My mom was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer today. She’s only 61. What’s so incredibly scary is that the 2cm tumor didn’t show up on her mammogram. The tumor is deep within her breast and is barely palpable. She was due for her yearly mammogram in two weeks and was doing her monthly self-exam. If she didn’t know what she was feeling for, she would have missed the lump or anything that was out of the ordinary. Her mammogram would have missed it as well and wouldn’t have caught the cancer until WAY too late – maybe as late as her next mammogram in a year? Those are some scary and sobering thoughts.
She eats well, doesn’t drink nor smoke, and overall, takes pretty good care of herself. This dreadful disease really can and will strike anybody.
Ladies, please take a moment and educate yourself on how to do a self exam.
Have a nice weekend.
Beth Oslander
August 1, 2010
Phyllis, 12 years ago, my mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer at stage 2b at the age of 55. After a mastectomy and no adjunct therapy (no chemo nor radiation) against her doctor’s recommendation, she is a survivor with it never returning! I was with her in every step of the way, did much research together. This is the time she will need your support and savvy internet skills. She did however, have too many lymph nodes removed (to insure it did not spread) and had problems with edema later including when she flies on airplanes and has to wear a band. Your mother has a high probability that she will have a full recovery!! Please feel free to ask me more about it if you need to. I have a soft heart for daughters of breast cancer survivors! Beth