Yesterday was a lovely sunny day at work:
I met up with a lady that is a breast cancer
survivor Vicky. She has being an immense wonderful resource and help to
me just by sharing her experience with a Bilateral Mastectomy that she had.
We met up at twelve and went for just a walk with a great talk. We
talked about how your family react when they find out you have cancer, my husband’s
first response was no and then the stage was another no. I decided do a
simple email to the 13 people I work with and yes said I HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR 12
YEARS AND WE ARE SUCH A SMALL GROUP AND AS YOU KNOW i HAVE HAD SOME HEALTH
CHANGES. HOWEVER i WAS RECENTLY DIAGNOSED WITH B/CANCER AND WILL GO
THROUGH SOME CHANGES. The response were just like normal and sorry - I
was like that too - It is only a reality once a situation touch your own
life. Some were just pouring with sympathy and that makes it hard to deal
with - so I just decided to not tell any of my extended family like my mother,
father etc. But I will still I just need to absorb it all myself still
and figure out the medical approach. This coming week I will go for the
BRCA testing to see what my level of concern for the future should be and if I
would get a Bilateral Mastectomy or what. I am also going to visit a
second oncologist that is not that conservative so that I can have two opinions.
I have walked through stage three breast cancers
with my mom - her chemo and radiation after a mastectomy on one breast.
It is a lot to think about and suddenly I
feel so close to my breast / boobs (two girls) here in front of me. After all
they are a big part of me. Together we fed four kids, played in the sun, had
fun making love... and now they are ready to kill me...
But life goes on ... it never stop... and if these boobs are ready to kill then perhaps it is time to trade them in...
The first few days, post diagnosis, have
been a whirlwind: telling family, friends, and co-workers, doctors
appointments, visiting HR regarding FMLA, checking on insurance. And of
course, starting a therapeutic blog!
I am now taking positive steps to help me
through this journey. I learned that you can contact out the Breast Cancer Resource Center
of Austin to pair you up with a patient navigator. Patient navigators
are breast cancer survivors who act as a resource for newly diagnosed
patients. They provide advice on what to expect, recovery, how to stay
motivated and positive, and just another person to talk to who has already
experienced the journey I am starting. I have found a patient navigator in a new friend.
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