November 9, 2009. I woke up one morning and felt a lump.  I thought it was a swollen gland.  After a few days I decided I better have it checked out.  I made an appointment with my family medicine doctor.  She examined me, left out of the room, and called the Medical College of Georgia Mammography Suite. She informed me that she scheduled an appointment with them for the next day.  I guess I should have been worried but it never occurred to me that this might be breast cancer.  I had regular mammograms and had just gotten one in April, 2009. The exam was negative.  I had received my regular gynecological exam in August. On that exam there were no problems noted.

November 10, 2009. I went for my mammogram.  A mammogram is a special x-ray examination of the breast made with specific x-ray equipment that can often find tumors too small to be felt. The radiologist came into the room to talk to me. She said she wanted to do a sonogram.  A sonogram is a computerized picture taken by bouncing sound waves off organs and other interior body parts. A wand called a transducer is glided over the body over a centralized area or organ. As it glides it introduces sound waves into the body. The waves bounce off the intended area and band into the transducer, which feed into the computer. The picture then appears on a special computer screen. After the sonogram she asked if she could do a biopsy.   Of course I agreed.  I knew it would be painful but necessary.  A breast biopsy would be the removal of sample tissue for the purpose of diagnosis (Stoppler, 2011). I was beginning to worry now.  Still, I thought that perhaps it was only a cyst that would have to be removed.

November 16, 2009. I went into the mammography suite to talk with a group of doctors.  That is when I heard the words “breast cancer”.  I was stunned, speechless, and shocked.  I never expected to hear those words.  I could not respond initially.  The tears began to flow.  They were trying to tell me things but I couldn’t hear and to this day I don’t know what “they” said.  Breast cancer forms in the tissues of the breast, the ducts, and the lobules. It becomes fatal when it travels outside of the mammary ducts, enters the bloodstream, and spreads to the bones, liver or brain. Someone finally asked if they could call someone. I had them call my Family Medicine doctor.  I wanted her help to tell my daughters and to help me make some sense of this.  Later that afternoon my two older daughters and I met my physician.  She, with tears in her eyes, told my Kendra and my Olivia. We had decided not to tell my youngest daughter, Alexis, until she came home for Christmas break.  At this moment cancer makes no sense. However in a flash of a moment God would remind me who He is through his word and songs would be of comfort.

You can reach me by railway, you can reach me by trailway You can reach me on an airplane, you can reach with your mind You can reach me by caravan, cross the desert like an Arab man I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can…

November 23, 2009. My daughters, Kendra and Olivia, and I went to the Cancer Clinic to meet with the Medical Oncologist.  He outlined his part of the treatment plan.  He said I would have six three week combination chemotherapy treatments. Chemotherapy treatment uses medicine to weaken and destroy cancer cells in the body including cells at the original cancer site and any cancer cells that may have spread to another part of the body (Stoppler, 2009). He talked about some of the possible side effects. The doctor said they might include; nausea, vomiting, hair loss, headache, diarrhea, fever, chills, bruising, achy bones, itchy skin, toe fungus, shortness of breath, blurred vision, compromised motor control, loss of appetite.  He assured me that he felt that we had caught it early and that the treatment would be successful.  Prior to beginning the chemo I had a PET scan to make sure the cancer had not spread to other organs. A PET scan or Positive Emission Tomography scan measures important body functions, such as blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose metabolism, to help doctors determine how well organs and tissues are functioning.  A radiotracer is injected into your vein, swallowed, or inhaled as a gas and eventually accumulates in the organ or area of your body being examined.

I also had a MUGA scan to check my heart and blood flow to make sure that I would have no problems with the chemotherapy. A multigated acquisition (MUGA) scan checks to see if your heart is pumping blood properly throughout the body. Before starting chemotherapy and throughout treatment the physician may want to perform a scan. Anthrcyclines are a type of chemotherapy that can damage the heart and its ability to pump blood to the rest of your body. A  CT scan to check my bones was also performed. CT, CAT, or computerized axial tomography scan is an x-ray procedure that combines several x-ray images with the aid of a computer to create cross sectional, three dimensional views of internal organs and structures of the body. It helps define normal versus abnormal structures in the body and assists in procedures by helping to accurately guide the placement of instruments or treatments (Stoppler, 2011).  So, I was well scanned. Thank God I passed all these “scans” with flying colors.  When I went back to get the results of the scans my physician was as happy as we were with the results.  Next, my doctor said something that made me know he was the right doctor for me.  He said, “The treatment plan is threefold.  I am going to do all I can medically do, you’re going to do your part, and then Lord will take care of the rest.”

