I am a breast cancer survivor

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer that can strike women followed by cervical, colorectal,oral,and thyroid. EARLY DETECTION SAVES LIVES. These cancers are sucessfully treated if diagnsoed early. I had it way back 1998 when I felt a lump on my left breast. So I had an ultrasound and was told I had a solid mass measuring about 2x3 cm. This was also confirmed by a mammogram and it turned out that I had another mass in the opposite breast. I proceeded to see a surgeon and was advised to have a biopsy. Biopsy gave a diagnosis of intraductal carcinoma. After hearing the diagnosis I feel my world grounded to a sudden halt. I felt I was given a death sentence. Thoughts ran in my mind. what will happen to my family? I have at that time a 6-year old son who is still very young even to understand what big C is all about. Though, I can prepare myself on the eventuality, but is my family ready to face the challenge of accepting the reality? The thoughts of leaving my son to take care of himself devastated me. What if it has metastisized to other organs? I underwent modified radical mastectomy of both breast and it was staged as Stage IIb because it involved both breast. Thank God it has not spread to the nodes and other organs. After the surgery, I had the option not to go on chemotherapy since it was just confined to both breast. The oncologist though was convincing me to go on chemotherapy. After praying hard I opted for hormonal therapy only. It is almost 9 years now after diagnosis and here I am apparently free of the disease. However, I still undergo battery of test yearly to continue monitoring for recurrence and metastasis. After what I went through, I would like to share some tips for early detection of breast cancer. 1. Self examination should be done routinely. Watch for change in the size of the breast, dimpling, swelling, nipple discharge, swollen lymph nodes under the armpit. A good link for the self examination is www.breastcancer.org/testing/self_exam/bse_steps.jsp. 2. For women ages 16 to 35 years of age one should have breast examination by physician every 3 years but as one turns 40 years old, one should have breast examination by a physician once a year. The basic diagnositic examinations are breast ultrasound and mammogram. 3. Healthy diet preferably low in fats and high in fruits and vegetables. Please avoid red meat while fish and chicken are preferred. Being diagnosed with breast cancer and fighting off the disease may be both physically and emotinally draining. One needs all the help one can get and I am happy and grateful that my family, doctors and friends (my prayer warriors)were always here to support me.