My Story

 My story starts in April 2005 when I noticed a lump, not in my breast, but under my right armpit.  A terrible night followed full of fear and anxiety.  Surely it couldn’t be the ‘c’ word (at the time I couldn’t even say the word ‘cancer’).  The next day I was more under control, telling myself that there could be lots of other explanations.  Nevertheless, I telephoned my doctor who referred me to my local breast unit. 

Diagnosis

I had two visits to the hospital and a mammogram (my first one).  The mammogram didn’t show any lumps in my breasts and none were detected by examination.  An appointment was made to have the lump in my armpit taken out.  My surgeon told me that he didn’t think there was anything to worry about (i.e. cancer) because of my age, at that time I was 39, and because nothing else had shown up in the mammogram.  I’ve later found out that having breast cancer under the age of forty isn’t nearly as rare as I was first led to believe.  A few days after the surgery, I went back to work and had a two week wait to find out if my life would change forever. Back at the Breast Unit in June, worried faces reflected mine in the waiting area.  After what seemed like an endless wait, I was led into the consulting room.  As soon as the doctor walked in, I knew it was bad news.  Then he said the words then I’d been dreading to hear ‘You have cancer, it’s a grade 3 malignant tumour which had spread from somewhere else, possibly your breast.’  My friend who had come with me asked the question I had been too afraid to ask, ‘Is it treatable?’.   He answered that it was if the primary site could be found. 

Primary and Secondary cancer

I found out that a primary site of cancer is where the cancer starts off e.g. a malignant tumour in the breast would be the primary site of cancer.  Whereas, if the cancer had spread from this primary site to other areas, in my case the lymph node under my armpit, this is classed as a local secondary cancer.    An array of scans and tests followed to find the primary site of cancer.  I had MRI, ultrasound and CT scans and blood tests to check for tumour markers.  I knew that my best chance of survival would be if the primary site was found.  However, all the results came back negative, it hadn’t been found. After further ultrasound scans on my right breast, the specialist decided that there was, after all, a worrying area that had shown up.  I was scheduled for a lumpectomy the following week.  Another fearful wait followed after the lumpectomy.  However, no cancer had been found in the area they had removed from my breast.  I had a four inch scar under my breast where healthy tissue had been removed but I kept telling myself that it had been necessary to try and find the primary and that I was prepared to go to hell and back to get well. I had what is referred to an unknown primary.  Research showed me that this happened in about 1% of cases (trust me to be different!).   The surgeons could do nothing else for me at this time, so I was to be referred to an oncologist to discuss chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I was trying to be brave but the very word ‘chemotherapy’ filled me with terror and gave me images of painfully thin, bald women who felt ill and sick all the time.  I was also told that my tumour was classed as ‘triple negative’, that is receptor-negative to oestrogen, progesterone and herceptin.  I had no idea that there were many different types of breast cancer, so I went on a crash course to learn all that I could. 

Hormones and Breast Cancer

I found out that if breast cancer is oestrogen/progesterone-receptor- negative, manipulation of oestrogen and progesterone won’t slow the growth or spread of the cancer cells.  Whereas, if it’s oestrogen and/or progesterone-receptor-positive, hormone treatment can be offered to help prevent the cancer spreading or recurring.  If breast cancer is receptor-positive to Herceptin then this type of hormone treatment can be offered to help prevent cancer spread or recurrence. 

Monitoring

After my treatment finished (See NHS Treatment 1 (2005/6) , I was given check-ups at 3 monthly, then 6 monthly intervals.  I was given a heart scan to check that the chemotherapy agents hadn’t damaged my heart, as I was experiencing irregular heart beats.  The results of the scan were normal.  During my check-ups I was given a physical examination and blood tests were taken.  I did express concern about a lumpy area under my right armpit where the tumour had been taken out but was told that it was “just scarring” from the operation to remove it.  However, I later found out that this lump wasn’t “just scarring” but was in fact a recurrence of cancer (See My Story 2).    

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