Marcia - A Breast Cancer Survivor Story 

 I guess my story begins in August, 2000.  I was a healthy and very active 57 year old.I had been on Prempro for hot    flashes and one evening woke up with extreme pain in my back and chest.  The following evening I was diagnosed with a Pulmonary embolism. For a year I was on Coumadin, a blood thinner to prevent future blood clots.  After a year my internist wanted to take me off the blood thinner, feeling that the Prempro might possibly have been the cause of the embolism.  He referred me to a Pulmonary specialist that put me through a battery of tests to rule out any other cause of the embolism.  Part of that testing included a CAT scan of my chest.

Well the Specialist had good news and bad news for me--You can stop taking the Coumadin, however you need to go for a Mammogram. After a series of tests, I was diagnosed with breast cancer- invasive ductal carcinoma.

You go through a deep shock, questioning yourself as to where this came from.  What did you do wrong?  Where did you live?  What stress in your life had brought this on?  I had never been hospitalized except for having babies.  I had done all of the so called preventative behaviors--had all my kids by age 30, breast fed 4 children for 6 months each, was experiencing menopause at the expected age, and was not overweight.    I had very small breasts; no way would I ever get breast cancer. I was wrong.

I opted for a mastectomy rationalizing that my breasts had worked for what they were needed for, but "they" were never really part of who I was.  Sacrificing my breast to cancer was no big deal.  I joke, if my husband was a breast man, he never would have married me!  But underlying the comic was a very scared woman.

I was more scared of the operation, than scared of the diagnosis of cancer.  Two weeks before the Mastectomy, I suddenly started having physical symptoms of my fears.  I began questioning myself. What would my chest look like after the operation?  Would the nipple be sitting on my flat chest?  My heart started to race, my teeth began to clench and hurt.  I finally decided to visit a Psychiatrist who had treated me for Depression years earlier following breaking up from an old boyfriend.

I went on Effexor, an anti-depressant, as a precautionary measure and was prescribed a short term medication to deal with the anxiety I was feeling.  In retrospect that was the best decision that I had made.   I calmed down and survived my first challenge getting through the operation.

The Breast surgeon told me before the operation that he was sure that I would be fine.  Most likely no additional treatment would be needed.  Unfortunately, the pathology report came back with another story.  After 8 chemotherapy treatments with CMF I would be fine.  

Well prior to my 7th treatment I noticed a small pea sized lump directly below the Mastectomy incision.  I brought it to the attention of the oncologist.   I was told that it was probably just scar tissue but lets have the breast surgeon take it out.  The surgeon reassured me during the operation, that is was benign.  He was wrong, it was a localized recurrence of invasive ductal carcinoma- but I wasn�t told of the pathology for 18 days.

Had I not pursued calling him for the pathology report, I would have thought it was nothing. What I learned was that as a patient, I need to be ever vigil, checking myself, not counting on others to find a problem. 

I then had Radiation of my chest wall for 6 weeks, 30 treatments, with 6 concentrated treatments on the area of recurrence.  Having experienced a recurrence during Chemotherapy is a rare event.  Both my oncologist and I were unsure whether I should do another chemotherapy after radiation ended.  I sought a second opinion from Sloan Kettering Cancer Institute in New York City. 

The resultant prognosis was that I has a chronic illness and would have recurring bouts of breast cancer. I should be checked very often to catch a recurrence early.  They also suggested a CAT, bone and PET scan.  If all were negative after radiation no further treatment would be needed until something showed up.

Well that was 4 1/2 years ago.  You can't believe doom and gloom diagnoses.  Everyone is different.  We each have powers within ourselves to fight this disease that doctors can't see, and don't know about.  I am checked every 2 months with blood work at Roswell, and every 4 months I have a bone and CAT scan.  I have had a few scares where they thought they saw something, and then on further checking everything is okay!

 I am in good health, regaining my energy and enthusiasm for life after a year or so following treatment.  I went through the normal feelings of not doing treatment--not doing anything--am I still fighting the disease fears--I don't worry about a recurrence.  I cannot will the disease of breast cancer away.  But I can use my intellect to get educated, to educate others, to educate my daughters, and to advocate and fight for research funds, true prevention and to finding a cure.

 I joined the Hope Chest Dragon Boat Team and I have fun and I gained support.  I joined the Vanity Fairs and the Breast Cancer Network of Western New York.  I used my energies to become active in advocating for breast cancer research funds on the State and National level. 

 I have met such wonderful people during this journey they call Breast Cancer.  I have made strong deep friendships with people who I might not have met otherwise.  I have refocused my energies and have few regrets.

I feel there is a reason I have survived.  I am after all an Optimist, and I live each day, one day at a time, just like I was an alcoholic--and enjoy life to its fullest.

 I hope my story gives you HOPE for with HOPE we can accomplish wonders and have a future.

Marcia Heaney

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