We usually talk books and reading, but I’m taking a detour today into more personal territory to let you know what has been going on in my life.
Breast cancer and I go way back.
I haven’t had it myself, but my mom was diagnosed with it years ago, so I wasn’t exactly surprised when I got a call from my GYN several months ago with the news that I needed to have a biopsy because the follow-up mammogram I’d had after my annual mammogram had been inconclusive.
I had calcifications, but they weren’t the problem. It was the tissue around the calcifications they weren’t sure about. (Don’t you just love science? So exact, yet so vague.)
My mom is fine now and doing great, but her diagnosis meant that since my mid-twenties, I’d known there was a possibility I might develop breast cancer as well. Through the years, I’d dutifully trotted off to have my annual mammograms, treating them like my dental cleanings—something I didn’t want to do, but I did it because it was the grown-up, responsible thing to do. I didn’t dwell on the possibilities or probabilities of cancer, but it was always there in the background, like a cloud on the horizon, something that could blow up into a storm.
I went for the biopsy, which wasn’t painful, but it was stressful. I decided I would be willing to do quite a lot (up to, and including surgery) so that I didn’t have to do another one. The results of the biopsy showed that I had atypical cells in my breast—not cancer, but something that could potentially become cancer…or maybe not. There was no way to know. (Loving the exact inexactness of science again here.) Either way, I had to have the cells removed.
From that point on, my life became a series of medical tests, appointments with specialists, and research sessions to find out what my options were. In the end, I decided to be as aggressive as possible and have a double mastectomy. If I didn’t have a family history of breast cancer, I might have made a different choice, but I had to factor in what I’d seen my mom go through during her journey from diagnosis to recovery.
My faith is a crucial part of my life. I clung to it through the whole process, and I really had a peace that went beyond human understanding. I didn’t have a fake Pollyanna-positive denial of the seriousness of the situation. Especially while I was waiting for the results of the biopsy, I knew it could be bad. Very bad. But I knew that no matter what happened, God was with me. That knowledge, along with support from my husband, family, and friends, made everything easier.
I was able to have a skin-and-nipple-sparing double mastectomy with immediate direct-to-implant reconstruction, a fairly new procedure, as I understand it. Not everyone is a candidate for this type of surgery, but I was all for it since it involved one operation, had a shorter recovery time than some of the other options, and (bonus!) I got to skip the tissue expander stage that I knew was not much fun at all.
My surgery is several months behind me, and I’m feeling good. My post-op pathology reports came back clean, and I’m adjusting to my “new normal.”
I debated about sharing my story here (talking about my breasts on the Internet is something I’m normally rather reluctant to do), but in the end, I decided I’d do it for two reasons.
First, I hope it encourages anyone going through the same thing. It’s a stressful, awful time when you first face it, but you sort out your options and make the best choice you can, and then you go on. You will get through it. And you’ll come out stronger on the other side of it, knowing who you can really count on and what is important. Facing the possibility of cancer gives you an amazing clarity about priorities and how you want to spend your time. :)
And, second, I hope it serves as a little kick in the pants to anyone who has been told to get a mammogram and has been putting it off.
Just do it. Schedule it and get it over with. Chances are, the results will be normal, but even if you get the call like I did, it’s better to deal with this stuff early rather than late.
Early gives you options and puts you in the position to make decisions that are best for you. So don’t put it off.
The life you save may be your own…or your daughter’s.
I’m happy to answer questions (to the best of my ability!) here, or send me an email at sarawriter (at) sararosett (dot) com, if you’d rather chat in a less public way.
And now back to books…
I can highly recommend Agatha Christie’s books. I worked my way through several Miss Marple stories while all this was going on and found the clever and funny dialogue made me smile and the puzzles were distractingly convoluted, which was just what I needed. :)
Sara loves all things bookish, considers dark chocolate a daily requirement, and is on a quest for the best bruschetta. She writes cozy mystery and international suspense. Connect with Sara at www.SaraRosett.com. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Goodreads.
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