ALMetro360

UAB Surgical Oncologist and Dr. R. Jobe Fix, UAB Plastic Surgeon. I had a bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction in June 2009. I chose to have the Latissimus muscle reconstruction (bilateral). My lymph nodes were tested during surgery and were negative.” M ANY MONTHS LATER IT WOULD RETURN … S ECOND D IAGNOSIS “During a self-exam I found a small knot in my right breast nine months after my bilateral mastectomy, three days later I went to see my surgeon, Dr. Urist at UAB and an ultrasound and biopsy confirmed my recurrence of IDC cancer in the right breast. I had a lumpectomy to remove the recurrence in April 2010, per Dr. Urist at UAB. I saw Dr. Stephen Davidson at the Mont- gomery Cancer Center to discuss chemotherapy and began treatments just two months later. I received chemotherapy every other week for 12 weeks. Following chemotherapy I received scans, lab work and tumor markers every few months as requested.” S IX YEARS GO BY … T HIRD D IAGNOSIS “In May 2016 I was at my routine checkup and complained of recent hip pain. The doctor scheduled a complete PET scan in May 2016. The results found a recurrence of IDC in the right breast. I had another lumpectomy, performed by Dr. Urist in June 2016. I then completed another series of chemotherapy treatments and also obtained radiation at Central Alabama Radiation Oncology in Montgomery, with Dr. Alex Whitley.” T ODAY … "I’m doing really well. I continue with all my routine labs, scans and markers. I’m currently all clear. I’m enjoying life with my family and friends — boating, traveling and rooting for my favorite team… the Auburn Tigers! n How did battling breast cancer affect your family/work life? I had full support from my family and friends. I had a lot of people supporting me and praying for me. I also continued to work the entire time I received chemotherapy, both rounds, and radiation. By staying busy with work it allowed me to keep my mind focused on other things. I remained as active as I could. It was better than sitting at home think- ing about things. I kept a positive attitude and I was determined in my mind I would control the cancer and not let cancer control me. There were obviously bad days. The side effects from the treatment made me exhausted but I found ways to relax and reduce stress. It helped. Was it harder to hear cancer the first, second or last time? For me, personally, it was harder the first time. It wasn’t as bad the second time because I had chosen not to do chemotherapy, but it was very disappointing since I had gone through a bilateral mastectomy thinking that would lessen my chances of the cancer returning. The third time was just as hard. It had been six years and knowing I would have to endure chemo as well as radiation was devastating. What advice would you give someone going through this now? Stay as positive as possible. You’ve got to keep going. You’ve got to keep going to work, whether you like it or not, because that’s your normal life. You can’t let cancer completely take over things. Always obtain all recommended follow-up care and report any issues that de- velop no matter how big or small you think they are. If I had not com- plained to my doctor about the hip pain, which was irrelevant to my diagnosis, I would not have found the recurrence in 2016 as early as I did. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter OCTOBER 2018 31 B REAST CANCER STATISTICS One in eight American women will get breast cancer. According to the World Health Organi- zation, it's the most common cancer found in women worldwide — and, according to the Na- tional Breast Cancer Foundation, it's the second leading cause of death among women. • About 1 in 8 U.S. women (about 12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. • In 2017, an estimated 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be di- agnosed in women in the U.S., along with 63,410 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. • About 2,470 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in men in 2017. A man’s lifetime risk of breast cancer is about 1 in 1,000. • Breast cancer incidence rates in the U.S. be- gan decreasing in the year 2000, after increasing for the previous two decades. They dropped by 7 percent from 2002 to 2003 alone. One theory is that this decrease was partially due to the re- duced use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by women after the results of a large study suggested a connection between HRT and increased breast cancer risk. • Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women. In 2017, it’s estimated that about 30 percent of newly diagnosed cancers in women will be breast cancers. • A woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly dou- bles if she has a first-degree relative (mother, sis- ter, daughter) who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. • About 5-10 percent of breast cancers can be linked to gene mutations (abnormal changes) inherited from one’s mother or father. Mutations of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are the most common. On average, women with a BRCA1 mutation have a 55-65 percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. For women with a BRCA2 mutation, the risk is 45 percent. Breast cancer that is positive for the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations tends to develop more often in younger women. • About 85 percent of breast cancers occur in women who have no family history of breast cancer. These occur due to genetic mutations that happen as a result of the aging process and life in general, rather than inherited mutations. Source: BreastCancer.org

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjM2NDI5