Being a cancer survivor, I want to stay cancer free.

Yesterday, I took off work and completed my physical and sonogram and mamogram for the year. I talked with the Breast Cancer specialist and she said everything appears to be normal and I got the okay to do mammograms every 2 yrs instead of every year. So yesterday I celebrated 2 years cancer free.

I am on the phone as I type, scheduling a mamogram. They lady isn’t liking that i’m 24 and missed a year on my mamogram. This stuff always makes me uneasy. UGGGHHHH. It’ll be worth it.

I found out I had breast cancer during my 7th month of pregnancy. Cancer runs high in both sides of my family. When I found out it was cancer, I just wanted it out. I went through so many emotions as most of us do. I didn’t want to wait until I delivered the baby and give it more time to grow, but I was worried about the risks surgery provided. I met with my oncologist and we decided the surgery with least risk and most benefit was for me to have a local numbing agent to remove the tumor. This is probably one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. They strapped me up to a baby monitor to be sure the baby was okay. They placed the monitor by my head so I could keep watch. They tried to give me a sedative to be sure I stayed calm. I told them I didn’t want the baby to have anything. I told them I would keep myself calm, but nothing was to get to the baby. Reluctantly, they gave me a local numbing agent and began the process of removing my tumor. The baby was calm and fine through the whole proceedure. I could feel them cutting and pulling on my tissue as they were doing the surgery, but it was okay. It wasn’t painful, just unpleasant, until the numbing wore off halfway through. Just as quickly as the numbing took place, it wore off and the surgery wasn’t over. The good part was that I told them I could feel them cutting me and the medicine was wearing off. They took a minute to renumb me and I was fine. It was very successful. They removed the tumor and the baby was completely fine. It was a great alternative to leaving the tumor until after the delivery. Now, i have to go to yearly mamograms and physicals for the rest of my life. I just turned 24. So I’m not looking forward to that. :-) But whatever it takes to be here for my babies.