early detection saved my life

by Jane Clark

​During my yearly mammogram a lump was found in one of my breasts. EARLY DETECTION saved my life!

April 2005 I had a lumpectomy. The surgery went well. I went back to work. Because of the very aggressive cancer I had and the results of an Oncotype test, I had to decide about chemotherapy. My chemotherapy started in June 2005 with eight treatments of very strong chemotherapy given every other week. After each treatment I slept four to six hours. I did lose my hair, didn't have much of an appetite, but didn't get sick.

After a month off I began my second round of chemotherapy plus Herceptin (her2neu drug) which was not nearly as strong as the first round. In November, I developed heart valve damage on my left upper chamber. All chemotherapy and Herceptin treatments were stopped. I was on two different blood pressure medicines to keep stress off my heart, had several CT scans, bone scans and echocardiograms to make sure the cancer was not spreading and/or caused heart problems.

In December I began radiation treatments (33) which were given every day, Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sundays I had off. The treatments did not burn my skin, but I was very, very fatigued. The two types of chemo put my body in a fake menopause mode. The hot flashes and not sleeping at night were the worst!

My last radiation treatment was in January 2006. I lost my hair a total of two different times during this journey, but when it grew back for good, it was thicker, darker and with a little curl.

In February 2006, I began taking tamoxifen. Then in November I went to Dr. Singh in regards to some pain in my lower right calf. It was a blood clot. Within two weeks I had eight more blood clots. Immediately I stopped the tamoxifen (one of the side- effects) and began taking a blood thinner. In February 2007 I had a hysterectomy due to blood clot complications.

I have been released from taking the blood pressure medicine and blood thinner, but I continue having 6-month checkups with Dr. Singh, and 6- month checkups (mammogram once a year and MRI once a year) with Dr. Duven, my surgeon. All is A-OK. I feel great and am LIVING A HEALTHY LONG LIFE!

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