, I should never have gotten breast cancer. So, why me?
Q. How did the doctor/s respond?
A. Not only were the doctors very concerned about my physical health, but they were also concerned about my mental health. My oncologist restricted me from work because I was a home health nurse at the time.
Q. How did you feel about your treatment team?
A. My treatment team was wonderful. They valued my opinion on treatment steps. I really appreciated feeling that my input about my care was considered. My doctor suggested that I do neo-adjuvant chemotherapy first. I did the surgery first. I wanted that poison out of my body before it even got in there.
Q. Did you make any dietary changes?
A. I stopped drinking so many cokes and eating so many Oreo cookies (true story).
Q. How did your family respond?
A. My family and friends were scared, although they didn’t tell me or show it as I was going through. They were very supportive.
Q. How would you help someone else through?
A. Going through chemotherapy is very challenging. I would encourage those that have to go through that to drink plenty of fluids. Especially, water throughout the infusion. Urinate after each bag of chemotherapy. For example, after Taxotere or carboplatin has infused, get up and go to the bathroom. Do it after each one. You will be given an antiemetic with treatment. But ask for pills as well. Phenergan and Zofran are often given, and you should have both even though what was given through the IV should hold you for a week. It helps to prevent nausea and vomiting. It also helped my appetite. I also found that wearing cold gloves helped prevent necrosis of the nail beds. Anemia is inevitable. Take iron. I took it while going through chemo with vitamin C to increase absorption. I also too Super B complex to prevent neuropathy. Because of the toll it takes on platelet count, what helps your blood to clot, I took zinc which helps rebuild those levels. L-Lysine will help prevent mouth ulcers. Our bodies don’t make this so this will help heal ulcers or any other skin issues.
Q. What is one take away from your journey?
A. God is in control. I tell every female to always check their breasts even if they are larger and fibrocystic because you will know the difference between a cyst and a nodule.
Q. How long was it before your health was totally back to normal, or has it gotten back?
A. Just recently getting back to my normal weight and energy level.
Right Now
God is so good. Where would I be without Him? To Him, I give all praise. Hallelujah! As Anna mentioned, God is in control. I seek Him first, asking Him to “order my steps” daily. Right now, I’m still loving on me. Despite the hectic schedule that I have, I’m still taking time out for me. I also have gotten to see my G-babies a little more. My daughter-in-love put together this awesome picture of them for me. “GiGi”. They sure do put a smile on my face.
Well, it’s been 2 years and I’ve seriously been considering reconstructive surgery. I have a consultation soon. I’ll keep you updated.
Until next time…
