Longevity logo

The Days That Changed My Life

My Cancer Journey

By Erin WrightPublished 4 years ago 5 min read
1
This photo was taken the day I found out I had cancer

January 30, 2018 the first day that changed my life forever. I was doing my monthly breast exam to check to see if I had any lumps or anything strange in my breast and then all of a sudden there it was, a lump in my left breast. I asked my mother to check it out just to make sure I was feeling what I thought I was feeling and she felt it too. I then immediately made an appointment with my primary care physician.

I went to my appointment and I had my primary care physician check my breast to see if she felt the same thing my mom and I felt. She found the lump too but she also found something really strange. She noticed there was a mysterious cell tube thingy that went from the lump to my arm. She immediately ordered a mammogram for me. The mammogram showed the lump with the cell tube thingy that connected to my arm. My doctor then calls Cancer Care of Maine and gets me an appointment with a breast specialist. The day comes for the appointment to see the specialist but the office is about two hours away so my mom, daughter, and I end up getting up early so we can make the 10am appointment. The specialist does an ultra sound of my breasts to see how big the lump is and to see exactly where the cell tube is going to. The specialist and I then decide to do a biopsy of the lump, the tube and some of my lymph nodes because when she did the ultrasound we discovered that the tube was connected to some of my lymph nodes. After she was done getting the biopsy I asked her how long it would take to get the results back and she said about a week.

The week seemed to be one of the longest weeks of my life. Then on February 12, 2018 came and I still hadn't heard from the specialist so I decided to call her office and her secretary said she was busy but she would have the doctor call me later. I waited all day wondering and worrying about the results Then at 7pm that night I got the call. This is the call that really changed everything for me. She told me my biopsies came back as positive for cancer. Now what happens? Will I have to have a mastectomy? Will I have to have chemo? How will my body reacted to the treatment? Will I even survive? My life seemed to flash before my eyes. I began to do everything I could do with my daughter because I didn't know if I was going to see her grow up and I wanted her to have as many good memories as she could of me and her childhood.

I then had a series of doctors appointments and different tests to see what way were going to go for treatment. I had a bone density test, a bone scan, a CAT scan, a breast MRI ( I got stuck in the breast MRI mold lol), and an MRI of my brain (yes, I do actually have a brain I just don't use always use it). Through these tests we discovered a small mass in my lower left leg bone but my doctor told me not to worry about it and we left it alone. The breast specialist then sent me to an Oncologist to see what treatment she would suggest that we do. Together the breast specialist, the oncologist, my mom and I decided that I needed a double mastectomy, then AC chemo, then Taxol, and last radiation.

I had the mastectomy on March 13, 2018 the day before my daughter's birthday...needless to say my daughter didn't have a good birthday that year. The surgery went great. I healed pretty quickly. I started AC chemo around the end of April and it lasted about 6 cycles and that seemed to go pretty well. I started Taxol in June of 2018 and I was supposed to have 16 cycles but I only ended up with four cycles because I ended up with huge painful blisters on my hands and feet. I the got diagnosed with Steven Johnson syndrome. My oncologist decided to start radiation after I healed from Steven Johnson syndrome. I had 30 radiation sessions and it seemed to very well until the day after the last radiation.

The day after the last radiation session I got up at my normal time and I felt pretty good until about 9 or 10am. That is when I discovered my mastectomy incision was wide open and there was a yellowish liquid coming out of my chest. I called Cancer Care of Maine and told them what was going on and they then told me to to get to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center as soon as possible. Which means I had to call my mom at work and let her know she had to take me down to Bangor as soon as possible because I don't drive. She got to the house around noontime and picked me and my daughter up. The trip down should've taken two hours only took an hour because my had a lead foot that day. We got down there and got checked into the hospital then we discovered I had an infection in my chest. The recovery from this surgery took about six weeks and then I got sent to the lymphedema clinic because I ended up with lymphedema. I had to go there once a week for about two months.

These days I am done with most treatments except I do take the Exemestane and I will be taking it for about eight more years. I am not considered cancer free yet but I am doing much better and so far the cancer hasn't shown up anywhere else. I am also taking each day as it comes because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Through this journey I have learned a few things. One of the things I have learned is to never take anything for granted. Life is too short to fight all the time so please learn to get along with each other. Also don't work your life away and please have some fun once in a while.

humanity
1

About the Creator

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.