You can reach me by sail boat, climb a tree and swing rope to rope Take a sled and slide down the slope, into these arms of mine You can jump on a speedy colt, cross the border in a blaze of hope I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can…

November 30, 2009. The first chemotherapy treatment was here.  My daughters were with me.  I was nervous but ready to get started.  I had chosen to have my chemotherapy given to me peripherally rather than to have a port.  Big Mistake.  I have practically no usable veins. After, the first few days of chemotherapy I was pretty wiped out. I was given Benadryl and Compazine along with the chemotherapy drugs to prevent side effects. I was taking medication for nausea for three days following chemotherapy and pain medication (my bones ached). I was feeling better by week two.  By week three I was almost back to my normal self, but then it would be time for my next round of chemotherapy.

Fortunately I didn’t have too many of the side effects.  There is some peripheral neuropathy that is getting better.  Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the nerves apart from the brain and spinal cord. Patients with peripheral neuropathy may experience tingling, numbness, unusual sensation, weakness, or burning pain. Some of the causes of peripheral neuropathy may be diabetes, shingles, vitamin deficiencies, or cancer therapy drugs (Helm, 2009). I had achy joints but pain medicine helped resolved most of that.  I had some dizziness and even actually passed out twice – once when I was home alone with Alexis andthe other time when I was teaching a class.  As you can imagine this was pretty traumatizing for Alexis and for my nursing students!

The next leg of my treatment was surgery.  It took three surgeries but finally the surgeons got the results they wanted. TheJackson Pratt drain was no fun. A Jackson Pratt drain removes fluid in areas of the body that may cause pain and swelling. The drain is made up of a thin rubber tube leading from the body to a drainage bulb. It is usually placed after surgery.

September 2010. Radiation therapy began.  I had to have 37 treatments.  So daily, Monday through Friday for approximately 20 minutes I had to lie in a cold room and have my treatments.  Most of the staff was very nice and did everything they could to make me comfortable.  I had my own blanket.  My radiologist would often thank God out loud for our progress.  When my skin was blistering she would remind me that was exactly what it was supposed to do and she would thank God that it was working.  At the end of my treatment she held my hand and prayed for me and asked God to bless me and cure me.

There are hills and mountains between us Always something to get over If I had my way, surely you would be closer I need you closer…

April 2010. I was able to participate in the Relay for Life Walk and the Miracle Mile Walk in October.

November 2010. My treatments were over.  My children held a wonderful surprise “Pink Party” to celebrate life and the end of the treatments. All my doctors are pleased with the results of all treatment and feel that I am currently cancer free.

February 2011. I had a PET scan to confirm their exams. I know I have victory over this disease.

I knew the Lord sent me on this journey for a reason.  One of the things he has me doing is talking to others about this. I am trying to increase the awareness of others about the importance of self-breast exams as well as mammograms.  Our children, grandchildren, and all future generations should not have to deal with this disease.  We have to find a cure and it is up to us to fight for the cure.

You can windsurf into my life, take me up on a carpet ride You can make it in a big balloon but you better make it soon you can reach me by caravan cross the desert like an Arab man I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can I don’t care how you get here just get here if you can…

He can. He will and He does. Continue self-breast exams and see your doctor for your regular scheduled health visits. You are worth it!

MaeDella Perry, RN, MSN is an Associate Professor at the University Of South Carolina Of Aiken and was kind enough to share her story.  Co Author/Editor L.R. Walker, RN, MSN

References

World Wide Web

(1)  “Medical dictionary definitions of popular medical terms easily defined on medications,”

[http://www.medterms.com/script/main/hp.asp ] March, 2011

(2) Melissa Conrad Stoppler, M.D. “Breast Biopsy” [http://www.medicinenet.com/breast_biopsy/article.htm ] March, 2011

(3) Melissa Conrad Stoppler, M.D., “Computerized Axial Tomography CAT Scan/ CT Scan”,

[http://www.medicinenet.com/cat_scan/article/.htm ]   March, 2011

(4) “National Cancer Institute U.S. National Institutes of Health”, [http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopic/pdq/treatment/breast/Patient] March 2011

(5) “Positive Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography (PET/CT),”

[http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=PEG] March, 2011

(6) Standiford Helm II M.D., “Peripheral Neuropathy Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatments on Medications,” [http://www.medicinenet.com/peripheral_neuropathy/article.htm] March, 2011

(7) “What is Ultrasound Imaging of the Breast,” [http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm ]

March, 2011

Song:  Singer Oleta Adams, Songwriter Brenda Russell