Wishing I Knew Then What I Know Now

My story started 5 years ago.

A week after my husband left me I found out I had stage one breast cancer. I had 16 weeks of chemo. I know have permanent nerve damage. Then had 33 days of radiation. It turned my skin into leather. The cream they give you does not work. It damages your cells for the rest of your life. It makes reconstruction extremely difficult.

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Then I had a lumpectomy

After all that, 5 years later, I felt another lump. It was detected in scans. I was told it was scar tissue. I insisted they remove the scar tissue. Thank goodness I did. It came back as cancer. Chemo was no longer an option, and I would never do radiation again. They don't tell you the damage. I only had one option. It was a very difficult decision. Painful both emotionally and physically.

Then I also had a mastectomy

4 weeks ago I had a double mastectomy. The drains are a nightmare. I am starting recovery, so things are getting better. The process is slow due to the damaged cells. They can't support implants yet.

The point of me telling you this is: You have a voice in your treatment.
I would have just had the mastectomy at the beginning instead of torturing myself with everything else. Not gonna lie it's hard. But in the long run get rid of cancer and get on with your life.

Prayers for all of you.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The AdvancedBreastCancer.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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